SJV Hires New Football Coach

Article by: Megan Casey, St John Vianney Marketing and Communications Coordinator

Holmdel-- Saint John Vianney High School has announced that Bobby Acosta will take over the football program as its new head coach. Acosta, a New Jersey native and former IMG Academy, Max Preps #1, and National Championship Head Football Coach, spent last season at the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff as Offensive Coordinator and Quarterback Coach. Acosta comes to SJV with more than 20 years of experience and is known around the country for his passion for student-athletes and for being an offensive play-calling mastermind.

Upon accepting the position, Acosta said, “I am so excited for the opportunity to become the Head Football Coach at SJV.  I look forward to building an elite program that will compete for championships on and off the field. Our program will center around our faith, which will drive our students to excel in academics, the community, and life. Our players will have a positive impact on people and will serve others to create successful lifelong relationships.”

Acosta is a graduate of Rowan University, where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Health and Exercise Science and played four seasons of college football, helping his team make it to the NCAA Division III Football Championship each year. Acosta has an impressive resume coaching in the NFL, NCAA Division I and Division III, and at the high school level. He began his coaching career at Rowan University (1999-2001) as the team's Defensive Back and Special Teams Coach.

In his first season at IMG Academy, Acosta's program went undefeated and was named the consensus No. 1 team in the nation, capturing the title of National Champions for the 2020 season. Acosta was also instrumental in developing University of Michigan’s 2024 National College Championship quarterback JJ McCarthy. While there, Acosta placed 100% of his student-athletes in colleges at all levels.

Acosta came to IMG Academy from The College of St. Scholastica, where he helped guide the Saints to a 7-3 record during the 2019 season. Before that, the veteran coach served as the Bucknell University Offensive Coordinator and Quarterback Coach from 2017-2018. He spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons at Syracuse University before moving to Cornell University in 2015.

Before his time at Syracuse, Acosta spent one year as Head Coach at Widener University in 2013 and five seasons as an Assistant Coach at The College of New Jersey (2008-2012), also serving as Offensive Coordinator during the last four years. That came on the heels of one season as a coach at the University of Delaware, where he helped the Blue Hens reach the 2007 FCS National Championship Game and assisted in developing future Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Flacco. During this time, Acosta also had two NFL preseason coaching internships with the Cleveland Browns in 2008 and the New York Jets in 2010.

In the Shore Conference, Acosta served as Head Coach at Marlboro High School from 2002-2004 and Monmouth Regional High School from 2006-2007, where he led the Falcons to their first Conference Championship and playoff game in school history.