Recruiting Areas: Central Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C.
Rich Yahner begins his third season as the linebackers coach.
The 2019 campaign saw Major Jordan and Billy Shaeffer take home All-Patriot League honors when the conference featured a deep linebacker roster. Jordan led the team with 112 stops, including 10 tackles for loss, while Shaeffer finished third on the team with 66 stops and led the squad with three forced fumbles
In 2018, Yahner coached Jerry Powe and Michael Root to All-Patriot League honors. Powe, a four-year starter, was an All-Patriot League First-Team honoree in 2018 and a second-team selection in 2016 and 2017. Root led the team in tackles in 2018 with 73 after starting 32 games over five seasons.
Yahner came to Lafayette following one season at San Diego Mesa College where he was the defensive run game coordinator and linebackers coach.
From 2014-16 he served as the wide receivers coach and video coordinator at Seton Hill University. He spent three seasons at Penn State (2011-13), working as a defensive graduate assistant the first two and as a special teams assistant in his final campaign.
Prior to Penn State, Yahner worked the 2010 season at Juniata College as the special teams coordinator and running backs coach. In 2009, he was the associate head coach at Lewistown (Pa). High School. From 2006-09, Yahner was on staff at the University of Virginia as the coordinator of quality control.
Yahner was the co-defensive coordinator at Tyrone High School from 2003-05 following a two-year stint as assistant linebackers coach and assistant video coordinator on Lehigh's staff. Yahner began his coaching career at Clarion as a graduate assistant during the 1999 season.
He earned his bachelor's degree in Rehabilitation Services from Penn State in 1999 and finished his master's degree in Counselor Education from Penn State in 2006. Yahner is married to his wife, Jaissa.
