The Next Chapter of Cardinal Football with Head Coach Kory David

Welcome to Cardinal Perspectives, a series featuring in-depth conversations with alumni, students, faculty, staff and the extended family and community of The Catholic University of America.

Kory David was officially named head coach of the Catholic football program in January 2026, bringing more than 25 years of coaching experience at both the collegiate and professional levels, including more than 13 years as a coordinator. He arrived fresh off a historic run at Eastern University, where his defense led the MAC Freedom in scoring, rushing, passing, and total defense, powering the Eagles to their first-ever MAC Championship, an automatic NCAA Playoff bid, and the program's first postseason win. That 10-2 season earned Coach David and his staff the 2025 MAC Coaching Staff of the Year honor.

Before Eastern, Coach David spent six standout seasons at Muhlenberg College, where his defenses helped the Mules win postseason games every single year, collecting three Centennial Conference titles, three bowl victories, two Elite Eight runs, and a trip to the Final Four in 2019. Earlier stops at Hobart, Delaware Valley, and King's College further built his reputation as a defensive mastermind, and he even spent three seasons in the professional coaching ranks for the Philadelphia Eagles under Andy Reid.

A proud alumnus of Cortland, where he was a two-time All-East linebacker, Kory returned to coach there for seven seasons, helping the Red Dragons capture three straight NJAC titles. Now, he brings that championship pedigree and decades of defensive excellence to Catholic University.

This conversation is facilitated by James Higgins, assistant director of Leadership Annual Giving for Athletics at Catholic University.

Let’s dive into it!

*This transcript is based on an audio recording and has been lightly edited for readability. It reflects the substance of the conversation but may not be a verbatim record.

James Higgins
Kory, thanks for joining us today. First and foremost, before we get into football, tell us a little bit more about yourself. How did you first fall in love with the game, and, just anything else that, that we should know about you heading into your first year at Catholic?

Kory David
No, James, thanks for having me today. Again, it's a pleasure, getting to sit and talk with you a little bit about the past few years for me here. I fell in love with the game. This is going to be year 30 for me.

James Higgins
There we go. Congrats.

Kory David
Since I was 10 years old, I've been playing this game and have been coaching now for quite a long time. It's been a huge part of my life and it's something that I've been fortunate to be around, not only playing, but also in the coaching world. A lot of really good coaches, not only from an external standpoint, but good people who have taught me, not only from a games perspective, but off the field, how to treat people, and how to build football teams.

It's one of those ones where they've shown me, how to build disciplined football teams, how to build accountable football teams. At the end of the day, that's something we can grow and build upon. As I look at it, over the years I've had the opportunity to coach some really good young men who have brought – for me as a person and as a coach – a lot of passion and excitement to the game. So these experiences have helped shape who I am now.

James Higgins
That's great. You touched on it a little bit, but this is going to be your 30th year in football and your first year as a head coach. Obviously this is a big step and something that's very well deserved. What made this the right moment in your career to take the head coaching job at Catholic University? What made it the right time to take that step up from being a defensive coordinator and top assistant coach to being the top dog?

Kory David
It’s everybody's dream in the coaching world, to become a head football coach. I've been lucky from a personal standpoint. I haven't had to chase every opportunity that's out there, so I've always looked for the right job, the right fit, the right institution that has a mission, that has great values.

When I looked at Catholic University, that was a place that from a religious standpoint, from a faith standpoint,  from a football standpoint… when you come to campus and you meet the people, you're like, "This is the place for me."

It wasn't just about becoming a head coach. It was about becoming a head coach at the right place. And I've always said, “It's the little things that I think matter.”

I probably could have taken some really bad jobs where I might not be in coaching anymore. You see it happen, unfortunately. But again, you come to a place like Catholic University, you get tremendous academics and a strong sense of community. Our alumni relationships here are strong. What's a better outcome for our student-athletes after they come to a place like this? Hopefully I can help build relationships with these young men, with our alumni, and strengthen that bond, over the next, 5, 10, 15, 20 years.

James Higgins
Definitely. And, getting into that, what's your overall vision for the football program here at Catholic University, not only in year one, but also in  5, 10, 15 years?

Kory David
For me, in year one, we want to establish the standard.

At this point in the summer right now, it's working on PowerPoints and things like that. In fact, if you look at some of the slides that I show, they talk about the standard we want to develop in this football program. I'm a big standards-over-rules person. More often than not, when you just have rules, people want to break them.

