2026 Lehigh Football Preview: Can The Mountain Hawks Continue Their Rise?

Our 2026 FCS football team preview series continues with the Lehigh Mountain Hawks, who will look to win the Patriot League for the third consecutive season, but will have to do it with a new head coach.

Lehigh is coming off an incredible 12-1 season, in which the Mountain Hawks won their second consecutive Patriot League championship. The only negative of last season was that this team failed to win a playoff game, but I think offering some perspective could really shine a light on how good this team was last year.

They were eliminated by Villanova, which ended up being a semifinal team, only losing 14-7 in a game in which Lehigh had multiple red zone turnovers. They even had a chance to tie the game late, but a fumble sealed their fate with less than two minutes remaining. However you feel about that loss, the truth is that this team could have easily made a very deep run last season.

The great news is that several key pieces from last year's squad are back, including quarterback Hayden Johnson and All-American running back Luke Yoder. The wrench is that head coach Kevin Cahill decided to take the Yale job. Cahill won 23 games in three seasons after taking over a program that only won 17 games from 2017-22.

Richard Nagy takes over as head coach after spending the last three seasons as the defensive coordinator. He helped lead one of the best defenses in the country the past two seasons, which helped retain some of the key talent you see returning for 2026. He was also able to retain offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Dan Hunt.

Overall, the continuity means there likely won't be much regression next season, but I do think it's fair to have some concerns about the long-term impact of this most recent coaching change and what this program could look like in 3-4 years.

Let's take a deep dive into Lehigh ahead of the 2026 season.

Roster Outlook

2025 Record: 12-1 (7-0 Patriot League)
Head Coach: Richard Nagy (1st Season)

Returning All-Conference Players: Hayden Johnson (QB), Luke Yoder (RB), Joseph Marranca (TE), Aidan Palmer (OL), Connor Poole (P)

Notable Incoming Transfers: Ty Hill (Arkansas State, S), Trey Tremba (Army, RB), Landon Kennel (Monmouth, WR)

Returning Significant Contributors (OFF): 9
Returning Significant Contributors (DEF): 9

Quarterback

As mentioned above, star quarterback and two-year starter Hayden Johnson returns for his junior season. People might forget how young Johnson still is and that he still has plenty of room to grow. His youth gives me reasonable confidence that he will take another big step next season. Regardless, he's still a Top 15, maybe Top 10, quarterback in the FCS.

Johnson has completed 63% of his passes with a 3:1 TD-to-INT ratio, and can make plays with his legs, shown by his 758 career rushing yards. Last season, he made big strides in his development, earning first-team All-Patriot League honors with 2,510 passing yards, 18 passing TDs, and 6 INTs.

Behind him, Derek Morgan and Holden Nagin fill out the rest of the room. Both players have very similar profiles to Johnson, but are young and unproven. Morgan only saw action in one game, rushing for a TD in a win over Georgetown, while Nagin redshirted as a true freshman.

Running Back

There are zero questions about what to expect from Luke Yoder, who returns after his All-American season. He's a tough, reliable runner who will easily churn his way to another 1,000-yard season for the Mountain Hawks. The real question here is who will emerge as his running mate in the backfield.

One of the key losses for this offense was former Freshman All-American Jaden Green, who transferred to Cal Poly. I expect this offense to search for a second running back that shares a fairly heavy load of the carries with Yoder, which will be extremely important in keeping Yoder healthy.

Aaron Crossley and Connor Hilling both return after seeing limited action last season with varying degrees of effectiveness. The real answer may be Army transfer Trey Tremba, who didn't see much playing time with the Black Knights, but was a very productive all-around player in high school. He rushed for over 3,000 yards, along with posting over 1,200 receiving yards, and has a lot of hype entering next season.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

This unit is where Lehigh has the most question marks going into 2026. Junior Matt D'Avino and sophomore Anthony Feaster fit the profile of their top two wide receivers from last season (Geoffrey Jamiel, Mason Humphrey).

D'Avino is 6-2 with a big frame, while Feaster has shown excellent quickness at 5-11, but both of these guys are extremely unproven as go-to options. Jamiel and Humphrey accounted for nearly 70% of Lehigh's receiving yards last year, so we'll have to see if either D'Avino or Feaster can really fill that void effectively.

Jamaire Harden returns after missing last season with an injury. He brings some experience to the slot with one start, but he only has five career receptions. The breakout player may be from the portal, where the Mountain Hawks added Monmouth transfer Landon Kennel. He has an impressive 6-3, 215-pound frame and comes from a system that's known for receiver development. He is a player who could really raise the ceiling of this offense.

I would also keep an eye on Logan Galletta, who saw limited action last season but started seven games in 2024. He posted 10 catches for 142 receiving yards and one receiving TD. He's a former defensive back who made the switch to wide receiver and now has had a few seasons to learn the position.

