Ryan Larsen named football coach at Carnegie Mellon

While he has big shoes to fill, Ryan Larsen is excited to begin his quest as the next head football coach at Carnegie Mellon.

“I cannot wait to get to work,” said Larsen, who was announced Thursday as the replacement for longtime coach Rich Lackner, who stepped down after 36 years on the sidelines.

Larsen comes to Pittsburgh after serving as quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator at Columbia for the last three years.

He also held assistant positions at Stevenson University, Rhodes College, Wabash College and Indiana University.

“Ryan emerged from a national search with an incredibly talented field of coaches,” CMU athletic director Josh Centor said. “He has demonstrated a consistent commitment to the values that we hold dear — leading with integrity at the forefront and providing a holistic approach to student development.”

CMU finished 8-2 last season and shared the Presidents’ Athletic Conference title with Westminster.

The Tartans beat Case Western Reserve in the 35th Academic Bowl and advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs for the first time since 2006.

But that was the end of the road for the team and Lackner. Several team members tested positive for covid-19 the day before the playoff game and CMU was forced with back out on the 32-team tournament.

Lackner was 234-125-2 leading the Tartans — then the third-most wins among active coaches in Division III.

“I am extremely grateful to be selected as the next head football coach at Carnegie Mellon University,” Larsen said. “The opportunity to work with some of the finest student-athletes in the country, while representing CMU and its alumni, is an incredible opportunity.”

Columbia went 7-3 this season and was the only team to beat Ivy League champion Dartmouth.

Larsen was a two-year starting quarterback at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, a Division III program in Claremont, Calif.