Rich Nagy Elevated to Vandergrift Family Head Football Coach
“We are incredibly excited to name Rich Nagy as our next Vandergrift Family Head Football Coach,” said Murray H. Goodman ’48 Dean of Athletics Jeremy Gibson. “Rich brings a powerful combination of experience as both a head coach and coordinator, a proven record of leadership, and a deep understanding of what it takes to build and sustain a successful program. His familiarity with our program and alignment with our vision position him to lead with clarity and purpose from day one. The ability to retain and empower our current staff is critical, as the strength of this program is rooted in the culture that emanates from our talented and dedicated student-athletes. With Rich’s leadership, we are confident that The Nest will continue to grow and thrive. I am thrilled for Rich, Erika and the Nagy family.”
The other coaching staff promotions are as follows:
- Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach Dan Hunt has been promoted to Associate Head Coach.
- Special Teams Coordinator/Safeties Coach Mike Kashurba has been promoted to Defensive Coordinator.
- Offensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator Mike Morita has been promoted to Assistant Offensive Coordinator.
- Defensive Line Coach Jeff Comissiong has been promoted to Defensive Run Game Coordinator.
- Director of Sports Performance Eric Markovcy has been promoted to Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Performance.
For the last three seasons, Nagy served as Lehigh’s Defensive Coordinator, while coaching the rover position. A dominant defense was a hallmark for the 2025 Mountain Hawks. Lehigh led the Patriot League and ranked in the top five nationally in five major defensive categories. The Mountain Hawks boasted the top rush defense in the FCS, allowing just 70.1 yards per game, and also led the FCS in Red Zone defense (0.645). Lehigh also ranked second nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 13.9 points per game and ranked fourth in both total yards allowed per game (278) and team sacks per game (3.31).
Six members of Lehigh’s defense earned All-Patriot League recognition in 2025, including linebacker Tyler Ochojski, who was named Patriot League and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, and earned four different All-America honors. Four members of Lehigh’s defense earned some level of All-America recognition over the last two seasons.
In Lehigh’s 2024 Patriot League championship season, the Mountain Hawks led the Patriot League and ranked in the top 20 nationally in total defense, pass defense and sacks. Lehigh also allowed a league-low 21.6 points per game. Defensive lineman Matt Spatny was recognized as Lehigh’s first All-American in five years.
Seven defensive players earned all-league laurels over Nagy’s first two seasons as defensive coordinator.
“I am deeply honored to be named the Vandergrift Family Head Football Coach at Lehigh,” Nagy said. “I want to extend my sincere thanks to President Joseph Helble and Dean of Athletics Jeremy Gibson for the unbelievable support they’ve shown throughout this transition. While Lehigh football has accomplished some truly great things over the last three years, there is so much more we intend to achieve. I am incredibly excited to lead this journey alongside the staff we have assembled and retained, a group that remains fully supported by our administration.”
A coaching veteran with nearly 40 years of experience at the Division I and Division III levels, Nagy came to Lehigh in 2023 following three seasons as the head coach at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa.
In his three seasons at Allegheny, Nagy mentored 13 all-conference student-athletes. He came to Allegheny following six seasons as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Old Dominion, where Nagy coached a first-team All-Conference USA defender in each of his final three seasons, including Oshane Ximines, who twice set the Old Dominion single season sack record before eventually being drafted by the New York Giants.
Nagy’s first FBS experience was at Central Michigan, where he coached the safeties and served as Defensive Coordinator in 2012.
At the FCS level, Nagy has assistant coaching experience at Murray State, Hofstra, Maine, South Dakota and Fordham, most notably a five-year stint as Maine’s Defensive Coordinator.
As a student-athlete, Nagy was a standout running back at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut and was Trinity football’s most valuable player in 1986. He began his coaching career as a part-time secondary coach at his alma mater before moving on to Allegheny, where he worked as a graduate assistant coaching the inside linebackers. From Allegheny, Nagy went on to Union College and then a two-year stint at Maine before another stretch as an assistant at Allegheny.
A Connecticut native, Nagy graduated from Trinity College in 1987 with a degree in political science. Nagy and his wife, Erika, are the parents of two daughters, Jordan and Erin.
Hunt enters his fourth season leading Lehigh’s offense. Last year the Mountain Hawks led the Patriot League and ranked fourth nationally in rushing offense, averaging 230.9 yards per game on the ground. Six members of the Lehigh offense earned first team All-Patriot League honors in 2025, including quarterback Hayden Johnson, and running back Luke Yoder, who was the Patriot League’s Offensive Player of the Year.
The foundation for Lehigh’s 2025 offensive success was built in 2024 as a youthful offensive unit grew and developed as the season progressed. Lehigh led the Patriot League in rushing and produced six All-Patriot League performers on offense. Fifth-year quarterback Dante Perri provided valuable leadership with Hayden Johnson stepping in as the starter for the final four games of the season.
Kashurba is entering his ninth season on Lehigh’s staff and will be taking the reins as Defensive Coordinator for the second time. Lehigh’s defensive backfield played a significant role in the Mountain Hawks’ development into one of the top defensive units in the FCS. Safeties Nick Peltekian and Mekhai Smith earned All-Patriot League honors over the last two years, while Mason Moore has been an important contributor, with three interceptions over the last two seasons, including an interception return touchdown that iced Lehigh’s 2024 championship-clinching victory over Lafayette.
Lehigh’s special teams have thrived under Kashurba’s leadership. Connor Poole was the first team All-Patriot League punter and combined with Nick Garrido to convert 86 percent of their field goal attempts in 2025 and 98 percent of their extra points. Peltekian is a previous All-Patriot League honoree as a punt returner.
Morita has overseen the transformation of Lehigh’s offensive line into one of the nation’s top units. In each of the last two seasons, Lehigh led the Patriot League in rushing offense and in fewest sacks allowed. Last year, the Mountain Hawks ranked fourth in the country rushing the football and also ranked fourth in the FCS in fewest sacks allowed. Lehigh has rushed for more than 100 yards in 33 consecutive games, going back to the 2023 season, and the Mountain Hawks had four games last season in which they rushed for 300 or more yards.
In 2025, Lehigh utilized the same five-man unit for all 13 games on the offensive line. Guards Langston Jones and Aidan Palmer both earned All-Patriot League honors, with Jones earning All-America laurels from four different outlets. In Lehigh’s 2024 championship season, center George Padezanin anchored the offensive line and was an honorable mention All-American.
Comissiong enters his second season on the Lehigh coaching staff. In his first season, he mentored a defensive line group that made major contributions to a defensive unit that led the nation in rushing defense and ranked fourth nationally in sacks.
Defensive linemen Matt Spatny and TJ Burke are multi-year All-Patriot League honorees, who both have received All-America recognition over the last two seasons.
Markovcy has been at Lehigh since 2004 and oversees the Sports Performance area that works with all 26 of Lehigh’s varsity sport programs. He was elevated to Director of Strength and Conditioning in 2015, which was later rebranded as Sports Performance, and now assumes an Assistant Athletic Director position, leading the area with a heightened focus on football.
Lehigh will begin its spring practice segment on Tuesday, March 17.
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