Feb. 23, 2026
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
Yale University has poached Lehigh football coach Kevin Cahill.
Cahill turned Lehigh around and won the Patriot League, gaining a bid to the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) playoffs.
He earlier spent years at Yale as an assistant.
Here are the details from Yale:
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Yale Athletics has named Kevin Cahill the next Joel E. Smilow ’54 Head Coach of Yale Football, bringing the reigning National FCS Coach of the Year back to the Yale Bowl. Cahill becomes the 35th head coach in program history.
Cahill is no stranger to New Haven. He previously spent 10 seasons on the Bulldogs’ coaching staff from 2012-2022, contributing to three Ivy League championship teams and serving as Associate Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator in his final five years with the program.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Kevin back home to the Yale Bowl,” said Victoria M. “Vicky” Chun, Thomas A. Beckett Director of Athletics. “From his formative years under Coach [Tony] Reno’s mentorship to his outstanding success at Lehigh, highlighted by being named the nation’s top FCS coach as the Eddie Robinson Award winner, Kevin has consistently built and supported strong, values-driven programs grounded in character and culture. Our entire community is excited to welcome Kevin, his wife Carah, and their children Patrick, Thomas, and Elizabeth, back home to Yale.”
“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,” said Cahill. “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.”
Cahill returns to New Haven after orchestrating one of the most dramatic turnarounds in the FCS at Lehigh University. He inherited a 2-9 program and, in just his second season, guided the Mountain Hawks to a 9-4 record and a Patriot League championship. In 2025, Lehigh followed with a record-setting 12-1 campaign. Lehigh was one of only two teams in the FCS who entered the playoffs undefeated, and the Mountain Hawks climbed as high as No. 3 in the national rankings during the 2025 season.
Cahill was named the recipient of the Eddie Robinson Award, presented annually to the National FCS Coach of the Year, becoming just the second head coach in Lehigh history to earn the honor and the first since 2001. He emerged from a group of 15 finalists, receiving 136 points and 12 first-place votes.
Under Cahill’s leadership, Lehigh captured back-to-back Patriot League titles in 2024 and 2025, giving the program a league-best 14 football championships. The Mountain Hawks advanced to the second round of the FCS playoffs in consecutive seasons. The 2024 team earned the program’s first playoff victory since 2011 with a win at Richmond, while the 2025 squad secured the No. 5 seed in the FCS playoffs following a 12-0 regular season, just the sixth undefeated regular season in program history.
In 2024, Cahill was named Patriot League Coach of the Year, ECAC Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award. In 2025, he was recognized as AFCA Region 1 Coach of the Year and led the Mountain Hawk staff to Dick Biddle Patriot League Coaching Staff of the Year honors.
Over his three seasons, Cahill mentored 27 All-Patriot League selections, including the 2025 Offensive Player of the Year, Luke Yoder, and Defensive Player of the Year, Tyler Ochojski. Lehigh’s 12 wins in 2025 matched the program record for victories in a season, and the team’s 17-game regular season winning streak, dating back to 2024, was the longest active streak in the FCS.
In his previous tenure at Yale, Cahill oversaw one of the nation’s most productive offensive units. In 2022, the Bulldogs went 8-2 overall and 6-1 in Ivy League play to capture their third Ivy League title in five seasons, leading the league in total offense and ranking among the top 25 in the FCS.
Cahill joined Yale after four seasons on the staff at the University of Maine, including three as Special Teams Coordinator, while also coaching the wide receivers and running backs. During his tenure, he helped the Black Bears reach the FCS playoffs twice.
Earlier, Cahill spent the 2006 and 2007 seasons at Murray State University, coaching the wide receivers and serving as the Racers’ Recruiting Coordinator, where he mentored two all-conference student-athletes. His first Division I coaching experience came at the University of Tennessee-Martin in 2004 and 2005, helping the program record its first winning season in 13 years. He began his coaching career at Maine Maritime Academy in 2001 before returning to his alma mater, Springfield College, for two seasons.
A standout student-athlete, Cahill was a three-year starting quarterback and a three-year starting pitcher at Springfield College, helping lead the program to two NCAA playoff appearances. He was twice recognized as the ECAC Division III New England Player of the Year.
A native of New York Mills, N.Y., Cahill graduated from Springfield College in 2001 with a degree in physical education and earned a master’s in athletic administration in 2004.
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