PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The University of Pennsylvania introduced Rick Santos as its new head football coach last week.
Santos comes to Penn after five seasons as head coach at his alma mater, the University of New Hampshire, where he led the Wildcats to three FCS playoffs berths, including this past season.
He said he’s looking forward to this next chapter at Penn.
“From the moment I stepped on campus, it was the immediate alignment that I felt with the academic leadership, in the athletic leadership, and the vision and the shared commitment to excellence and to winning championships,” he said. “Developing the whole person, developing leaders and an athletic administration that’s extremely hungry to win — it aligns with who I am as a person and as a competitor.”
Santos said he plans to lead the Quakers with both humility and energy.
“We’re going to hold each other accountable, build meaningful relationships and develop toughness — not just from a physical standpoint, but more importantly, mentally and how we approach every single day.
“Our program’s going to embody this great city that we live in, in Philadelphia. We’re going to be tough. We’re gonna be gritty. We’re going to take a workmanlike approach.”
Santos was a star quarterback in college at UNH, throwing for more than 12,000 yards and 116 touchdowns while completing 68% of his passes as a four-year starter.
At Penn, he replaces Ray Priore as head coach. Priore stepped down after the 2025 season, having served as head coach for 11 seasons and at Penn for 39 years.
The Quakers went 6-4 in 2025.