Former Wildcat QB 'on a mission' as new UNH head football coach
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DURHAM – Sean Goldrich had a lot of success in his four years as the quarterback for the University of New Hampshire football team.
Now he looks to make an even bigger impact as the program’s 21st and newest head coach.
“I’m back on a mission and I want to make sure that everyone hears that,” he said Tuesday afternoon during his introductory news conference at Wildcat Stadium. “It was an unbelievable experience for me to be a player here but I’m still coming back with a chip on my shoulder because we didn’t accomplish the end goal which is to win a national championship.”
Goldrich led UNH to four consecutive FCS playoff berths from 2012 to 2015 including back-to-back appearances in the national semifinals. The Wildcats also captured two CAA titles during his tenure.
“I remember walking off the field knowing we were just short,” Goldrich recalled. “I knew we had the potential to do so and I’m back on a mission to get the job done.”
Emerging from a national search, Goldrich is the third straight former UNH player to become head coach of the Wildcats following in the footsteps of Sean McDonnell and Rick Santos, who stepped down recently to take over as head coach at the University of Pennsylvania of the Ivy League.
Sophomore offensive lineman Daniel Sullivan, who is from Hampstead and played his high school football at Pinkerton Academy, was one of several Wildcat players who attended the ceremony.
“I’m very excited,” he said. “I think that (Goldrich) carries himself very well. His message, his goals and his values I think align with a lot of players on our team. I think that his coaching style and the way that he came in and met individually with all of us and gave us a chance to know him was super important and told me a lot about him as a coach and a person.”
UNH Director of Athletics Allison Rich calls Goldrich a “rising star.”
“He impressed me with his vision for the program and his love of this place,” she said. “He impressed me with his love of the game and his competitive fire.”
A dual threat and four-year starter at quarterback, Goldrich finished his playing career with more than 7,500 yards passing and 1,100 yards rushing while accounting for 67 touchdowns. UNH won 37 games during his tenure in which the Wildcats established the highest winning percentage in the program’s long history.
“Sean was one of the smartest and most competitive players that I ever coached here at UNH,” McDonnell said.
Goldrich, a native of West Haven, Conn., returns to UNH following eight years coaching at the college level including last season at Delaware where he was the quarterbacks coach, passing game coordinator and head recruiting coordinator under head coach Ryan Carty as the Blue Hens transitioned from the FCS level to the FBS.
Carty was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach when Goldrich played for the Wildcats. Goldrich also spent three years on the coaching staff at Yale and one at the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine.
“He earned this opportunity through his work ethic, football acumen and the way he connects with players,” said Carty, who spent 11 years on the UNH coaching staff.
“My No. 1 priority for the student-athletes is to graduate with a degree,” Goldrich said. “The next part of this is obvious. We’re here to beat Maine. … I’m here to win and I want to make sure the guys know that.”
UNH opens the 2026 season on Aug. 28 at CAA foe Albany with the home-opener scheduled for Sept. 12 against Stonehill.
“I always envisioned it,” Goldrich said of his return to UNH as the head coach. “I didn’t think it was going to happen this quick, if I’m being honest, but this is a place I knew would give me the opportunity to take the next step in a place I’m super passionate about.”
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Former Wildcat QB ‘on a mission’ as new UNH head football coach
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