Rahl Ball officially took root for Presbyterian College Football Monday afternoon, as Matt Rahl - an assistant coach for 20 years at various stops - was named the Blue Hose’s 18th gridiron head coach in a playing-history of more than 100 years.
Among others he thanked, Rahl looked at men he coached on last season’s offensive line and thanked them for being a big part of why he is now a head coach.
“You bought in,” he said of the unit, which was part of a 10-2 season in 2025.
As for 2026 and beyond, Rahl had a simple message for the team he now guides as Head Coach:
“We are going to win.”
A Monday afternoon announcement was interesting because on Monday night the FCS*, to which PC belongs, played its National Championship game - Illinois State at 12-4 against Montana State at 13-2.
People who set the field for that championship tournament decided that Presbyterian College, at 10-2, would be the “last out” of the tournament bracket.
Asked if making the tournament in 2026 would be a team goal, Rahl broke into a grin. “10 and 2 is an unbelievable year,” he said. “But, our one goal is to win the PFL (Pioneer Football League, which has one automatic bid), then we will get the invitation. We will handle our business.”
Rahl said after 20 years roaming the sidelines as an assistant, he really didn’t experience self-doubt that this day -- Monday, Jan. 5, 2026 - would ever come. “I knew someday somebody would be wise enough to hire me (as a head coach). Now, I just have to make Dee look good.”
Dee Nichols, PC’s Athletics Director, handled the introduction of Rahl and his family to Blue Hose Nation and the ceremonial helmet presentation to the new head coach.
Rahl got to meet with his entire team on Tuesday. He was able to retain two assistant coaches.
He has been PC Football’s offensive line coach, run game coordinator, and offensive recruiting coordinator for the past two seasons. The Blue Hose are 16-8 since he joined the staff, under Steve Englehart.
Under Rahl’s guidance, the Blue Hose offensive line set the point of attack for a new single-season school record of 2,124 rushing yards leading to PC’s 3rd-ever 10-win season - the team won all 6 of the games they played at Bailey Memorial Stadium. Another all-time best: PC rose to as high as #16 in the country in the AFCA Coaches poll.
Nichols said, once the season was over and the players were recognized with post-season awards, and Englehart departed for an oppoertunity at West Georgia, Rahl kept working.
From Dec. 18 to Dec. 31, when he was not yet the head coach, Rahl “still showed up every day - he worked like he was the head coach.”
He did take Christmas Day off.
Nichols said Rahl made sure the football program would have a healthy roster for the spring, he took care of the newcomers, and he checked grades - not as easy as it sounds for 129 players - and he talked to the players. Rahl is a planner, she said, and “brings great energy every day - he knows that culture comes first.”
Englehart didn’t want to interfere in the coaching search, Nichols said, but he did provide Rahl’s name as a candidate and said, “the players like him.”
“Matt has had 20 years of great mentors,” Nichols said, including at 3 FBS** programs (University of Texas-El Paso, Wyoming and Missouri).
Rahl publicly thanked Englehart for taking a chance on him -- “two years ago, I was an unemployed football coach.”
He said, “I was driving to get my teaching certificate because I didn’t know what I was going to do.”
He thought he had a good shot at another coaching job, but PC was still on his mind, so he called Englehart, who he didn’t really know except through a mutual acquaintance, and asked about a job status. That’s when Englehart made the offensive line offer.
During his introductory press conference, Rahl said his dad has been a coach in Missouri for more that 35 years, but dad doesn’t have the best winning percentage in the household. His mom is undefeated as a coach in powder-puff football, and Rahl said he could claim some of the credit as he serves as offensive coordinator.
The core values he will bring to the Blue Hose program are academic integrity, social responsibility, and competitive excellence. He said he and his coaches will convince parents that their young man will graduate from college.
And, “We Will Win.”
A Rahl Ball team, he said, will be “well coached, high energy, high enthusiam,” and will play with tempo.
“We will not hold anything back.”
And, you might even see a trick play thrown in once in a while.
The way this all worked out - the season ending and PC needing a coach and having one right in their own back yard - is a Christmas gift that the entire Rahl family was able to unwrap.
Matt explained that the extended family was together at Christmas when he got a text from Nichols asking if he could talk - he excused himself and went outside. He didn’t really know what to expect.
His brother came out, and when Matt knew he had the job, they started doing arm-pumps. Of course, Matt wanted to tell the family, but that wasn’t going to happen.
“By the time I got back in the house, they had champagne and balloons - they had stocked up.”
And for a while, the transfer portal and every other crazy thing that a football coach has to lose sleep over just faded away. What’s left after the celebration is simply the core values.
Matt Rahl knows what those will be - now, he has promised Blue Hose Nation:
“We are going to lead the nation in effort.”
*FCS = Football Championship Series - Montana St. defeated Illinois St. 35-34 in OT to win the national championship.
**FBS = Football Bowl Series
PC video & photos here.
