OSHKOSH, Wis. (NBC 26) — UW Oshkosh's new head football coach had high praise for the Titans program on his first day, calling UWO a "flagship" of Division III football and saying he is "humbled" to take over as its new head coach.
UWO introduced Peter Jennings as its new head football coach at a news conference Tuesday morning.
Jennings, who spent the last four years as the offensive coordinator at rival UW-Whitewater, replaces longtime Titans coach Pat Cerroni. Cerroni retiredfollowing the 2021 season following a highly successful 15 years at the helm.
"It's one of the top football programs in the country," Jennings said in a one-on-one interview with NBC 26 following his introduction. "It's a flagship for Division III football and to be given the opportunity to lead this program - I'm absolutely humbled.
"It doesn't matter what corner of the country you're in - if you know Division III football you know the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh and you know the Titans," Jennings continued. "That's incredibly exciting and I'm ready to go."
Jennings said the biggest key to continuing the Cerroni's success is simple: recruiting.
"We have to continue to recruit at a high, high level," Jennings said. "That's going to be fundamentally what we base our future off of.
"We've got to go out and continue to find the best players in the Fox Valley, the best players in the state, the best players out of northern Illinois and we've got to bring those players here," he said. "(We've got to) make them feel comfortable, show them what a great institution this is, our facilities, the academic programs, and then we've got to take the next step that way."
During Jennings' three seasons leading the offense at UW-Whitewater, the Warhawks had a record of 39-4. Last season, UWW led the WIAC in scoring at an average of 43.4 points per game.
UW Oshkosh is scheduled to open the 2022 season at home against East Texas Baptist University.
