University of Delaware Football

A 2006 University of Delaware alum and member of the 2003 national championship team, Ryan Carty was named the head football coach in December 2021. In Janua...

Dr. Andrew Reisman started as the Head Team Physician at the University of Delaware in August of 2006. In 2019, he was named Chief Medical Officer for Athletics to reflect the full nature of his duties within the Athletic Department. As a Student Health Physician, he serves as the Medical Director of Athletic Medicine where he oversees the daily functioning of the UD sports medicine clinic consistent with the NCAA Independent Care Model. He continues to be responsible for the medical care and treatment of all Blue Hens student-athletes, including traveling with the UD football team. In 2013, Dr Reisman founded the Colonial Athletic Association Sports Medicine committee and served as its chair through 2018. He also has served as a member of the NCAA Concussion Safety Protocol Committee since 2016. A native of Monsey, N.Y., Dr Reisman earned his degree in chemistry from Haverford College in 1988 and earned his medical degree from the University of Rochester in 1992. Reisman served an internship and residency at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. and at the University of Rochester. He then completed a sports medicine fellowship through the Christiana Care Health System. Reisman, who was named the Top Sports Medicine Physician in Delaware by Delaware Today magazine in 2003, worked six years as a physician at Casscells Orthopedics in Wilmington prior to joining the University of Delaware team.

Anthony Puntolillo joined the Delaware coaching staff in March 2026 as a defensive analyst working with the linebackers. Puntolillo comes to the 302 after spending the previous two seasons at Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham as the graduate assistant football coach/linebackers coach/junior varsity head coach/assistant director of football operations. In two seasons of collegiate coaching, Puntolillo has led two student-athletes to all-conference laurels. He arrived at FDU after a four-year playing career at Delaware Valley. During his time at Del Val, he helped the Aggies secure four conference championships and five NCAA playoff wins. Puntolillo was voted as a captain for his senior season and received numerous accolades, including being a two-time First Team All-MAC Linebacker, MAC Defensive Player of the Year, and First Team All-Region One Linebacker. Puntolillo grew up in Wayne, N.J. graduating with a bachelor's degree in communications with minors in business and criminal justice. THE PUNTOLILLO FILE COACHING Graduate Assistant Football Coach/Linebackers Coach/JV Head Coach/Assistant Director of Football Operations - FDU-Florham, 2024-25 PLAYING Linebacker - Delaware Valley University, 2019-23 HOMETOWN Wayne, N.J. EDUCATION Delaware Valley - B.A. in communications, minor in business and criminal justice, 2024

Ben Rubenstein, a 2024 University of Delaware alumnus, worked his way up from a student intern to the Director of Player Personnel for Delaware football, a role he's held since March 2024. In his role, Rubenstein assists the General Manager / Senior Associate AD, Football with roster construction and resource allocation. Some of his primary responsibilities include talent acquisition and retention, budget management, player evaluation, and serving as the program's liaison to the NFL. Rubenstein also manages Delaware football's recruiting database and leads the player onboarding process for the program. As a student, Rubenstein served in various roles at UD, including gameday marketing assistant (2019), football video assistant (2021-22), and football operations/recruiting/coaching intern (2022-24). Outside of football, Rubenstein held an analytics engineering internship at JOOR, a fashion tech company in New York, in 2020. A native of Ridgewood, N.J., Rubenstein graduated with his bachelor's of science degree in sport management from the University of Delaware in February 2024.

Carson Turner joined the Delaware football staff in July 2025 as a defensive analyst. He is working with the defensive line. Turner joins the Fightin' Blue H...

Chris Stewart joined the University of Delaware athletic department in January 2017 as the associate AD for strength and conditioning and the head strength and conditioning coach for the football program. A native of Charlotte, N.C., Stewart arrived in Newark after spending eight years as head strength & conditioning coach at the University of Richmond. Before moving to Richmond in 2009, Stewart had an 11-year stint at the University of Tennessee in 1998-2008, including his last five as associate strength and conditioning coach. At UT, he served as a graduate assistant, assistant, and associate head strength coach during his tenure and worked with numerous National Football League players and Olympians while in Knoxville. Stewart is an approved mentor for the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association and the former director of the UT Strength and Conditioning Clinic, one of the nation’s largest and longest-running strength clinics involving 800 coaches and athletes. Stewart assisted with the UT football program while serving as the primary strength coach for the Vols’ nationally acclaimed track & field team. He worked year-round with former Vols in the professional and Olympic ranks. Stewart earned a sports management/exercise science degree from Western Carolina in 1998 and completed his master’s from Tennessee in 2001. He is certified through the College Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association. His career at Richmond and Tennessee includes one national

