Santos resigns as UNH football coach to take over at Penn; James named interim coach
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Rick Santos resigned as head coach of the University of New Hampshire football team on Saturday to take the same position at the University of Pennsylvania.
Penn will announce Santos as their new head coach during a press conference on Tuesday.
"I am incredibly excited and humbled by the opportunity to lead the football program at the University of Pennsylvania," Santos said. "Penn represents excellence at the highest level — academically, athletically, and institutionally — and I am grateful for the trust placed in me to steward such a proud and prestigious program. The chance to work with outstanding student-athletes at a world-class institution, while competing for championships and developing leaders for life, is truly special. I cannot wait to begin this next chapter and fully embrace the Penn football community."
UNH associate head coach and defensive coordinator Scott James has been named as UNH's interim head coach. The school will launch a national search for the next head football coach, UNH said in a news release.
A 2008 UNH graduate and 2016 UNH Hall of Fame inductee, Santos spent the past four seasons leading the Wildcats. UNH went 31-19 overall and made the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs in 2022, 2024 and 2025 under Santos.
As quarterback at UNH from 2004-07, Santos was a three-time All-American and won the 2006 Walter Payton Award, given to the offensive player of the year in FCS football.
Before succeeding Sean McDonnell as UNH's head coach, Santos served on McDonnell's staff as an assistant coach over two stints (2013-15, 2018-21) and as the program's interim head coach in 2019.
"I want to express my deepest gratitude to the University of New Hampshire, a place that has truly been home to me in every sense of the word," Santos said in a statement. "From my time as a student-athlete, to serving as an assistant coach and ultimately having the honor of leading the program as head coach, UNH has shaped me both professionally and personally."
James is in his second stint coaching at UNH and completed his seventh season with the program last fall. James was on McDonnell staffs that guided the Wildcats to the FCS playoffs from 2013-17. He returned to UNH in 2024 after six seasons as the defensive coordinator at Holy Cross, over which the Crusaders won four league titles.
The Wildcats went 8-5 overall and qualified for the FCS playoffs by winning their final five regular-season games. They lost 41-3 at South Dakota State University in the first round of the postseason.
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