Months after its 14-year streak of playoff appearances ended, the University of New Hampshire football team has turned to the quarterback who laid the foundation for that postseason run.
Ricky Santos, whose uniform No. 2 is one of four jerseys ever retired by the UNH football program, was hired as the Wildcats’ new associate head coach/quarterbacks coach. Santos spent the past three seasons as the quarterbacks coach at Columbia University after coaching the UNH wide receivers from 2013-15.
“It means a lot to bring Ricky back to the UNH football family,” UNH coach Sean McDonnell said. “He brings the same intensity and work ethic to his coaching preparation as he did when he was setting records as a quarterback here, and our kids will benefit from having a coach with his experience working with them on the offensive side of the ball.”
During his first stint on the New Hampshire coaching staff, Santos mentored R.J. Harris to the single greatest statistical season in program history in 2014. Harris tallied a school-record 100 catches and led the nation with 1,551 receiving yards, which tied UNH’s all-time single-season benchmark. In 2013, Santos guided a dual threat of Harris and Justin Mello that became the first ’Cat teammates to each record at least 1,000 receiving yards.
Santos was inducted into the UNH Athletics Hall of Fame on June 14, 2016. The four-year starter at quarterback (2004-07) led the Wildcats to a career 37-14 record and four NCAA Division I-AA/FCS playoff appearances. The native of Bellingham, Mass., passed for 13,212 passing yards and 123 touchdown passes while accumulating 14,615 yards of total offense. He connected with UNH’s all-time leading receiver and fellow UNH Hall of Famer David Ball for 53 touchdowns from 2004-06 to set an FCS record that still stands for most career TD connections for a quarterback-wide receiver duo.
In 2006, Santos won the Walter Payton Award as the most outstanding offensive player in FCS football after throwing for 3,125 yards and 29 touchdowns in his junior season. This came after he finished a mere five points away from winning the award in his sophomore season.
Santos possesses the University’s career records in pass attempts (1,498), completions (1,024) and passing yards (12,189). He holds the top two and four of the top six single-season records in completions, headlined by 301 in 2005. His ’05 season included a school-high 3,797 passing yards.
Following his graduation, Santos played football professionally for five years. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs for a brief stint in 2008 before moving north to play in the Canadian Football League from 2009-12.
The UNH football team will begin its 15-practice spring schedule on April 2, and will wrap it with the annual Spring Game on May 4 at Wildcat Stadium.