Eli Vaupen joined the University of Delaware Communications and Creative Services department in October 2024. He serves as the primary media contact for women's basketball and men's lacrosse, as well as the secondary media contact for football. Vaupen came to the 302 after spending the 2024 season as the PR & Communications Assistant with the Round Rock Express, the Triple-A Affiliate of the Texas Rangers. In his lone season with the E-Train, Vaupen worked with several award-winning major leaguers, including a pair of multi-time Cy Young winners in RHP Max Scherzer and RHP Jacob deGrom. Before arriving in Round Rock, Texas, Vaupen worked in the Philadelphia Flyers' community relations department during the 2023-24 season. He assisted with the planning and execution of community events, in-game experiences, and youth hockey-related programs, including the Flyers Recess school assembly program. Vaupen also oversaw all in-kind donation requests for the department. Prior to his move to the pros, Vaupen spent over five years in the athletic communications office at Temple University. He served as the secondary media contact for the Owls' football program, working his way up from a student intern to a graduate assistant. In addition to his media work, the Plano, Texas native worked one season in football recruiting on 10th and Diamond. Vaupen received his Bachelor's degree in Sport Management from Temple University in 2022 and his Master's degree in Sports Business from Temple in 2

Erik Pratt joined the Delaware coaching staff in March 2026 as an offensive analyst working with the offensive line. Pratt comes to Newark after spending the 2025 season as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Gannon. In eight seasons of collegiate coaching, Pratt has led 12 student-athletes to all-conference laurels and two all-america selections. Prior to joining Gannon, he spent time as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator for North Carolina at Pembroke (2023-24) and the tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator at Bucknell (2022). Pratt made two separate stints at Wingate, serving as the tight ends and fullbacks coach and director of football operations in 2021 and the assistant offensive line coach in 2019. In between his stops at Wingate, Pratt was the offensive line coach and strength & conditioning coordinator at Chowan University in 2020. Pratt sharpened his tools as a strength & conditioning intern at Georgia Southern in 2019 after spending the 2018 season as a defensive line graduate assistant. A three-year letterwinner at West Chester, Pratt appeared in 35 games on the offensive line from 2008-12. The Falls, Pa. native graduated from East Stroudsburg in 2016 with a bachelor’s in interdisciplinary studies following three seasons (2013-15) in the Professional Indoor Football League as a member of both the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks and the Harrisburg Stampede. He also earned his masters degree in exercise science from East Stroudsburg i

Gabriel Mendez joined the Delaware coaching staff in March 2026 as an offensive analyst working the tight ends. Mendez joins the Fightin’ Blue Hens after most recently serving as the offense quality control coach and operations assistant at Monmouth in 2025, which reached as high as No. 7 in the FCS. With the Hawks, he assisted the wide receivers, leading position-specific practice drills, offensive scouting efforts, and signaling offensive plays while contributing to the No. 1 total offense in the FCS. Mendez helped lead two Hawks’ wide receivers to All-CAA laurels. Prior to his time at Monmouth, Mendez served in the United States Air Force as an intelligence officer from 2019-25. As the director of intelligence for KC-10/46 Operations at McGuire Air Force Base in 2022, Mendez was recognized as the top officer in his position. Mendez earned a bachelor’s degree in management from the United States Air Force Academy in 2019 before getting his master’s degree at Georgetown in business analytics in 2023. THE MENDEZ FILE COACHING Offense Quality Control Coach and Operations Assistant - Monmouth, 2025 HOMETOWN Amsterdam, N.Y. EDUCATION Georgetown - M.S. in business analytics, 2023 Air Force - B.A. in management, 2019

