Columbia University Football

Jon Poppe was named the 22nd Patricia and Shepard Alexander Head Coach of Football at Columbia University in December 2023 and made an immediate impact in hi...

AJ Gallagher begins his first season as the wide receivers coach at Columbia in 2024. Gallagher previously served on Jon Poppe’s staff as the quarterbacks coach at Union College during the 2023 campaign. In his first season with the Lions, he was part of the Ivy League Coaching Staff of the Year, which helped Columbia secure its first conference title since 1961. Gallagher coached Bryson Canty to first-team All-Ivy League honors after the senior grabbed 43 catches for 760 yards and nine touchdowns. Gallagher helped guide the Garnet Chargers to a 10-2 record and a trip to the second round of the Division III NCAA Championships. Quarterback Donovan Pacatte was an All-Liberty League Second Team selection after finishing the season with 2,283 total passing yards, nine passing touchdowns and added six more on the ground. Gallagher arrived at Union after spending two seasons on staff at Princeton, where he helped the program achieve a 17-3 record during his tenure. In 2022, the Tigers compiled an 8-2 overall record and ranked first in passing offense (274.2 yards per game) and second in scoring per game (27.8 points per game) in the Ivy League. Working with the wide receivers, he helped develop current Cincinnati Bengal Andrei Iosivas and Dylan Classi, who finished first and second in the Ivy League in receptions and yards. Iosivas, who was drafted in the sixth round of the 2023 draft, led the conference in touchdown receptions as well on the way to four different All-America honor

Andrew Kukesh begins his eight overall year with Columbia and third year as defensive backs coach after serving one year as the defensive line coach and three years as the Lions’ defensive assistant. He was part of the Ivy League Coaching Staff of the Year in 2024, which helped Columbia secure its first conference title since 1961. All four of Columbia’s starting defensive backs earned All-Ivy League honors last season, and the unit boasted the Ivy League’s top passing defense, allowing just 213.1 yards per game and passing efficiency defense (120.2). Under Kukesh’s tutelage, safety Hayden McDonald became the program’s first All-American since 2019 and first-ever defensive finalist for the Bushnell Cup. McDonald paced the Ancient Eight with five interceptions and was second on the squad with 68 tackles. Kukesh’s position group posted six interceptions and helped create nine turnovers in 2023. Six defensive backs were credited with takeaways, and four registered 30+ tackles. In his first year leading the defensive backs, Kukesh led a unit that registered 230 tackles during the 2022 season. The defensive backs also totaled 9.5 tackles for loss, along with six interceptions. While overseeing the defensive line in 2021, the Lions put plenty of pressure on opposing quarterbacks and found themselves in the backfield for a total of 30 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks. The unit also recorded 145 total tackles, and the 12.5 sacks accounted for roughly half of Columbia’s total sack tota

Carlif Taylor joined the Columbia football staff as defensive line coach in February 2026 after two seasons coaching the defensive front at Eastern Illinois ...

Chris Batti was hired as Columbia’s tight ends coach in January 2024, following a two-year stint as a defensive quality control assistant at Northwestern. Batti has experience coaching various offensive position groups at Harvard (running backs), Fordham (wide receivers) and Eastern Illinois (quarterbacks) since joining the industry in 2008. In his first season with the Lions, he was part of the Ivy League Coaching Staff of the Year, which helped Columbia secure its first conference title since 1961. Batti coached Braden Dougherty to All-Ivy League Honorable Mention Status after the sophomore racked up 13 catches for 167 yards and two touchdowns. The Lions utilized three tight ends during the season, serving as key blockers for the offense, which amassed 3,930 yards of total offense and 1,886 yards on the ground. At Northwestern, Batti was responsible for opponent breakdowns, coordinated defensive support staff responsibilities and assisted in the evaluation of high school and transfer linebackers. From 2019-21, he was the quarterbacks coach at Eastern Illinois. Batti's wide receivers at Fordham helped the Rams lead the Patriot League in passing yards per game in 2018 and saw Austin Longi earn First Team All-Patriot League honors. Longi led the Patriot League in receptions/game (5.5) and was second in receiving yards/game (65.1). During his time with the Crimson, Harvard’s rushing attack produced four first-team All-Ivy League selections, won three consecutive Ivy League Cham

Frank Lisante began his role as a Strength & Conditioning Coach at Columbia University in April 2015. Lisante oversees all strength & conditioning aspects for the Lions football program. He is entering his eighth year at Columbia. Lisante came to Columbia from Rutgers University where he served as an assistant strength and conditioning coach with the Scarlet Knights' football program. He began as an intern, then worked his way up the ranks as a strength and conditioning coach in 2014. To go hand-and-hand with his experience at Rutgers, Lisante worked at Dale Arena Performance Training as a strength and speed coach while molding the strength, speed and agility of aspiring athletes. Lisante is a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. A 2013 graduate of Rowan University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in health and exercise science, he is also certified as a Level 1 Sports Performance Coach by USA Weightlifting.

