Columbia University Athletics

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 his first season. He led the Lions to a 7-3 overall record—their best since 2017—and a 5-2 Ivy League mark to claim a share of the conference title. It was Columbia’s first Ivy League Championship since 1961.
 
The seven wins were the most by a first-year head coach at Columbia since 1899, and the five Ivy League victories were a program record for a rookie head coach. Under Poppe's leadership, a school-record 14 Lions earned All-Ivy League honors. Additionally, defensive back Hayden McDonald became the first All-American since 2019, having been selected by five different publications and organizations.
 
Columbia earned its first win over a ranked opponent since 2015 and its first over a top-15 team since 1995, defeating No. 14/18 Lafayette in the season opener. The Lions received votes in the national top-25 polls for seven weeks and were named the Stats Perform National FCS Team of the Week following the upset of the Leopards.
 
Poppe’s success earned him national recognition as a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, presented to the nation’s top FCS head coach. His staff was also named Ivy League Coaching Staff of the Year.
 
Before returning to Columbia, Poppe served as head coach at Union College in 2023, guiding the Garnet Chargers to a 10-2 record, a Liberty League title, and a trip to the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. He coached 15 All-Liberty League honorees, and his team ranked eighth nationally in scoring defense, averaging over 32 points per game offensively.

Poppe has more than a decade of Ivy League coaching experience. He previously served as Columbia’s secondary coach and recruiting coordinator from 2015–17, helping the Lions to their best season in decades in 2017 (8-2). During that time, Columbia’s defense led the Ivy League in interceptions and pass defense, with seven defensive backs earning All-Ivy honors.
 
He also spent nine seasons at Harvard (2011–14, 2017–22) coaching the secondary and special teams. Under his guidance, Harvard’s defense consistently ranked among the best in FCS. In 2022, the Crimson ranked third nationally in blocked punts and fourth in blocked kicks. Poppe was honored as the FBS/FCS Assistant Coach of the Year by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston in 2021 after leading a Harvard defense that topped the nation in rushing defense and ranked third in interceptions.
 
Earlier in his career, Poppe coached at Holy Cross, Springfield College, and King's College (Pa.). He is a 2007 graduate of Williams College, where he was a three-year starter in the secondary. As a senior, he earned All-East Region honors and first-team All-NESCAC recognition while helping Williams to a perfect 8-0 season.