Greg Keziah is the run game coordinator and offensive line coach on the Wingate football coaching staff. He serves as the team’s academic coordinator. Keziah returned to his alma mater in December of 2012. The 2020 season is his eighth campaign on the Bulldog sidelines.
Keziah saw offensive lineman Andrew Strickland achieve a rare double-double in 2019. Strickland earned AFCA All-American on the field and Academic All-America® from CoSIDA for his classroom efforts. Strickland and offensive line mate Connor Baroniunas made first team All-SAC, along with running backs Nijere Peoples and Domineke McNeill.
In 2018, Keziah mentored SAC Offensive Freshman of the Year Nijere Peoples. The Bulldog running back led the league with 14 rushing touchdowns, compiling 110.3 yards per game as well. Peoples and offensive lineman Johnathon Black made first team All-SAC, while offensive lineman Austin May snagged a spot on the second team. Offensive lineman Hunter Jolly won the Charlotte Touchdown Scholarship.
Keziah’s student-athletes played a huge role in Wingate’s 2017 SAC championship. Offensive lineman Daniel Owens won the coveted Jacobs Blocking Trophy, while running back Lawrence Pittman was the league’s Offensive Player of the Year. Owens, Pittman, running back Blake Hayes and offensive lineman Connor Baroniunas were named to the All-SAC teams. Pittman led the SAC in rushing yards (1262).
In 2017, linebacker Zack Singleton and punter Christopher Birozes were named Academic All-America® by CoSIDA. Wingate Football has had 11 Academic All-America® honorees during Keziah’s tenure. In addition, Bulldog tight end Wade Johnson won the 2017 South Atlantic Conference Elite 20 Award. This honor goes to the SAC football student-athlete with the highest GPA.
Keziah and his troops had a big year in 2016. All-South Atlantic Conference running backs Blake Hayes and Lawrence Pittman led the league in rushing yards (1109) and rushing touchdowns (15), respectively. Hayes was a nominee for the Harlon Hill Award. Keziah coached four All-SAC performers, as offensive linemen Daniel Owens and Cabell Cantrell received recognition from the league’s coaches as well.
In the classroom, Keziah mentored 21 student-athletes who made the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll. Zack Singleton and Chris Boykins were named to the Academic All-Super Region 2 team by CoSIDA. Wingate’s 2016 nominee for the SAC Elite 18 Award, Singleton received the Charlotte Touchdown Club scholarship in December of the same year.
Keziah’s 2015 charges had huge successes on both the athletic and the academic fronts. On the field, sophomore Lawrence Pittman was a regional candidate for the Harlon Hill Award. Pittman and Denver Broncos signee Mathu Gibson received first team All-SAC honors. In the classroom, linebacker Eric Mapoles and punter Christopher Birozes earned Academic All-America® honors from CoSIDA.
In 2014, Keziah helped five student-athletes receive Academic All-America® laurels. Offensive lineman Will Poteat was a first team pick, while four Bulldogs receive second team laurels: Mapoles, tight end Brandon Ellington, defensive back Jon Jimenez and defensive lineman Nick Napolitano. In addition, Napolitano was an Associated Press Little All-America second team member.
Ellington was the first Wingate football student-athlete to earn Academic All-America® honors twice in his career. Wingate’s five football honorees tie NCAA Division III Rose-Hulman for the most in the three NCAA divisions following the 2014 season. The Bulldog football program has 15 Academic All-America® honorees lifetime.
In 2013, the Bulldog O-Line helped Harlon Hill Trophy regional finalist Robbie Nallenweg achieve great success at the quarterback position. Wingate had back-to-back 100-yard individual rushing performances (versus Tusculum and North Greenville) as well. Keziah tutored tackle/guard Will Poteat as he earned a spot on the All-South Atlantic Conference second team.
Keziah’s efforts helped Ellington as he earned Capital One Academic All-America® NCAA Division II football second team honors in 2013. Ellington and 14 teammates were named to the 2014 SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
Keziah spent the 2012 season at Widener (Pa.) University, where he served as offensive line coach and run game coordinator. The 2012 Widener program won the Mid-Atlantic Conference title. The team posted impressive numbers, finishing fifth in Division III scoring with 45.8 points per game and third in sacks allowed, surrendering only 0.5 sacks per game in 12 contests.
In 2011, Keziah was an assistant offensive line and offensive quality control coach at Lehigh. Keziah helped the squad to the 2011 Patriot League championship with an 11-2 record. He handled recruiting in the New England, West Coast and Midwest areas. In 2010, Keziah was an assistant offensive line coach at Yale.
Keziah’s coaching career began at Wingate from 2008-09. He spent two years on the coaching staff, serving as tight ends coach and assistant offensive line coach. Keziah spent time with the offensive quality control, strength and conditioning, special teams and recruiting areas. Keziah mentored an All-SAC tight end and several All-SAC offensive linemen, as well as an O-Line which blocked for the conference’s top rusher in 2008.
A four-year starter on the Wingate offensive line, Keziah was a three-time Academic All-District III selection (as picked by CoSIDA) for his academic work, while receiving an honorable mention All-SAC pick for his play on the field.
Keziah received his B.A. in history and psychology from Wingate in 2007. He added a Masters of Sports Administration in Education degree in August 2010. Keziah married fellow Wingate alum Abby Coffey during the summer of 2015.
Coach Keziah’s recruiting areas include: Georgia counties of Baldwin, Banks, Barrow, Clarke, Columbia, Dawson, Elbert, Forsyth, Franklin, Glascock, Greene, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hall, Hancock, Hart, Jackson, Lincoln, Lumpkin, Madison, McDuffie, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Putnam, Rabun, Richmond, Stephens, Taliaferro, Towns, Union, Walton, Warren, White and Wilkes; also, the Charlotte private schools in North Carolina.
