Tokarz Hired as Offensive Coordinator at Buffalo
12/13/2025 9:53:00 PM | Football
BUFFALO, NY – Tony Tokarz, one of the top young offensive minds in college football, has been hired as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the University at Buffalo football team, head coach Pete Lembo has announced.
Tokarz comes to Buffalo from Florida State where he spent the past six seasons, including the previous four as quarterbacks coach. Prior to Florida State, Tokarz was tight ends coach at Memphis where he coached with Lembo.
"I could not be more excited to have Tony coming on board to lead our offense," Lembo said. "We worked really well together at Memphis in 2019 during a historic AAC championship season. I saw firsthand Tony's incredible work ethic, energy, high football IQ and ability to relate well with the players. Since that time, he has gone on to coach multiple quarterbacks with different skill sets at the highest level of college football. He has been preparing intently for an opportunity like this one. I am confident he will make the most of it."
While at Florida State, Tokarz was instrumental in the progression of the quarterback room and especially developing Jordan Travis into the ACC's 2023 Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year while also becoming the eighth player in program history to finish in the top-five of the Heisman Trophy vote. Travis, who was selected by the New York Jets in the 2024 NFL Draft, ended his career ranked in the top-15 in ACC history in rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, touchdown responsibility, passing efficiency, quarterback rushing yards and total offense.
The 2023 team completed a 13-0 regular season that culminated in the program's 16th ACC championship with a victory over No. 14 Louisville in the ACC Championship Game and earned a berth in the Orange Bowl behind an offense that led the conference in scoring for the second consecutive year. Florida State's 34.6 points-per-game average was bolstered by a program-record-tying 20 different players scoring at least one touchdown and ranked 19th overall in the country. The Seminoles also led the ACC with 61 total touchdowns scored, 32 rushing touchdowns and an average of 13.5 yards per completion while posting the conference's fewest interceptions thrown and total turnovers.
Due to injuries, five Florida State quarterbacks started between the 2023 and 2024 seasons, including a true freshman in each of those seasons. Despite the setbacks at the position, the Seminoles completed an undefeated regular season and won the ACC Championship Game in 2023 with backup quarterbacks, one of only four teams in the country that season to have three different quarterbacks earn a win.
Unfortunately, injuries derailed the 2025 season as well, forcing the Seminoles to utilize several young players and walk-ons. The campaign got off to a promising start with a convincing 31-17 win over Alabama. Despite needing to shuffle the lineup due to injuries, Florida State still led the ACC in total offense, averaging 472 yards per game.
In 2022, Tokarz's quarterbacks directed one of the most explosive offenses in the nation while helping lead FSU to a 10-3 record and a final ranking of No. 10 in the Coaches Poll and No. 11 in the AP poll. Florida State led the nation with its average of 7.46 plays of 20-plus yards per game, the program's highest season average since the 2013 national championship and was third in the country with an explosive play rate of 17.15 percent. The Seminoles were one of two teams nationally to average at least 270 passing yards and at least 210 rushing yards per game in 2022. FSU also tied for the national lead with eight touchdown drives of 90-plus yards, and its 16 touchdown drives of 80-plus yards were third-most in the country.
Prior to Florida State, Tokarz spent three seasons at Memphis, serving as tight ends coach in 2019 after spending the 2017 and 2018 seasons as a graduate assistant. The 2019 team won a school-record 12 games and the program's first outright conference championship since 1969. The Tigers ranked eighth in the nation with an average of 40.5 points per game and with an average of 6.90 yards per play. Their team passing efficiency of 167.41 and average of 14.91 yards per completion were both tenth in the country.
Tokarz began his coaching career in 2012 at Anna Maria College, where he coached wide receivers and helped the program tie a single-season wins record that stood until 2021. He tutored Domenique Concepcion to first-team all-conference honors in a season that included breaking single-game school records with 17 receptions, 236 receiving yards and three touchdowns, single-season records with 72 receptions and 848 receiving yards, and the program's all-time career records with 213 receptions, 2,585 receiving yards, 21 receiving touchdowns and an average of 5.46 catches per game.
