Yale

Sean McGowan joined the Yale defensive staff in 2015, initially coaching the linebackers before moving to defensive backs in 2018. He returned to linebackers in 2019 while taking on the roles of Defensive Coordinator and Associate Head Coach, and in 2023 was elevated to Head Coach of Defense.
 
During his time in New Haven, McGowan has helped lead the Bulldogs to four Ivy League championships (2017, 2019, 2022, 2023). His 2023 unit finished 17th nationally in scoring defense, with six players earning All-Ivy recognition, including three first-teamers. A year earlier, Yale ranked fifth in the FCS in scoring defense (19.5 ppg) and seventh in rushing defense (105.9 ypg), with eight All-Ivy selections. In 2017, McGowan oversaw a record-setting defense featuring seven All-Ivy players, highlighted by Bushnell Cup winner Matthew Oplinger, who went on to play in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons.
 
McGowan brought more than a decade of defensive experience when he arrived at Yale. He spent the 2013-14 seasons at Boston College, coaching linebackers and coordinating special teams. His units produced a First Team All-America kicker (Nate Freese), who went 20-for-20 on field goals in 2013, and a kick-return squad that ranked fourth nationally in 2014. Before BC, he served as inside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at Temple (2011-12).
 
From 2004-10, McGowan was on staff at New Hampshire, where he rose from defensive backs coach to defensive coordinator. The Wildcats made seven straight NCAA playoff appearances during his tenure, including six quarterfinal berths, while compiling a 65–25 record and 16 all-conference defensive selections. Earlier in his career, he coordinated defenses at West Virginia Tech (2003) and Duquesne (2002), where his unit ranked first nationally in total defense at the I-AA level. He began his coaching career at Occidental College (1998) and was a graduate assistant at Pittsburgh (1999-2001).
 
A native of Cheshire, Conn., McGowan was a quarterback and safety at Fordham from 1995-98 before graduating with a B.A. in business. He and his wife, Ashley, have three children: Liam, Owen, and Aden.