At tight end, Joseph Marranca and Garrett Guess are both back, but neither is much of a true receiving threat. Marranca is a very effective blocker, earning first-team All-Patriot League honors, but he only had 11 catches for 91 receiving yards.

Offensive Line

The offensive line unit is in excellent shape as Lehigh returns five players who started at least one game last season, including four full-time starters. Center Colby Reph (6-1, 315), tackle Charles Soska (6-4, 280), tackle Sammy Ayache (6-4, 285), and guard Aidan Palmer (6-4, 300) all played over 800 snaps last season.

Reph and Ayache were two of the highest-graded players at their positions last season, while Palmer earned first-team All-Patriot League honors and was an honorable mention AP FCS All-American selection. In nearly 330 pass-blocking snaps, Palmer only allowed 1 sack and 11 quarterback pressures.

Giacomo Macce is another player to keep an eye on for the other starting guard spot. He started four games in 2025 and has the versatility to play multiple positions along the offensive line. Another sleeper could be sophomore Tolu Akinyelu (6-4, 295), who only played one game last season, but has all the qualities you want to see in a young offensive lineman.

Defensive Line

This is the unit that lost the most talent from last season, including two All-American players in TJ Burke and Matt Spatny. That doesn't even include All-American EDGE Tyler Ochojski, who is also gone. That leaves a ton of production that needs to be replaced, including 34 TFLs and 24 sacks.

Defensive tackle Jadin Nelson is the lone returning starter on the defensive line, playing roughly 400 snaps last season. He's coming off his most productive season with 31 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, and 1.5 sacks as a true nose tackle.

Junior Preston Davis has excellent size at 6-2, 300 lbs, and will likely take a much bigger role in 2026. I would expect Lorenzo Portella (6-1, 295) and Luke Reilly (6-3, 295) to be some of the other players who could fill out that rotation on the interior.

There are some major question marks at defensive end, especially with the lack of proven experience in the room. Senior Andrew Sharga has some starting experience from 2023-24, posting 36 tackles, 3 TFLs, and 2 sacks, but has yet to show meaningful production.

The rest of the room is full of guys who have been on the roster but have not really cracked the rotation yet. Keep an eye on sophomore Lucas Manderbach, who saw limited action as a freshman but has the physical tools to be a factor if he continues to develop. Senior Benjamin Manley could be another player who is due for a bigger role in the rotation.

Linebacker

I expect this linebacker group to be solid once again in 2026. Senior William Parton, junior Cole Hughes, and graduate Jackson Dowd make up a talented trio who combined for 120 tackles and 9 TFLs last season. The loss of Brycen Edwards left some big shoes to fill, but if this group takes an expected step forward in development, there should not be a huge drop-off in production.

Parton started all 11 games last season, playing over 600 snaps, and ranked second on the team with 63 tackles. He's the most experienced returner in the room, playing in 33 games over the past three seasons. Dowd is a versatile weapon who starts at the Rover position, but missed a few games with injury in 2025.

Sophomore Aidan Williams and junior Talan Dudley are two players to watch who could break into the rotation next year. Dudley saw limited action with around 50 snaps, but was still able to record 5 tackles, 1 TFL, and 1 sack. Williams was a highly-touted prospect and is a former Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year.

Defensive Backs

Starting cornerback DJ Brown is back, bringing over 1,400 career snaps to this secondary unit. He's continued to improve each season, posting a career high of 44 tackles and 11 PBUs last year. On the other side, Ignatious Williams returns after playing nearly 200 snaps as a backup in 2025. While he didn't start, Williams played a key rotational role for the Mountain Hawks as a sophomore. Jarrod Penright Jr. may find a way into the rotation as a sophomore after playing limited snaps last year.

Safety Nick Peltekian returns after battling injuries throughout last season. He was limited to nine games, but was a first-team All-Patriot League selection after posting 74 tackles and 4 INTs in 2024. He also offers upside as an All-Conference returner with 475 career punt return yards.

Luke Denny was a backup safety in 2025, but played 330 snaps and graded out well as a tackler and in coverage. He started two games and finished the season with 20 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 INT, and 3 PBUs.

Similarly, Davis Rice was firmly in the rotation and started two games at the Rover position. He ended the year with 25 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, and 1 INT. Lehigh also added redshirt sophomore TJ Hill from Arkansas State, adding even more depth to this very talented unit.

Season Outlook

This season, Villanova and William & Mary will join the Patriot League, arguably making this league a Top 5 conference in FCS football. Lehigh will now have 9 conference games, which include tough tests against Holy Cross, Villanova, William & Mary, Richmond, and Lafayette. They also have three non-conference games against Penn, Cornell, and Dartmouth.

Even with a first-year head coach, the Mountain Hawks should still have aspirations to win the Patriot League, making a push at a Top 16 seed in the FCS playoffs. Lehigh and Villanova will likely be viewed as co-favorites in the league, but the Mountain Hawks must take advantage of all the returning talent they managed to keep despite the coaching change. The goal really should be to make a push into at least the quarterfinals.

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