Head Coach Jeff Gallo Ushers In New Era Of Monmouth University Football

WEST LONG BRANCH – There’s a new sheriff in town.

For the first time since its inception back in 1992, Monmouth University football will have a new head coach patrolling the sidelines this season. After 33 seasons at the helm, legendary head coach Kevin Callahan decided to turn over the reins to the program to associate head coach Jeff Gallo in early December of last year.

A long-time Monmouth offensive coordinator and a two-year associate head coach, Gallo has been with the program in some capacity since 2007 and was being groomed to take over the program at some point, which, somewhat surprisingly, turned out to be last December, when Callahan turned the keys to the program over to Gallo.

In his first offseason as head coach, Gallo’s familiarity with the program, its coaches, and the majority of the players afforded him a seamless transition without missing a beat. However, after years of leadership roles on the offensive side of the ball, he’s now the field general overseeing both the offense and the defense; a role he’s eager to embrace and one he’s dreamed about for years.

“A lot of the structure we had and a lot of the structure we have now, there’s a lot of similarity in it, it’s just a different role,” said Gallo. “I’m now the voice of the whole team, overseeing the whole team, having more overall input on a day-to-day basis; I love it. I love having a voice and being involved with the whole team, not just the offense. I’m trying to build a culture throughout the whole program, not just offensively. So, I’m really enjoying that.”

Gallo is now in the midst of his first spring practice as head coach, which commenced two weeks ago. He demands attention as he roams the field from one position group to the next, exhorting his players to hustle with a booming voice, aided by a megaphone that definitely gets their attention.

“I would’ve lost my voice by now without the megaphone,” Gallo joked. “It helps getting on the same page from drill to drill and period to period. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to talk after practice.”

When asked what he felt was the most important aspect of spring practice, he didn’t hesitate: “player development.”

“Player development is critical,” he added. "As you get to spring, you have new players, young players. You've gone through winter with your conditioning programs, walk-throughs, and installs. So, now in spring practice you're on the field implementing it, developing them on the field, including techniques and schemes, and watching them perform and how they come out of spring. It gives you an idea of who you are going to rely on heading into summer camp.”

Monmouth added 16 new players through the transfer portal, who Gallo feels have the opportunity to play major roles this season.

“We only bring guys in through the transfer portal who we feel can help us win,” said Gallo. “We brought some good guys in that fit our program, fit our culture, fit our footprint, and it’s been good to work with them throughout the winter and now the spring. They’re learning it, right there, pushing it. So, yeah, I think we have some guys that will help us this season.”

When asked what he wants to accomplish the remainder of spring practice, Gallo said, “I want to keep improving. I want to see us get better every practice, keep the same good energy we’ve had, and match it with good technique and talent. Continuous improvement equates to sustained success, so I just want to see us improve every single practice.”

When asked if he’s excited about the upcoming season, Gallo replied without hesitation, saying, “I’m incredibly excited about the season.” But he quickly corrected himself, taking a cue from his mentor, saying, “I’m looking forward to tomorrow, though. We’re going to take it one day at a time. I’m incredibly excited for the season, but I’m even more excited about working with these guys tomorrow. We’ll take it one day at a time and build this team, and all the work we do now will pay off in the season.”