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| Casey Goff spent four years as an assistant coach at Salve Regina before taking the Defiance head coaching job. Salve Regina athletics photo by Ed Habershaw |
The College of New Jersey department of athletics has announced Casey Goff as its new head coach of the Lions football program. Goff will assume his role on July 24.
Goff arrives from Defiance, where he served as head coach of the Yellow Jackets this past season. Goff has been a college football coach for the past 14 years and is eager to lead TCNJ into the future.
Goff replaces Rocky Hager, who was the interim head coach last season, leading the Lions to a 2-8 record. Hager remains on staff as a full-time assistant. Defiance went 5-5 under Goff last season. The Yellow Jackets did not immediately announce a replacement.
"I am honored and grateful to President Gitenstein, executive director of athletics Amanda DeMartino, vice president of student affairs Angela Lauer Chong and everyone involved with the search committee," said Goff. "TCNJ is an institution with a rich athletic history and outstanding academic reputation and I'm pumped to be a part of this program. We are going to hit the ground running and get TCNJ football back where it belongs. I'm excited to be competing in one of the best conferences in the country and I'm eager to meet the challenge it presents. TCNJ has given me and my family a tremendous opportunity and I'm going to pour myself into this thing. I'm in it for the long haul."
Also the defensive coordinator at Defiance, Goff led the Yellow Jackets to a 5-5 record last year, their best mark since 2010. They ranked fifth nationally in interceptions (25) and sixth in turnovers (35) among Division III programs. Goff has also served as an assistant coach at several programs on the east coast, providing him with a networking base for recruitment. Prior to his tenure at Defiance, Goff was the defensive coordinator at Salve Regina and King's. He was the co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at Washington & Jefferson and was the defensive line coach at Cortland from 2004-2006.
"I am excited to have Casey Goff join the athletic staff as the head football coach for the Lions," said DeMartino. "His extensive knowledge of and experience in Division III football combined with his passion, energy and commitment to the development of the well-rounded, student-athlete make him an excellent fit for TCNJ athletics."
Goff earned his bachelor of arts degree from Susquehanna, where he was an outside linebacker and defensive lineman from 1996-1999. He also spent time as an assistant coach at Rhodes and Muhlenberg.
"The first steps are to get the team on our page and secure the 2017 staff," Goff said. "I'm eager to reach out to everyone and let them know about me and my expectations and obviously answer any questions they have to make this process as seamless as possible. I'm also eager to get rolling with Coach Hager and make sure that we do everything in our power to prep this team to win ball games this fall."
The Lions open their season on Friday evening, Sept. 1 in Lions Stadium against FDU-Florham.