Garrett Smith joined the Blue & Gold in February 2022 as the team’s tight ends coach. He was named assistant special teams coordinator in 2024. During Smith's time in Delaware, he has produced two all-conference tight ends (Braden Brose and Caleb Fauria) as well as assisted in the development of two all-conference specialists (K Nate Reed and PR Jake Thaw). Prior to Delaware, Smith spent two seasons on the staff at Sam Houston as an offensive quality control coach, helping the Bearkats win the 2020-21 FCS National Championship. He worked with the team’s wide receivers as well as assisted with special teams. Smith had three wide receivers receive postseason all-conference recognition. Before arriving at Sam Houston, Smith spent three seasons as an offensive graduate assistant at his alma mater Louisiana-Monroe. He worked with the team’s quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends while also assisting in all aspects of special teams. Smith appeared in 22 games at quarterback for the Warhawks from 2015-17. He made 10 starts as a redshirt freshman in 2015, completing 191 passes for 2,033 yards and 17 touchdowns. He threw for 370 yards and three touchdowns in his first career win over Nichols State. For his career, Smith finished with 3,857 yards passing on 329 completions and 31 touchdowns. Smith graduated from ULM in 2018 with a bachelor of science degree in kinesiology. He earned his master’s degree in 2021 in exercise science.

Haley Alioto joined the University of Delaware football staff in August 2022 as Assistant Manager, Football Operations, becoming the first woman to serve as ...

Jarred Holley enters his first season as bandits coach for Delaware football in 2026 after being hired to that role in March of 2026. A seasoned coach and pl...

Jerry Oravitz has been a key member of the University of Delaware Athletics Department for 29 years, including 25 years in various roles in Football administ...

Jordan Skolnick was named the eighth Director of Athletics & Campus Recreation on January 30, 2026 after spending 10 months in the interim role. As Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation, Skolnick is responsible for leading the Fightin' Blue Hens' 22 varsity teams, spirit programs and robust campus recreation unit. A native of Storrs, Conn., Skolnick successfully guided the department through its transitions to Conference USA and the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), while prioritizing a renewed focus on campus collaboration to increase partnerships and ensure the University's ability to capitalize on increased national exposure. Blue Hen student-athletes have thrived in the classroom during Skolnick's tenure. UD student-athletes finished the Fall 2025 semester with a 3.3 GPA, the 24th-consecutive semester with a 3.0 GPA or better. With Skolnick leading the department, the football program had tremendous success in its first season competing as a member of Conference USA and at the FBS level. Finishing 7-6 overall and winning the 68 Ventures Bowl, Delaware became just the second program ever to win a bowl game in its inaugural FBS season, joining fellow Conference USA member Jacksonville State in 2023. Skolnick originally joined the University of Delaware in July 2016 as the senior associate athletic director for development. Prior to coming to Newark, Skolnick spent the previous decade in the athletics fundraising field at three of the nation's most prestigious instituti

Jourdan Townsend was hired as senior offensive analyst/assistant wide receivers coach in February 2026. Townsend originally joined the football coaching staf...

JT Tober was promoted to Director of Football Video for the Blue Hens in February 2022. He spent the 2021 season on the Delaware staff as an assistant with v...

Kyre Hawkins joined the Delaware coaching staff in January 2024 as the defensive line coach. Hawkins oversaw the development of all-conference DL Melkart Abou-Jaoude, who had a breakout 2024 season. Hawkins helped lead UD's defense to record 28 sacks on the season, the most since 2017. Hawkins came to Delaware after spending the 2023 season at the University of South Florida where he was the quality control analyst for the defensive line. The Bulls allowed just 143.8 rushing yards per game to their opponents in 2023 and opposing quarterbacks were sacked 23 times. Prior to USF, Hawkins was a part of the University of North Carolina football staff during the 2022 season and was at the University of Colorado for the 2021 football season, serving as a graduate assistant at both stops and working with the defensive line. He spent the 2021 summer interning with the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers, where he was a recipient of a Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship. Hawkins coached the defensive line at Division II Emory & Henry College during the 2021 spring season. Under his tutelage, the defense led the country in sacks with 26, averaging or 6.5 per game, and boasted the conference defensive player of the year and three all-conference linemen. For five months in 2020, Hawkins served as the inside linebackers coach and run game coordinator at Alderson Broaddus University. That followed a year at East Carolina University (2019) where he assisted the Pirates’ defensive line coach and

