Zach Handy joined the Franklin & Marshall football team as the offensive line coach & recruiting coordinator prior to the 2025 season. Handy joined the Diplomats’ staff after spending the previous three seasons as the offensive line coach at Buffalo State University where he additionally served as the team’s run game coordinator.
“I am very excited for Zach to be joining our staff,” said head coach Michael Phelan at the time of Handy’s hiring. “Zach is a talented offensive coach and recruiter. His work ethic and dedication to building strong relationships will have a great impact on our student-athletes and football program.”
During each of his three seasons at Buffalo State, the Bengals increased their overall win total. Handy was instrumental in leading Alex Westcott to becoming a three-time first-team All-Liberty League selection while all-conference running back Ale Wilson ran for over 100 yards in a single game for the most times by a single player at Buffalo State in over a decade.
Prior to his time at Buffalo State, Handy spent four years as an assistant coach at Alfred State College, earning the promotion to offensive coordinator during the 2021 season. During that one season as coordinator, Handy's squad averaged 368.5 yards of total offense per game, 147.9 rushing yards per game, and 27.5 points per game. The Pioneers finished the season with a 6-5 overall record, including a 5-1 record in Eastern Collegiate Football Conference games to share the regular season conference crown. Alfred State had six All-Conference selections on offense in 2021, as well as the conference's offensive player of the year.Â
During the 2018 and 2019 seasons, Handy was the offensive line coach for Alfred State, helping to grow the rushing offense by over 80 yards per game during that two-year span. He also coached five All-Conference selections on the offensive line in that time.
Handy began his coaching career as the offensive line coach at his alma mater, Utica College. During his four-year playing career at Utica, Handy appeared in 19 games with 11 starts. He graduated from Utica in 2016 with a degree in history and adolescent education.
