Kevin Daft was hired as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in February of 2017. He arrived with more than a decade of collegiate coaching experience, most recently at his alma mater, the University of California, Davis.
Daft has been instrumental in Dartmouth posting a 38-12 record since arriving, including 35 wins in his first four seasons, the most over any four-season span in program history. In his first year, Dartmouth ranked in the top half of the league in scoring, rushing, passing and total yards while QB Jack Heneghan earned All-Ivy honorable mention before signing with the San Francisco 49ers after graduation. In 2018, he had the Big Green among the top 20 in the nation in rushing and scoring. He also successfully worked a tandem at quarterback with Jared Gerbino — an All-Ivy Second Team selection — leading the team in rushing and Derek Kyler ranking second nationally in completion percentage and third in passing efficiency.
The tandem of Gerbino and Kyler continued to excel in 2019, leading the Big Green to its 19th Ivy League title while setting school records for team passing efficiency at 173.08 — second only to national champion North Dakota State — and completion percentage (68.1, third). The offense also ranked among the top 10 nationally in third-down conversion rate (52.1 percent, third), fewest interceptions thrown (5, fourth) and fewest turnovers lost (12, seventh), helping Gerbino be named to the All-Ivy Second Team once again. Overall, the offense averaged 33.3 points a game, 24th in the FCS.
The offense didn’t miss a beat after returning from the pandemic in 2021, averaging over 30 points a game with two quarterbacks — Kyler and Nick Howard — becoming the first signal-calling teammates in league history to earn All-Ivy honors in the same season. The duo combined to produce the best completion percentage (school-record .688) and passing efficiency in the conference, ranking second- and seventh-best in the country, respectively. The Big Green were exceptional at taking care of the football as well with the fewest interceptions (3) and turnovers (8) by any team in the FCS. The passing game was complemented by the best rushing offense in the Ancient Eight, placing them 21st nationally at nearly 200 yards per game, which played into Dartmouth leading the league in third-down conversion percentage as well (14th in the FCS).
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