Patrick Parrilli joined the EKU program as the offensive quality control coach in the summer of 2016. In the summer of 2018 he was promoted to running backs coach.
In 2019, the Colonels rushed for 2,468 yards, leading the Ohio Valley Conference and finishing 20th in the nation with 205.5 yards per game. Parrilli coached two all-conference selections in Daryl McCleskey Jr. and Alonzo Booth. McCleskey ranked 10th in the country with 1,238 rushing yards while Booth was 16th in FCS football with 14 rushing touchdowns.
In his first season guiding the backs, two Colonels earned All-OVC honors in 2018. L.J. Scott ranked third in the conference with 780 rushing yards. He scored eight rushing touchdowns and averaged 5.2 yards per carry, ranking second and fifth in the league respectively in those categories. McCleskey was fifth in the OVC in rushing yards (651).
The stable of running backs under Parrilli’s guidance helped EKU rush for 2,246 yards, 1,105 yards more than in 2017. The Colonels ranked second in the OVC and 26th in the nation in rushing offense. It was the highest rushing total for an Eastern team since 2014.
Parrilli spent the final four games of the 2018 season serving as the quarterbacks coach. During that time, Parker McKinney moved from fourth string to starter. In the season finale, he became the first true freshman signal caller in program history to throw for 300 yards in a game.
During the 2016 season, Eastern’s offense totaled 400 or more yards in a game five times and came close to eclipsing that mark on two other occasions, finishing with 398 and 387 yards respectively. The Colonels strung together three straight games of more than 500 yards of offense.
In 2017, quarterback Tim Boyle threw for 2,134 yards, the fifth most ever in one season in program history. As a team, EKU led the Ohio Valley Conference in passing and completion percentage.
Parrilli spent the previous three years serving in a variety of roles at Ave Maria University. He was a student assistant during the 2013 season. In 2014 he served as the quarterbacks coach. Ave Maria led the conference in passing yards and passing touchdowns, while the team’s quarterback ranked 15th in the nation in passing yards per game and 34th in pass efficiency.
During the 2015 season, Parrilli was the wide receivers coach and offensive coordinator for the junior varsity team. Under his guidance, four wide receivers ranked among the top-15 in the conference in receptions per game and total receptions. Two of those, were among the top-10 in the league in receiving yards per game.
Parrilli earned a bachelor’s of arts degree in business management from Ave Maria University in 2016.
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Patrick Parrilli Year-By-Year
| Year |
School |
Position |
Notes |
| 2014 |
Ave Maria University |
Quarterbacks Coach |
1st in conference in passing |
| 2015 |
Ave Maria University |
Wide Receivers Coach |
|
| 2016 |
Eastern Kentucky |
Offensive Quality Control |
400 yards-plus offense in 5 games |
| 2017 |
Eastern Kentucky |
Offensive Quality Control |
1st in OVC in passing |
| 2018 |
Eastern Kentucky |
Running Backs Coach |
26th NCAA in rushing, 2 All-OVC RBs |
| 2019 |
Eastern Kentucky |
Running Backs Coach |
20th NCAA in rushing, 2 All-OVC RBs |