Marvin Clecidor joined the Delaware coaching staff in January 2026 and will work with the Fightin' Blue Hens' cornerbacks. Clecidor, a 17-year coaching veteran, comes to Newark after spending the past two seasons at Penn as the defensive backs coach. He has coached 28 all-conference selections in his career and four NFL players, including two Super Bowl Champion defensive backs. In two seasons with the Quakers, Clecidor coached two All-Ivy defensive backs. He came to Penn following two seasons as safeties coach and pass game coordinator at Temple. Clecidor was a member of the Western Michigan coaching staff from 2020-21 as an assistant coach, mentoring the squad's cornerbacks and producing one All-MAC selection. In 2021, the corners flourished under Clecidor's leadership, contributing to a defense that finished 10th in the country in fewest passing yards allowed (186.4) en route to an eight-win campaign and a victory in the Quick Lane Bowl. That same year, the Broncos defense shut down their opponents on third down, allowing a 26.8 percent success rate which ranked second in the FBS. Clecidor arrived at WMU after spending three seasons at Princeton as the co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach from 2017-19. While with the Tigers, he produced 17 All-Ivy selections on the defensive side of the ball, featuring six defensive backs. In 2019, the Tigers posted an 8-2 record and went 5-2 in Ivy League competition. Under his watch, opponents scored just 18.1 points per ga

Michael Armstrong joined the Delaware football program in July 2023 as Associate AD, Football Operations. He brings in more than a decade of experience in football operations at the collegiate level. He arrives at UD after spending the past two years at the University of St. Thomas, where he was the Director of Football and Recruiting Operations during the Tommies' unprecedented jump from Division III to Division I. In 2021, the program's first at the Division I level, St. Thomas finished with a 7-3 overall record and a 6-2 mark in the Pioneer League (PFL). The Tommies went 10-1 in 2022 and won the PFL with an undefeated 8-0 conference record. His various responsibilities included assisting with branding projects, initiating a multi-year partnership between Teamworks and St. Thomas and team travel arrangements among other operations assignments. Before St. Thomas, Armstrong was the Director of Football Operations / Recruiting at Grambling State University from 2016-21. He was responsible for various duties in operations, video, recruiting and as a liaison for professional player opportunities. During his tenure, the Tigers won the 2016 and 2017 SWAC Championship, appearing in the Celebration Bowl both years and winning it in 2016 while finishing with an 11-1 record. Armstrong was a part of the staff at Ave Maria University in Naples, Fla. from 2012-15. He held numerous positions during his tenure, including defensive line coach, secondary coach, tight ends coach, video coordi

Noah Plack begins his first season at Delaware as a defensive analyst in 2025 after being hired in April of 2025. Plack returns to Newark after a two-month stint on staff at Duquesne. The Bridgeville, Pa. native was a stalwart for the Hens from 2018-22, appearing in 44 career games with 29 starts as a defensive back. A one-time All-CAA First Team and two-time All-CAA Second Team member, Plack recorded 269 tackles, 17 pass breakups, 6.5 TFLs, four forced fumbles, three interceptions, and three fumble recoveries in his five years in the 302. Following his time at Delaware, he played one season for the UConn Huskies, posting 49 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, and 0.5 sack in 12 games as a linebacker. Plack also earned a rookie minicamp invite from the San Francisco 49ers following the 2024 NFL Draft.

Patrick Callaway returned to his alma mater as the general manager of the University of Delaware football program. As general manager, Callaway focuses on roster construction and resource allocation. His responsibilities include talent acquisition and retention, budget management, player evaluation, and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders. Following his graduation from Delaware in 2014, Callaway entered the scouting profession. He spent a year working for Optimum Scouting where he analyzed NFL draft prospects out of the ACC ahead of the 2016 NFL Draft. Callaway joined the Tennessee Titans in 2016, working as a scouting assistant before being promoted to a college area scout in 2017. As a scout, he developed a league-wide reputation for finding gems in the late rounds of the draft as well as undrafted free agency while also contributing to the evaluations of multiple draft picks that developed into Pro Bowl players. He combined traditional scouting methods with analytical data and models to predict the likelihood of success for individual prospects. He also has extensive experience negotiating contracts with undrafted free agents as well as working with the pro scouting department to accurately value NFL free agents. Callaway was an outstanding linebacker for the Blue Hens from 2011-14, starting in 44 of his 46 career games played and served as a team captain as a senior in 2014. He registered 303 career tackles, one of just 20 players to reach the 300-tackle miles

