Head Coach

Kevin Cahill

Kevin Cahill is in his second season as Lehigh’s head coach. A fiery competitor who is widely regarded as a strong teacher and mentor, Cahill and his staff have been working tirelessly at building “The Nest” at Lehigh.

In his first season as a head coach Cahill saw three of his players earn All-Patriot League recognition: defensive lineman Dean Colton, linebacker Mike DeNucci and safety Nick Peltekian. Cahill picked up his first victory as a head coach on Sept. 9, 2023 at Merrimack and his first Patriot League win Oct. 21 at Bucknell.

Cahill was named the 30th head coach in Lehigh football history on Dec. 19, 2022. A coaching veteran with more than 20 years of experience, Cahill came to Lehigh following 10 seasons at Yale University, where he was a member of the coaching staff for three Ivy League championship teams and oversaw one of the nation’s top offensive units.

In his last five years at Yale, Cahill served as Yale’s Associate Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator, working directly with the quarterbacks. In 2022, the Bulldogs went 8-2 overall and 6-1 in Ivy League play to capture their third Ivy crown in the last five seasons. Yale boasted the top-ranked offense in the Ivy League and ranked in the top 25 in the FCS in total offense for the fourth time in the last five seasons.

Under Cahill’s guidance, Yale quarterback Nolan Grooms thrived in his first full season as a starter. Grooms threw for 1,660 yards and 14 touchdowns and added 745 yards and six touchdowns on the ground on the way to winning the Asa S. Bushnell Cup as the Ivy League’s Offensive Player of the Year.

Cahill initially came to Yale as Special Teams Coordinator and Wide Receivers Coach in 2012 and took over the quarterbacks in 2014 while also serving as Assistant Head Coach and Passing Game Coordinator. His highly-touted offense helped Yale capture Ivy League titles in 2017 and 2019 in addition to the 2022 championship. Yale had the No. 1 offense in the Ivy League in three of Cahill’s 10 years on staff. Since 2014 Yale has ranked in the top 25 nationally in total offense five times and ranked in the top 25 in scoring offense on four occasions.

In addition to Grooms, Cahill mentored Kurt Rawlings, the 2019 Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, who is Yale’s all-time leading passer, 2018 Ivy League Rookie of the Year Griffin O’Connor, and Morgan Roberts the No. 2 passer in Yale history.

At Yale, Cahill also served as a member of Yale Athletics' Cultural House Connection Subcommittee.

Cahill moved on to Yale following 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 to a pair of FCS playoff appearances and mentored six all-conference performers including All-Americans Jared Turcotte and Jhamal Fluellen.

During the 2006 and 2007 campaigns, Cahill coached at Murray State University, where coached the wide receivers and was the Racers’ Recruiting Coordinator. He mentored two all-conference student-athletes.

Cahill’s first Division I experience was at the University of Tennessee-Martin in 2004 and 2005, where he helped 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.

As a student-athlete, Cahill was a three-year starter at quarterback and a three-year starting pitcher on the baseball team at Springfield College. He helped lead Springfield College to a pair of NCAA playoff appearances and 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. He added a masters in athletic administration from Springfield in 2004.

Cahill and his wife Carah have three children: sons Patrick and Thomas and a daughter Elizabeth.