Lehigh University has hired Chip Taylor as special teams coordinator for its football program, filling a position the school had not staffed as a standalone role in recent years. Taylor joins a coaching staff that went 3-8 in 2024 under head coach Kevin Cahill, who entered his second season after arriving from Brown.

The move represents a structural shift for Lehigh's defensive-minded program. Special teams had been handled by position coaches splitting duties, a common arrangement at mid-major programs operating close to the Patriot League's 10-coach limit. By creating a dedicated coordinator slot, Lehigh signals that special teams errors—particularly in field position battles and return coverage—cost them games they could have won in a conference decided by margins of 7 points or fewer in half its contests.

Taylor's arrival matters for two reasons. First, Patriot League programs that staff full-time special teams coordinators—Fordham, Holy Cross—consistently rank in the top half of FCS in punt coverage and field goal percentage, a measurable edge in low-scoring games. Second, coordinator hires at this level often telegraph recruiting priorities. If Taylor brings connections to New Jersey or Pennsylvania prep programs, Lehigh gains an additional entry point into talent pools where Villanova and Delaware already operate at scale.

The broader context: Lehigh alumnus and real estate investor Marc Felgoise has been increasing football program funding since 2022, including facility upgrades that put the Mountain Hawks closer to Georgetown and Bucknell in infrastructure spend. Adding a specialist coordinator extends that investment thesis into on-field operations. The school is betting that $85,000–$95,000 in salary—standard range for this role in the Patriot League—translates to two additional wins per season, which in turn protects alumni engagement and keeps the program competitive for the league's lone FCS playoff berth.

Watch for Taylor's first special teams depth chart in spring practice, typically released in late March. If Lehigh recruits a transfer portal kicker or punter in the next three weeks, it confirms the hire was driven by identifiable gaps rather than organizational theory. Also worth tracking: whether Taylor's contract includes performance incentives tied to kickoff return yardage or blocked kicks, a structure gaining traction at programs serious about special teams as a third phase.

Calvin Andrews, Lehigh's athletic director, hired Cahill in December 2022 with instructions to modernize the program. This is the second coordinator-level addition in 14 months.