Tokarz then moved to Stonehill College, where he coached wide receivers and worked with quarterbacks in 2013. That year, the Skyhawks posted their best record since 1996 and earned a share of the regular-season conference championship for the first time in program history. Wide receiver Nate Robitaille broke Stonehill single-season records with 91 receptions, 1,229 receiving yards and an average of 8.3 receptions per game while tying the single-season record with 13 receiving touchdowns.
Tokarz spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons at Memphis, working with the quarterbacks in 2015 and secondary in 2014. In 2015, the Tigers won nine games behind an offense that ranked 11th in the country in scoring and eighth in third-down conversion percentage. Tokarz worked with Paxton Lynch, who was a first-team All-AAC honoree as well as a finalist for the Manning Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award after breaking program records for passing yards, passing touchdowns and 300-yard passing games. He ranked 11th in the nation in passing efficiency, 12th in completion percentage, 16th in passing yards and 19th in passing touchdowns. Lynch went on to be selected 26th overall in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos.
The 2014 team won 10 games, the program's most in a regular season since 1963, and earned a share of the AAC conference championship. The defense ranked third nationally in red zone defense and ranked ninth in the country in total takeaways. Memphis also was third in the conference and Top-25 nationally in scoring defense, rushing defense, passing efficiency defense, third-down defense, interceptions and fumble recoveries.
In 2016, he returned to Stonehill College as the passing game coordinator, quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator. That season, freshman Andrew Jamiel matched Robitaille's single-season program record with 91 receptions and broke the receptions-per-game record with an NCAA Division II-best 9.1 catches per game. He also twice broke Robitaille's single-game receptions record by posting 16 receptions in week two before breaking his mark with 18 catches for 169 yards and two touchdowns five weeks later in the Division II Football Showcase. Jamiel was named the conference's Rookie of the Year, Stonehill's first offensive player to earn conference rookie of the year honors, and headlined three all-conference selections on offense for the Skyhawks.
Tokarz was a three-year starting quarterback at Worcester State and left as the program's all-time leader in rushing yards by a quarterback while also ranking second in career touchdown passes and fourth in career passing yards. He was a first-team all-conference performer in 2011 when he led the Lancers to an 8-3 record, the program's most wins since 2003, and an appearance in the ECAC Northwest Bowl to cap his senior season.
Tokarz earned his bachelor's degree in history from Worcester State in 2012. He is married to the former Emily Williams, and they have two children, one son and one daughter.
Tokarz comes to Buffalo from Florida State where he spent the past six seasons, including the previous four as quarterbacks coach. Prior to Florida State, Tokarz was tight ends coach at Memphis where he coached with Lembo.
"I could not be more excited to have Tony coming on board to lead our offense," Lembo said. "We worked really well together at Memphis in 2019 during a historic AAC championship season. I saw firsthand Tony's incredible work ethic, energy, high football IQ and ability to relate well with the players. Since that time, he has gone on to coach multiple quarterbacks with different skill sets at the highest level of college football. He has been preparing intently for an opportunity like this one. I am confident he will make the most of it."
While at Florida State, Tokarz was instrumental in the progression of the quarterback room and especially developing Jordan Travis into the ACC's 2023 Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year while also becoming the eighth player in program history to finish in the top-five of the Heisman Trophy vote. Travis, who was selected by the New York Jets in the 2024 NFL Draft, ended his career ranked in the top-15 in ACC history in rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, touchdown responsibility, passing efficiency, quarterback rushing yards and total offense.
The 2023 team completed a 13-0 regular season that culminated in the program's 16th ACC championship with a victory over No. 14 Louisville in the ACC Championship Game and earned a berth in the Orange Bowl behind an offense that led the conference in scoring for the second consecutive year. Florida State's 34.6 points-per-game average was bolstered by a program-record-tying 20 different players scoring at least one touchdown and ranked 19th overall in the country. The Seminoles also led the ACC with 61 total touchdowns scored, 32 rushing touchdowns and an average of 13.5 yards per completion while posting the conference's fewest interceptions thrown and total turnovers.
Due to injuries, five Florida State quarterbacks started between the 2023 and 2024 seasons, including a true freshman in each of those seasons. Despite the setbacks at the position, the Seminoles completed an undefeated regular season and won the ACC Championship Game in 2023 with backup quarterbacks, one of only four teams in the country that season to have three different quarterbacks earn a win.
