Andrew Aurich, Tight Ends Coach at Rutgers, to Serve as Next Harvard Football Head Coach

Updated February 8, 2024, at 12:20 p.m.

Andrew Aurich, a tight ends coach at Rutgers University, will serve as the next head coach of Harvard’s football team, according to a person with knowledge of the decision.

Scott A. Larkee ’99 and Joel K. Lamb ’93 — the two internal finalists for the role — were notified of the decision by Harvard Athletics Thursday morning.

Aurich’s selection comes just two days after The Crimson reported he was one of four finalists for the job, alongside Larkee, Lamb, and Sean Ryan, an offensive analyst for the University of South Carolina.

College spokesperson Jonathan Palumbo did not deny the hiring when reached for comment Thursday morning, telling The Crimson that the College “does not comment on personnel matters.”

The announcement comes three weeks after Tim Murphy, who coached at Harvard for 30 seasons, announced his retirement from the position.

In an email to donors obtained by The Crimson announcing the “national search” for a new head coach, current Athletic Director Erin McDermott wrote that Harvard Athletics was not using a search firm, but rather its own network.

McDermott also wrote that at the finalist stage, a group of three alums — Eion Hu ’97, Ryan J. Fitzpatrick ’05, and Andrew J. Berry ’09 —would interview the candidates and provide their feedback to McDermott.

All three are prominent alumni of Harvard Football. Fitzpatrick played for 17 seasons as a quarterback in the NFL and Berry is currently the general manager for the Cleveland Browns.

The decision to hire Aurich comes despite players advocating for an internal hire, with a particular emphasis on Larkee as their preferred candidate.

A former Princeton offensive lineman and offensive coordinator, Aurich also spent one year in the NFL as a defensive assistant with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before his second stint with Rutgers. Unlike Harvard’s previous two hires for the head coaching position, Aurich has never before served as a head coach.

—Staff writer Jo B. Lemann can be reached at jo.lemann@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @Jo_Lemann.

—Staff writer Tyler J.H. Ory can be reached at tyler.ory@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @tyler_ory.