Lehigh football finds new identity under Coach Cahill

For Lehigh football’s Coach Kevin Cahill, the football field is his classroom. 

“I’ve always thought I was going to be a teacher,” Cahill said. “This is my classroom. It’s a grass field where people come and watch the test every Saturday.”

Cahill’s mentality as a coach is to mold the Mountain Hawks into the best players they can be. This method has brought structure and a new culture to the team, leading Lehigh football to achieve its first 6-0 record this season since 2012. 

In 2022, the team finished their season 2-9. Senior defensive lineman Matt Spatny said after another losing season a change needed to happen, which prompted Lehigh to search for a new coach and hire Cahill in the spring of 2022. 

Two years later, Cahill brought the Mountain Hawks’ record to 9-4 for the 2024 season, and now, the team is undefeated.

Cahill said the decision for him to apply for a coaching position was easy because Lehigh had the perfect mix of a tough football team while being a high-performing academic school. 

When joining the coaching staff, his top priority was driving the culture of the team by making sure they understood what was important and pushing them to do little things the right way. 

Spatny said as soon as Cahill stepped into the role, he implemented structure, accountability and brotherhood, a difference from the feeling of separation under the old coaching staff. 

One of the biggest culture shifts was the implementation of a “1-0” mentality, which the team adopted following a 38-23 loss to Yale during the 2024 season. 

Sophomore defensive back Mekhai Smith said the 1-0 mentality is an every day team mindset to give your all regardless of past wins or losses. 

“It’s just like an everyday thing — being where your feet are, winning every single thing that you do,” Smith said. “Just winning every single snap, every single minute of the day.” 

Spatny said Cahill emphasizes a “process over outcome” mentality to take it day by day, knowing that even if they don’t win that day they’re going to win eventually. 

Cahill has introduced the idea of “The Nest,” the backbone of the program, to emphasize a tight-knit community for the players and coaches. 

“The Nest is everything for us,” Cahill said. “It’s what we talk about when you talk about culture. You have an atmosphere and an environment, and that’s what we’re trying to create.”

He said there’s not a day that goes by without talking about The Nest and what it means to the players and the program.

Smith said Cahill encourages the team to lean on one another — when one player is down, another player will help them up. 

Cahill said the coaches make an effort to spend quality time with each athlete, forming personal connections with the entire team. 

“(Cahill) finds ways to talk to you, just you and him,” Spatny said. “He’s a very personable guy, and he’s an easy coach to approach with any problem or any dispute.”

To Smith, Cahill is a father figure for the team. 

Spatny said the encouragement and confidence Cahill instills within the older athletes has been a key factor in this season’s success, cultivating a group of vocal leaders for the team.

Cahill said while the Mountain Hawks’ undefeated record is a great milestone, the team isn’t satisfied yet.

“We talk about focusing on The Nest and what we can control, and we can control what we do every day, and put together a really good product on Saturday,” Cahill said. “Hopefully it’s good enough to win that day — that’s legitimately our focus every day.” 

Looking ahead, the Mountain Hawks will take on Columbia University on Saturday in New York City. With a win, it would mark the first time the team has been 7-0 since 2012.