WEST LONG BRANCH – With the 2026 Football Media Day serving as the backdrop, a new era of Monmouth football has officially begun. The Hawks enter the season energized by the promotion of new head coach Jeff Gallo, who becomes just the second head coach in the program's 34-year history – a milestone that underscores both the program's stability and its vision for the future.
As Monmouth embarks on this next chapter, the excitement surrounding the program is matched by a commitment to building on its tradition while embracing new opportunities in one of the nation's most competitive FCS conferences.
Gallo's brief tenure has been marked by an unimaginable tragedy before his first season could even begin. The Hawks were stunned by the unexpected passing of defensive coordinator Louis DiRienzo Jr., who died at the end of June at the age of 34 after being promoted to the role earlier this year. DiRienzo was viewed as a rising coach and key architect of Monmouth's defensive improvement, making his loss especially devastating for a program in dire need of a defensive overhaul.
As Gallo prepares for his debut season at the helm, he and his staff are now tasked not only with guiding the team on the field but also helping players and coaches cope with the loss of a respected mentor, colleague and friend.
"It was a huge tragedy," said Gallo. "Coach DiRienzo was a great person, great coach, great father and husband, and he made a huge impact on our program. For us, it was a chance to find purpose in it, tighten our team and bring our guys together as we push towards the season. It gives us purpose to honor him and honor his family in our daily work.
"We're going to try to move forward with the same energy and intensity Louis had. As awful as it is and feels, we're fortunate that coach DiRienzo left us in a good place, from our schematics to our daily work to our drill work; we really elevated our standard of defense here under him. And now it's our job to move forward with it."
Monmouth has not named a new defensive coordinator, and it appears that they intend to keep things as status quo.
"We really felt it was important to keep the staff intact," said Gallo. "We didn't need a lot of new voices coming in, so although we moved some spots around, all those guys are working together as we work towards the season to really put something special on the field."
Monmouth's once promising 2025 season ended in heartbreaking fashion, unraveling in a way few could have imagined. The first blow came when All-American quarterback Derrik Robertson suffered a season-ending injury, robbing the Hawks of a player many considered the best quarterback in the country. Forced to navigate the remainder of the season without their star playcaller, Monmouth battled to stay in playoff contention behind the gutty performance of backup quarterback Frankie Weaver, but the challenge proved too difficult to overcome. Everything came down to the regular season finale against Albany, with an FCS playoff berth hanging in the balance. Albany came into the game with one win overall and winless in the CAA. They were ranked last in just about every offensive and defensive category, but still managed to beat the Hawks, 31-24. The shocking loss eliminated Monmouth from the FCS playoffs.
"We weren't happy how last year ended," said Gallo. "Our biggest thing this year is finish everything and leave no doubt. We want to have the final say in this."
Weaver was thrust into an almost impossible situation, having to replace the All-American, but he stepped into the spotlight and delivered a gritty performance that, for the most part, kept the offense moving and the team competitive. He showed poise beyond his experience level, making smart decisions under pressure and refusing to let the moment become too big.
Gallo was non-committal when asked if Weaver is the starting quarterback for the 2026 season, but I'd be surprised if he wasn't behind center on August 29 at Tennessee Tech.
"We're going to compete at every position," said Gallo. Frankie Weaver and Brad Seiss have both done a great job from spring ball into the summer. Frank has more experience and did some good things at the end of the year when he was put into a tough situation. We'll keep competing in camp and we will have a starter as we get into the season."
Gallo was joined on the CAA Media Day Zoom call by safety Jaeden Jones and wide receiver Gavin Nelson.
Jones has earned significant preseason recognition heading into the 2026 CAA campaign, highlighting his status as one of the top defensive players in the FCS. Jones was named Stats Perform FCS Preseason Second Team All-American, an honor awarded to the nation's top returning defensive players after a standout sophomore season in which he led the Hawks with 118 tackles, the third-highest single-season total in program history. In addition, Jones was selected to the 2026 Buck Buchanan Award Watch List, recognizing him as a candidate for the FCS Player of the Year award. Also, a first-team preseason All-CAA selection and the 2026 CAA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year recipient.
When asked what he feels he needs to do as one of the leaders of the team and especially as one of the most physical members of the defense to ensure that everyone else is playing to the level that it is going to take to win the CAA and advance as far as you can in the playoffs, Jones responded, "I will be demanding more out of myself. Knowing that I'm now an upperclassman, people are looking at me being more visible. I need to be the best version of myself and bring guys along with me while demanding the most out of my teammates. We've put in a lot of work in the offseason and spring ball, and I really like the way that we look. So, we're going in the right direction just being on the same page and bonding together and buying into what coach Louie D's defense was really about and built on. So, I think just demanding more out of myself, being more vocal and demanding more out of my teammates so we can be the best that we can be on Saturdays."
After a breakout season that saw Nelson catch 30 passes for 514 yards and six touchdowns, he was named to the 2026 CAA Football Preseason All-Conference Team. Monmouth has built a proud tradition of dominant wide receivers, and the torch has been passed. Nelson, along with redshirt junior Tra Neal (29-427-7), are poised to carry that legacy forward. Both players bring a unique blend of athleticism, skill and competitiveness that makes them dangerous and capable of impacting games in multiple ways.
"The honor means a lot, but we're focused more on the season," said Nelson when asked about his preseason recognition. "Because I feel like that's all that matters: what we do in the season. I just want to make the CAA championships and make a playoff run. I feel really good about our offense with Frankie having all that experience. We put a lot of work in on and off the field, and we get together and build that bond and chemistry, so we go out and show out on Saturdays."
Monmouth was picked to finish second in the CAA this season in a vote of league coaches. Gallo was asked his thoughts on that: "It doesn't really matter to me, honestly. I think like Jaeden said, our thing is performance over perception. How we perform will be the final indicator of who we are on the field every week. Every week is a challenge; we learned this when we joined this league in 2022. Every week you have to come to play; you are in a one-week season. So, I don't get caught up in any of this preseason stuff. I'm worried about the end of the year when the cards fall, and we want to have as much say in that as possible through our play throughout the season."
Monmouth opens summer camp the first week of August and opens the regular season Saturday, August 29 at Tennessee Tech.
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