PRINCETON, N.J. – Head coaches and a pair of student-athletes from all eight Ivy League institutions met virtually with members of the media for the 2026 Ivy League Football Media Day presented by TIAA on Monday.
The program was moderated by former Yale football standout Jack Ford, who currently serves as a color commentator for Ivy League football games on ESPN networks.
QUICK HITS
Ivy League Executive Director Robin Harris – “We really can see the continued and elevated interest in Ivy League football. We’ve always had great national interest in Ivy League football, but our participation in the FCS Championships -- and candidly the success we had last year -- has even enhanced that interest in Ivy League football. I really want to give a lot of credit and appreciation to our coaches for their time and for their continued development of amazing young men as they prepare them for competition on the field, but also for their life successes that we know will follow upon graduation from our schools.”
“College sports continues to evolve. I really commend our coaches on how they’ve handled the evolution. And how they continue to position us and the Ivy League experience that we offer student-athletes that really combines the best of both worlds – academically and athletically -- and allows our athletes to be true students as they go through our schools.”
Brown Head Coach James Perry – “We have the largest group of seniors that I’ve had in seven seasons. We’ve got 27 guys who’ll be seniors this year, and I think that’s a reflection of how they’ve stuck together as a group. They work hard as a group.”
Columbia Head Coach Jon Poppe – “As we’ve built this program, it’s no longer just individuals leading by example. It’s people bringing people together. If someone’s doing work at 6 a.m., he’s bringing not just himself, but others with him. I think that shows true growth of a program, and that’s the part I’m most proud of as a head coach.”
Cornell Head Coach Dan Swanstrom – “Coming out of last year, I fully expect us to be a fundamentally different team. Last year was filled with growing pains and a lot of ups and downs. As we progressed through those tough times, the team kept showing up, kept pushing and started playing better.”
Dartmouth Head Coach Sammy McCorkle – “We play three teams in the Top 25. Two of our non-conference opponents are Top 25 teams, and the other won its conference. If you want to reach the goals and the level you want to be at, you have to do that now. That’ll be our goal going into the preseason.”
Harvard Head Coach Andrew Aurich – “We’re in a much different place entering the 2026 season than we were last year. We’re eighth in the nation in returning production, and those guys who are returning are better versions of themselves than they were last season. They’ve put a ton of work in to put themselves in a position to do something special this year.”
Penn Head Coach Rick Santos – “I think the [Ivy League] is the last conference in Division I that’s truly academic-centric. What makes collegiate athletics, and football in particular, really great is the holistic approach you can take to developing your student-athletes. I feel like, with the transfer portal, it’s become a lot more transactional at some of the other places, and you feel like you have to re-recruit your roster every year. We’re not 100 percent insulated from it, but guys are choosing places like Penn for the network, the degree and what this place is going to do for their future. So, we feel confident and convicted that we’re going to have these young men for four years. It’s about development and relationships. … And then, coupled with the fact that the Ivy League now gets to go to the playoffs, I think in the next three to five years this is going to be a top one, two or three conference in all of FCS football.”
Princeton Head Coach Bob Surace – “We have this amazing group and a big group of senior and veteran leadership. When you have those veterans, it forces the young guys to accelerate their development. The competition is where it needs to be, and we feel really confident that we can get our team to meet the highest-level standard each week.”
Yale Head Coach Kevin Cahill – “There’ll be some changes, some subtle changes that maybe the typical viewer won’t notice, but it’s going to be to our strengths. We’re going to play to our strengths and what we do well. Dante [Reno] is a very talented quarterback and a great leader, and we’ve got a lot of players that we’re going to surround him with so he can just be himself.”