Garrett Butler joined Columbia's staff as general manager in April 2026. In this role, he will manage all aspects recruiting and assist with other administra...

Greg Skjold returned to the Columbia staff after spending the 2023 season as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Union College with Jon Poppe. In his first season with the Lions, he was part of the Ivy League Coaching Staff of the Year, which helped Columbia secure its first conference title since 1961. The Lions saw right tackle Noah Jordan and left guard John Iannuzzi, who was one of the top-rated linemen in the country according to PFF, pick up second-team All-Ivy League honors. Columbia posted 4.6 yards per carry, the best mark in program history and racked up 1,886 rushing yards on the season to rank No. 2 in the Ivy League. During his return stint at Union, Skjold helped guide the Garnet Chargers to a 10-2 record and a trip to the second round of the Division III NCAA Championships. The Union offense saw two All-Liberty League First Team selections, three second team selections and two honorable mention honorees. Skjold helped guide one of the nation’s top running back combinations in Michael Fiore and Jonathan Anderson. In the last game of the season, the pair became the 27th teammates in Division III history, and the first ever at Union, to rush for over 1,000 yards in the same season. Skjold previously spent six years as an assistant at Columbia under Al Bagnoli. Skjold served as tight ends and offensive quality control coach, helping to lead the Lions as Columbia won the second-most games in program history in 2021 and produced the winningest class

Hayden McDonald returned to his alma mater in February 2026 as a special teams assistant after recently completing his collegiate playing career. McDonald played at the University of Nevada, where he made 11 starts in 12 games in 2025. After helping the Lions earn a share of the Ivy League Championship as a senior in 2024, he earned five FCS All-America honors (AFCA, Associated Press, Walter Camp, Football Central, Stats Perform) and was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the FCS defensive player of the year. McDonald was also a unanimous selection to the All-Ivy First Team in 2024 after picking off five passes and breaking up seven more while making 68 tackles. A native of Seattle, Wash., McDonald earned his bachelor's degree in Economics in May 2025.

Former Lions linebacker Justin Woodley ‘21CC returned to Columbia as the linebackers coach ahead of the 2024 season. Woodley served as a defensive quality control analyst at Stanford in 2023. In his first season back with the Lions, he was part of the Ivy League Coaching Staff of the Year, which helped Columbia secure its first conference title since 1961. The Lions’ linebacking core was led by second-team All-Ivy League selection Anthony Roussos, who led the team with 76 tackles. The unit also helped Columbia rank No. 2 in FCS in scoring defense (16.1 PPG) and lead the Ivy League in four different categories. Woodley helped the Stanford defense find its footing, and the unit recorded one of its best defensive performances in years. The Stanford defense limited Washington State to seven points, marking the first time the Stanford defense has held a team to single-digit points since 2019. The defense limited Washington State’s offense to just four rushing yards. It was the second game of the season that Stanford limited a team to fewer than five rushing yards. Woodley was previously on the Columbia football coaching staff as its defensive assistant in 2022. He was responsible for all defensive film, which included breaking down opposing offenses, creating the “self-scout” of Columbia’s offensive tendencies, and daily data entry. He also assisted with the development of the weekly game plan. A passionate and spirited player, Woodley joined the coaching staff after playing five