Rocco DiMeco joined the Delaware coaching staff in January 2023 as the team’s linebackers coach. He was also named special teams coordinator in 2024. During DiMeco's time in Delaware, he has produced six all-conference selections between special teams (K Nate Reed and PR Jake Thaw), and linebackers (Ty Davis, Gavin Moul, Jackson Taylor, and Dillon Trainer). Taylor earned All-American honors before earning a mini camp invite with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024. DiMeco came to UD after spending the 2022 season as the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach at Long Island University. His linebackers were part of a defense that led the NEC in interceptions and ranked third in the conference in sacks. On special teams, he coached a pair of All-NEC honorees. DiMeco arrived at LIU after holding the same position at Winona State University from 2018-21. With the Warriors, he developed nine total All-NSIC players including LB Devon Moore, who received an invite to minicamp with the Atlanta Falcons. Prior to Winona State, DiMeco coached at Rutgers from 2014-17 in a variety of roles. During his time with the Scarlet Knights, DiMeco worked with Janarion Grant, a preseason First Team All-American return specialist who tied for the NCAA record for combined kick return touchdowns, and with Michael Burton, a fifth-round selection of the Detroit Lions in the 2015 NFL Draft. His special teams unit ranked second in the Big Ten in 2015. His first taste of Division I coaching came at Holy

Terence Archer joined the Delaware coaching staff in December 2021. He was promoted to offensive coordinator prior to the 2024 season. Archer was part of the 2025 Fighthin' Blue Hens' staff that oversaw the transition to the FBS and won the 68 Ventures Bowl in Delaware's first-FBS season. During Archer's time in Delaware, he has produced seven all-conference wide receivers (Kyre Duplessis, Phil Lutz, Thyrick Pitts, Jourdan Townsend, twice, and Sean Wilson, twice). Pitts (Chicago Bears, 2023) and Lutz (New England Patriots, 2025) signed NFL contracts, while Townsend (Cleveland Browns, 2024) earned a mini camp invite. Lutz, a transfer from DIII Tufts, etched his name in the Delaware record book in his final season in Newark. He caught a touchdown in seven-consecutive games (most in school history) and finished with 11 receiving touchdowns (second-most in a single-season). Wilson set UD freshman records in 2025, finishing his rookie season with 877 receiving yards on 68 receptions. Archer made his return to the East Coast after serving the 2021 season as the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator at Sam Houston, where he played an instrumental part in the Bearkats winning the 2020-21 national championship. He arrived at Sam Houston in February of 2014, serving as the wide receivers coach for all eight seasons and as the assistant head coach from January 2017 to March 2020. Archer had seven wide receivers earn All-Southland Conference honors at Sam Houston including th

Theo Brown joined the Delaware football staff in August 2025. He serves as the special teams analyst. Prior to coming to Newark, Brown spent two seasons at t...

Tyler Ferguson joined the Delaware coaching staff prior to the spring 2021 season as an offensive analyst. He was promoted to senior offensive analyst prior to the 2024 season. During the spring 2021 season, Ferguson worked with the wide receivers before moving to the offensive line ahead of the 2021 campaign. During Ferguson's time in Delaware, he has assisted in producing eight all-conference players (OL Bradley Anyanwu, OL Fintan Brose, twice, WR Gene Coleman II, OL Brock Gingrich, OL David Kroll, OL Anwar O'neal, and WR Thyrick Pitts) and three All-Americans (OL Brock Gingrich, twice, and OL David Kroll). Pitts signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Bears after the 2023 NFL Draft. Prior to joining the staff at Delaware, Ferguson coached at the high school level in Maryland, spending two seasons as an assistant coach at Bohemia Manor High School and the 2019 season at Kent County High School. Originally from Chesapeake City, Maryland, Ferguson graduated from Salisbury University.

Xavier Dye joined the Delaware coaching staff in January 2025. He works directly with the team's running backs. Dye joins the Blue Hens after spending the 2023-24 seasons as the running backs coach at Coastal Carolina. In 2024, their two leading running backs combined for 1,318 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, while Bennett earned All-Sun Belt Honorable Mention honors. In his first season, the Chanticleer running backs averaged 100 yards rushing per game and ran for 12 touchdowns. Coastal Carolina went 14-12 in his two seasons, including winning the 2023 EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl. Prior to Coastal, Dye spent three years on staff at South Florida from 2020-22, where he coached the wide receivers in 2020 and the tight ends group in 2021-22. He also served as the recruiting coordinator for his last two seasons in Tampa. He went to USF after serving as the wide receivers coach at West Virginia during the 2019 season. A native of Greenwood, S.C., Dye served as an offensive graduate assistant coach working with the receiving corps for two years at Clemson from 2017-18, which included future NFL wideouts Tee Higgins, Justyn Ross and Hunter Renfrow. Over those two years, the Tigers posted a 27-2 record, won two ACC championships, and made two College Football Playoff appearances, including winning the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship. Prior to his return to Clemson, Dye served as offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Woodmont High School, helping lead the W