The Ivy League made a splash in the FCS world last offseason, deciding to end its 80-year ban on football teams participating in the postseason by accepting its auto-bid into the playoffs.
The league is making some noise again this offseason with two headline-grabbing head coaching hires.
Penn hired New Hampshire head coach Rick Santos to lead the program after Ray Priore stepped down. And Yale hired 2025 FCS Coach of the Year Kevin Cahill away from Lehigh. Previous HC Tony Reno stepped down due to health reasons.
Santos and Cahill led their respective teams to the 2025 FCS playoffs.
Penn pulled a power move, grabbing Santos from his alma mater.
Santos was a standout quarterback at New Hampshire, winning the 2006 Walter Payton Award. He then spent most of his college coaching career at UNH, both as an assistant and then the head coach for five seasons. He held a 37-24 overall record and a 28-12 mark in CAA play as HC, including playoff appearances in 2022, 2024, and 2025.
“I am incredibly excited and humbled by the opportunity to lead the football program at the University of Pennsylvania,” Santos said. “Penn represents excellence at the highest level—academically, athletically, and institutionally—and I am grateful for the trust placed in me to steward such a proud and prestigious program. The chance to work with outstanding student-athletes at a world-class institution, while competing for championships and developing leaders for life, is truly special. I cannot wait to begin this next chapter and fully embrace the Penn football community.”
Penn finished 6-4 last season.
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Yale, meanwhile, finished 9-3, reaching the FCS playoffs and beating No. 15 seed Youngstown State in dramatic fashion in the first round. Down 42-14 midway through the third quarter, the Bulldogs stormed back to win 43-42. They then went to No. 2 seed and eventual national champions Montana State and battled tough, losing 21-13.
Cahill enters as Yale’s next head coach after a successful three-year stint leading the Lehigh football program.
He rebuilt the Mountain Hawks from a 2-9 team in 2023 to two straight playoff appearances. Lehigh finished 9-4 in 2024 and 12-1 in 2025. Cahill won the Stats Perform Eddie Robinson Award as the best FCS head coach.
Cahill was in the conversation for some FBS openings earlier in the coaching carousel. But he now returns to Yale after spending 2012-2022 on the Bulldogs’ coaching staff, including the last five as associate head coach and offensive coordinator.
“It is an honor to return to Yale Football. This legendary program has a proud history built on academic excellence, sportsmanship, and competitive success, and I look forward to working every day to build upon that foundation,” Cahill said. “I am grateful to President McInnis, Athletic Director Vicky Chun, and the entire administration and alumni for the confidence they have placed in me. My family and I are proud to be part of the Yale community once again, and we are committed to upholding the standards and traditions that make this program exceptional.”