Unfortunately, injuries derailed the 2025 season as well, forcing the Seminoles to utilize several young players and walk-ons. The campaign got off to a promising start with a convincing 31-17 win over Alabama. Despite needing to shuffle the lineup due to injuries, Florida State still led the ACC in total offense, averaging 472 yards per game.
In 2022, Tokarz's quarterbacks directed one of the most explosive offenses in the nation while helping lead FSU to a 10-3 record and a final ranking of No. 10 in the Coaches Poll and No. 11 in the AP poll. Florida State led the nation with its average of 7.46 plays of 20-plus yards per game, the program's highest season average since the 2013 national championship and was third in the country with an explosive play rate of 17.15 percent. The Seminoles were one of two teams nationally to average at least 270 passing yards and at least 210 rushing yards per game in 2022. FSU also tied for the national lead with eight touchdown drives of 90-plus yards, and its 16 touchdown drives of 80-plus yards were third-most in the country.
Prior to Florida State, Tokarz spent three seasons at Memphis, serving as tight ends coach in 2019 after spending the 2017 and 2018 seasons as a graduate assistant. The 2019 team won a school-record 12 games and the program's first outright conference championship since 1969. The Tigers ranked eighth in the nation with an average of 40.5 points per game and with an average of 6.90 yards per play. Their team passing efficiency of 167.41 and average of 14.91 yards per completion were both tenth in the country.
Tokarz began his coaching career in 2012 at Anna Maria College, where he coached wide receivers and helped the program tie a single-season wins record that stood until 2021. He tutored Domenique Concepcion to first-team all-conference honors in a season that included breaking single-game school records with 17 receptions, 236 receiving yards and three touchdowns, single-season records with 72 receptions and 848 receiving yards, and the program's all-time career records with 213 receptions, 2,585 receiving yards, 21 receiving touchdowns and an average of 5.46 catches per game.
Tokarz then moved to Stonehill College, where he coached wide receivers and worked with quarterbacks in 2013. That year, the Skyhawks posted their best record since 1996 and earned a share of the regular-season conference championship for the first time in program history. Wide receiver Nate Robitaille broke Stonehill single-season records with 91 receptions, 1,229 receiving yards and an average of 8.3 receptions per game while tying the single-season record with 13 receiving touchdowns.
Tokarz spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons at Memphis, working with the quarterbacks in 2015 and secondary in 2014. In 2015, the Tigers won nine games behind an offense that ranked 11th in the country in scoring and eighth in third-down conversion percentage. Tokarz worked with Paxton Lynch, who was a first-team All-AAC honoree as well as a finalist for the Manning Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award after breaking program records for passing yards, passing touchdowns and 300-yard passing games. He ranked 11th in the nation in passing efficiency, 12th in completion percentage, 16th in passing yards and 19th in passing touchdowns. Lynch went on to be selected 26th overall in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos.
The 2014 team won 10 games, the program's most in a regular season since 1963, and earned a share of the AAC conference championship. The defense ranked third nationally in red zone defense and ranked ninth in the country in total takeaways. Memphis also was third in the conference and Top-25 nationally in scoring defense, rushing defense, passing efficiency defense, third-down defense, interceptions and fumble recoveries.
In 2016, he returned to Stonehill College as the passing game coordinator, quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator. That season, freshman Andrew Jamiel matched Robitaille's single-season program record with 91 receptions and broke the receptions-per-game record with an NCAA Division II-best 9.1 catches per game. He also twice broke Robitaille's single-game receptions record by posting 16 receptions in week two before breaking his mark with 18 catches for 169 yards and two touchdowns five weeks later in the Division II Football Showcase. Jamiel was named the conference's Rookie of the Year, Stonehill's first offensive player to earn conference rookie of the year honors, and headlined three all-conference selections on offense for the Skyhawks.
Tokarz was a three-year starting quarterback at Worcester State and left as the program's all-time leader in rushing yards by a quarterback while also ranking second in career touchdown passes and fourth in career passing yards. He was a first-team all-conference performer in 2011 when he led the Lancers to an 8-3 record, the program's most wins since 2003, and an appearance in the ECAC Northwest Bowl to cap his senior season.
Tokarz earned his bachelor's degree in history from Worcester State in 2012. He is married to the former Emily Williams, and they have two children, one son and one daughter.
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