Monmouth's only head coach Kevin Callahan retires; Jeff Gallo promoted

Kevin Callahan is stepping away from the sideline after 33 seasons as Monmouth’s head football coach, leaving a program he built from scratch in the hands of long-time assistant Jeff Gallo. Callahan will move into a special-advisor role in the athletics department, while Gallo takes over as only the second head coach in school history.

Callahan closes a career with a 197-151 overall record and a 112-75 mark in conference play. Under his stewardship Monmouth captured seven conference championships, five in the Northeast Conference and two in the Big South, and reached the FCS playoffs three times with a 1-3 playoff record, in addition to two FCS bowl appearances. The program Callahan piloted began play in 1993 after his 1992 hiring, went from a non-scholarship independent to a consistent FCS contender, and posted three 10-win seasons between 2003 and 2006. Monmouth finished 9-3 in Callahan’s final season, a campaign that included a signature victory over Villanova.

The transition is being framed internally as orderly and deliberately planned. "In a joint statement from the school and the coach, Callahan will step aside and transition to a special-advisor role." The school also framed the handoff personally: "Callahan will now pass the torch to long-time assistant coach and offensive coordinator, Jeff Gallo."

Gallo is steeped in Hawks history as both player and coach. A former All-NEC tight end in 2003, Gallo joined the Monmouth staff in 2005 and rose through the offensive staff ranks. He became offensive coordinator in the spring of 2019 and added associate head coach duties in 2024. The 2025 season marked Gallo’s 21st year with the program, his sixth as offensive coordinator and his second as associate head coach. Gallo is a local product who broke out at Cherokee High School before returning to campus as a player and coach, and he is listed by the program as an alumnus (’05).

On the field, Gallo’s offense has delivered measurable results. In 2023 Monmouth ranked 12th nationally in total offense at 431.5 yards per game and 13th in scoring at 32.5 points per game. The 2024 Hawks led the CAA and placed in the top 10 nationally in multiple offensive categories, and Gallo was a finalist for FootballScoop.com’s FCS Coordinator of the Year. The 2025 attack paced the country in every offensive category until All-American quarterback Derek Robertson was lost for the season, underscoring both the potency of the scheme and the challenge the new head coach inherits on the depth front.

This change comes amid a broader wave of movement across the FCS coaching cycle; Monmouth’s succession ranks among the 13th coaching changes this cycle, alongside programs across the CAA, Big Sky, SoCon and SWAC. Promoting from within emphasizes continuity: Gallo inherits a roster shaped by Callahan and a modern offensive identity that should help sustain recruiting and on-field production.

For Hawks fans, the headline is stability. Callahan’s move to a special-advisor role preserves institutional memory and continuity, while Gallo’s elevation promises offensive consistency and a bridge between the program’s founding era and its next chapter. The immediate questions now are how Gallo will manage staff retention, how Monmouth will mitigate the loss of Derek Robertson, and how quickly recruits and transfers respond to the internal promotion as the program looks to remain competitive in the CAA.