EASTON, Pa. – Jake Flaherty, who spent the last two seasons as the running backs coach at his alma mater Bucknell, has joined the Lafayette football coaching staff as wide receivers coach.
 
Flaherty served as the assistant recruiting coordinator at Bucknell during his time on Joe Susan's staff. In 2017, he saw running backs Chad Freshnock and Joey DeFloria each rush for more than 500 yards, and in 2018 freshman Jared Cooper racked up 800-plus all-purpose yards under Flaherty's tutelage.
 
"I am thrilled to add Jake Flaherty to our staff as our wide receivers coach. Jake was an excellent receiver at Bucknell who excels in teaching the technical parts of playing receiver. He has coached in the FBS and is familiar with the Patriot League having coached last season at Bucknell," said Lafayette head coach John Garrett, the Fred M. Kirby '42 Head Football Coach John Garrett. "Jake is from New Jersey and is familiar with our recruiting footprint, having successfully recruited our border states in New Jersey and Ohio. We are glad to have Jake part of our Lafayette football family."
 
Prior to coaching at Bucknell, Flaherty spent two seasons at the University of Miami as a graduate assistant coaching wide receivers and tight ends. He worked closely with wide receiver Ahmmon Richards, a freshman All-American who broke the Miami freshman record for receiving yards, and Stacy Coley, who ranked second in school history in career receptions. Flaherty earned his master's degree at Miami in 2016.
 
The 2014 football season took Flaherty to Bozeman, Montana as an offensive quality control analyst at Montana State under then offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey.
 
Flaherty's coaching career began the summer before his senior year at Bucknell, when he worked as a training camp coaching intern with the Dallas Cowboys. He joined Bucknell's football program as a student-athlete in 2010 and persevered through four major knee injuries throughout his career. His junior season he led the team with 23 receptions for 228 yards and a touchdown through six games, before suffering his fourth ACL injury.
 
Unable to play his senior season due to injury, the Oceanport, N.J. native served as a student assistant coach. Flaherty graduated in 2014 with bachelor's degrees in History and Religion.
 
Flaherty is the nephew of Lafayette head coach John Garrett, whose sister, Janine, is Flaherty's mother. His uncle, Jason Garrett, is a former NFL quarterback and currently the Cowboys' head coach and his brother, Judd, is the Cowboys' director of pro scouting. Flaherty's grandfather, Jim Garrett, was a longtime NFL scout and assistant coach.
 
Flaherty replaces Tiquan Underwood who accepted an offensive quality control coaching position with the Miami Dolphins.
 
The team's spring season gets underway on March 25 with the Maroon-White Spring Game slated for April 20 at 11 a.m. Lafayette opens the 2019 schedule on Aug. 31 at William & Mary and plays its home opener vs. Sacred Heart two weeks later. The regular season concludes Nov. 23 when Lafayette travels to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania for the 155^th meeting of college football's most-played and longest continuous rivalry.