Kenneth Tinsley was named Columbia’s running backs coach in December 2023 after spending two years in the same role at Georgetown. In his first season with the Lions, he was part of the Ivy League Coaching Staff of the Year, which helped Columbia secure its first conference title since 1961. Senior Joey Giorgi picked up second-team All-Ivy League honors and was the conference’s second-leading rusher with 860 yards. As a team, the Lions averaged 4.6 yards per carry, setting a new program record and ranking second in the Ancient Eight with 1,886 yards on the ground. In 2023, the Hoyas averaged 144.3 rushing yards per game, which was an improvement of over 60 yards per game from the previous season, and Joshua Stakely was named second team All-Patriot League. The Washington, D.C., native spent a season with the University of Maine as the running backs coach, guiding Freddie Brock to a 5.45 yards per carry for third-best in the CAA and 33rd in FCS. Prior to his time at Maine, Tinsley served assistant coaching stints at Union College, American International College, Morrisville State College and Bates College. Tinsley spent the three seasons at Union where he played a key part in the offensive game planning and assisted in wide receiver development. In 2019, he helped guide Union to an undefeated regular season and an 11-1 mark overall. He mentored wide receiver Andre Ross Jr. to a 2018 Rookie of the Year honor and two All-Liberty League First Team selections. The D.C. native star

Marshall Markham joined Columbia football as tight ends coach and offensive assistant in February 2026. He most recently served on the offensive coaching sta...

Owen Straley joined the Columbia staff in March 2025 as a defensive quality control assistant. In this role, he is responsible for all defensive film responsibilities, which include breaking down opposing offenses, creating the “self-scout” of Columbia’s defensive tendencies and daily data entry. He also assists with the weekly game plan. He joined the program after two seasons as a graduate assistant and outside linebackers coach at Springfield College. While there, he helped the Pride win a pair of conference titles, an NCAA Division III quarterfinal appearance in 2024 and coached a pair of All-NEWMAC outside linebackers. Straley is a 2022 graduate of Bates College, where he was a three-year starter at cornerback. He received a bachelor’s degree in Politics and received a master’s in education from Springfield in May 2025.

Ryan Osborn was hired as Columbia's defensive coordinator and assistant head coach in January 2026. Osborn arrives in Morningside Heights after most recently...

Salomon Burstein has been Columbia Football’s Video Coordinator since September 2021. He was promoted to his current position after spending five years as a ...

Seitu Smith joined Columbia as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in January 2024 and helped the Lions capture their first Ivy League title since 1961 in his first season at the helm. The Lions’ offense racked up 3,930 yards of total offense in 2024, which is the second most in program history and the most since 1983, and racked up 169.1 rushing yards per game, good for No. 2 in the Ivy League. Wide receiver Bryson Canty was a first-team All-Ivy League honoree after racking up 760 yards and nine touchdowns. Due to an injury to starter Chase Goodwin, Columbia played with three different starting quarterbacks, each of whom earned at least one victory. Smith originally joined the Elis as a running backs coach in February 2021 and was promoted to Assistant Head Coach/Run Game Coordinator in March 2023. He was a part of back-to-back Ivy League Championship runs with the Bulldogs in 2022 and 2023. Yale captured its second consecutive Ancient Eight crown in 2023 thanks to a pair of the Ivy League’s top rushers, Joshua Pitsenberger and dual-threat quarterback Nolan Grooms. Grooms repeated as the Ivy League’s Offensive Asa S. Bushnell Cup winner after picking up 588 rushing yards and a pair of scores on the ground. Pitsenberger was a second-team All-Ivy League selection after racking up 448 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, which was good for second in the league. In 2022, Smith mentored two of the top running backs in the Ivy League in Pitsenberger and Tre Peterson, who c

Steve Conway joined the Columbia University Athletics Sports Performance staff in October 2022. He works with the Columbia football, baseball, and rowing pro...

Wilfred Frederic is in his fourth year as an Assistant Director of Sport Performance in the Columbia Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. He began his current position in January 2019. Frederic arrived at Columbia after spending the previous two years (2017-19) as a Strength and Conditioning Assistant at Dartmouth College, where he implemented training programs for football, baseball, softball, women’s rugby and men’s heavyweight and lightweight rowing. He also was responsible for sports science data collection and analysis. Frederic has also worked full-year strength and conditioning internships at Temple (2015-16) and Villanova (2014-15). At Temple, he assisted with all daily strength, speed and agility training for men’s and women’s basketball. At Villanova, he assisted all components of training with football, baseball, women’s soccer and field hockey. A May 2015 graduate of Lock Haven University with a bachelor’s degree in Recreational Management with a concentration on fitness, Frederic is certified and is skilled in CSCS, Reflexive Performance Reset Level 1, CPR/AED and Catapult Sports. A collegiate boxer, Frederic was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. and raised in Philadelphia, Pa.