UNIVERSITY CENTER, MICH. – Saginaw Valley State University football announces the addition of three offensive assistant coaches Michael McClanathan, Davis Lewandowski, and Tony Bryan.
McClanathan joins the staff as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator. Lewandowski will serve as the tight ends coach, passing game coordinator, and recruiting coordinator. Bryan will work with the Cardinal running backs.
McClanathan spent the last three seasons at Eastern Michigan University working with the offensive line.
Before his time at EMU, McClanathan served for seven years working the offensive line and three years as the Offensive Line Coach & Run Game Coordinator for Drake University.
In addition, McClanathan was a football letterman and two-time PFL Champion. He played center for Drake Football and was a four-time community service captain.
"Mike is a teacher," said head football coach Ryan Brady. "He loves to coach and develop young men. In addition to being an outstanding communicator, his players love to play for him. Mike is an excellent fit with the coaching staff we have assembled here, and Mike will make a huge impact up front and in the run game for the Cardinals for years to come. I am excited to work alongside Coach McClanathan and look forward to working together day in and day out. We are thrilled to welcome Coach Mike McClanathan to SVSU."
Lewandowski, who spent the last four years at the University of Louisiana Monroe, is in his first season as tight ends coach, passing game coordinator, and recruiting coordinator at SVSU.
"It's been exciting to get Coach Lew going here at SVSU and he is off to a fantastic start. His experience as a Division 1 player, coach, & chief of staff has brought immediate value to our entire team and program. Davis is a Swiss army knife with experience working with wide receivers, tight ends, quarterbacks, and defensive backs. His experiences have allowed him to work with some of the very best college football coaches in the country. We are very fortunate and thankful to have Coach Lew at SVSU. We welcome him and his wife Ceci to the Great Lakes Bay region."
In Lewandowski's first season as ULM's tight ends coach, graduate student Nolan Quinlan set FBS career highs for receptions (17), receiving yards (207), yards per catch (12.2 avg.), touchdown receptions (1) and explosive plays (5; career-long 41-yard reception at Texas State) in 2023. It marked the highest single-season total for a Warhawk tight end since Josh Pederson (Jacksonville Jaguars) in 2020. In addition, Quinlan posted the fifth-highest receiving and pass-blocking grades among Sun Belt tight ends, according to Pro Football Focus.
In 2022, the 27-year-old Lewandowski assumed the role of chief of staff, overseeing the day-to-day responsibilities of other graduate assistants and analysts, while assisting wide receivers coach John Carr.
As a graduate assistant in 2021, Lewandowski worked with the quarterbacks under former offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez.
In 2020, he helped coach the defensive backs and ran the offensive scout team under the supervision of former defensive coordinator Scott Stoker.
Lewandowski came to ULM following a five-year playing career at Michigan State where he played wide receiver for head coach Mark Dantonio. He made his collegiate debut as a red-shirt freshman in 2016 against Rutgers and became a letter winner in 2019.
From 2015-19, the Spartans compiled a combined record of 39-26 (.600), including the 2015 Big Ten Championship and a trip to the 2015 College Football Playoff (Cotton Bowl vs. Alabama), and made three other postseason bowl appearances (2017 Holiday Bowl vs. Washington State, 2018 Redbox Bowl vs. Oregon and 2019 Pinstripe Bowl vs. Wake Forest). Michigan State ranked sixth in the final 2015 Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches' Polls and finished in the Top 20 again in 2017 (No. 15 AP/No. 16 USA Today).
Lewandowski earned a Bachelor of Science degree in advertising management from Michigan State in December 2019. He received his Master of Science in sports management from ULM in December 2022.
Lewandowski and his wife Ceci reside in Saginaw, Mich.
Bryan has spent the past six seasons as a high school football coach. Most recently, he spent three seasons at Clio High School. The previous three years were spent at Genessee High School. The Flushing, Michigan native will fill the role of running backs coach for SVSU.
"Coach Bryan brings a wealth of experience, [and] knowledge, and is highly connected in the Flint/Detroit Area," said Brady. "Tony is a great communicator and instantly connects with people. He is an excellent recruiter and has a true passion for recruiting. His transition at SVSU has been seamless and I'm grateful for the efforts and value he has added in such a short time. Coach Bryan played a critical role in our 2023 Signing Day Class. He is a relentless worker and a team player. He is another excellent leader for our young people to emulate and follow. [I am] excited to welcome Coach Tony Bryan to Saginaw Valley State University."