We’re building really high standards for these young men that will last for years to come. Not just in the 2026 football program, but the '27, '28, '29, '30, and beyond. How can this lay the groundwork for the future and, as I look at it, for the long term? I want to build a championship program. The good thing for me is, in my career – I don't want to jinx myself, I'm going to knock on wood here – at the college level I've never had a losing season. I've won conferences in the NJAC, the Centennial, the MAC, and I'm probably missing one other conference that I've been in. I've been to the national semifinals and played North Central, and I've seen what they have as a program. Why not Catholic University? Why not us? It takes the right, young men, it takes the right community to build that kind of program.

As I talk about in every recruiting visit, we’re in the nation's capital. Why can't we be one of the nation's teams? Why is it important for the nation's capital to have a big team? I want to be that team that people in Washington, D.C. talk about.

James Higgins
Absolutely. All roads lead to D.C., whether it's the outside world or hopefully Division III football.

Kory David
I realize it's not going to happen overnight. We're not the Division I transfer portal where we can pull 30 transfers in. It's going to be day by day, it's going to take some work by the coaches, by the football program, by everybody involved here at Catholic University. From the administrative side to admissions and financial aid, it's going to involve everybody.

James Higgins
A lot of what you've touched on in your first few answers is the right people, the standards, making sure that we do these things for the right reasons. What kind of culture do you want to set here for the football program and to make your stamp on the program?

Kory David
For me, I'm looking to build a culture that's built around our core values. It sounds bland and plain. It's “team.” It's a really easy four-letter word, but when we break it down, it comes down to trust, enthusiasm, accountability, and mental toughness, which will lead to physical toughness. These words will be on the wall in the new locker room for the players to see and live by.

It's one of those ones where I think trust is going to be the most important. Do you trust the man beside you? Do you trust he's going to do the right things on and off the field? Will you trust your teammate on a Saturday evening, when maybe they're doing something that they shouldn't be doing, and you rein them in. It is trust and accountability there. And we're going to learn about that during this preseason, how to lean on each other. We want players that are going to trust each other and bring a ton of energy.

Look at who our captains are right now –Evan, Blake, Nole, CJ, they have a ton of passion for the game. They're excited to come on the football field. They're excited to be a part of this program. We need more young men to have that kind of passion, that kind of energy, to not only be a football player, but to be a great student here. You look at all of [the captains] from an academic standpoint, they're great students and they're good people.

James Higgins
Something that you touched on in that answer was doing it with the right people and having those standards to keep you accountable. What's the relationship-building part that you've developed in your 30 years as a coach?

Kory David
It goes back to my mentor. It's building up relationships with everybody. It's not only for our football players, day in and day out, getting to know them, having an open door, and being able to sit and talk with any player that comes in. As a defensive coordinator, I mostly spent time on a personal basis, talking to my defensive players.

When I was lucky enough to be at Muhlenberg for a very long time, I knew every guy. I was able to crack a joke and talk some smack to the offense. With the defensive players, I was able to build a relationship where I knew what kind of day they had once they walked in the meeting room. I didn't have to ask, you just saw the look on their face, the body posture. That's going to be something huge, to build those relationships with those young men to where we build that trust.

I'm not a “rah-rah” guy, but I'm going to bring energy every day. The biggest thing I've learned over the years is even though you may become a head coach, don't try to emulate somebody else.

I'm not going to try to be the guys that I've worked for, because they're different, and every head coach I've worked for is different. Those are exciting pieces for me. It's building relationships with guys like you in advancement, facilities, our strength coach, getting, faculty, staff… There are so many opportunities to step outside the office as a head coach. When I was a defensive coordinator, I could sit in the office all day and watch films.

James Higgins
Just worry about how to stop the run, right?

Kory David
Exactly.

James Higgins
Speaking of your time as a defensive coordinator, a role you held for over a decade, how does that background shape the way you'll lead an entire program now?

Kory David
People say, "Hey, you've been a defensive coordinator for a long time," and, “You're going to favor one side of the ball," or this or that. But what being a defensive coordinator taught me is preparation.

Game preparation, preseason preparation – which we're in the time of recording this – off-season recruiting preparation… you have to be prepared and as the head coach, you're helping other staff members prepare. Communication is key. It's vital. In today's world, there are a lot of different ways to communicate, from emails to texts to phone calls.

For me, the big thing that not only do I expect from myself, but from our staff and our players, is attention to detail.

Those are just some big things that I'm able to carry over as a defensive coordinator now into this head coaching role. Xs and Os, from a defensive standpoint, I consider myself a pretty good coordinator. I've been lucky enough to be a part of some really good defenses over the years. But now it's the environment I've created. I ran into one of my former players who lives in the DMV. He told me, “You have to bring that environment we had on defense now as a team." I was like, "That's what we are. That's what we're bringing here."

We built a little bit of it in the spring. There's going to be some toughness. There's going to be some hard-nosed physicality. We're going to play fast, we're going to play hard, but we're going to do it the right way. Those are the little things that we're going to continue to build upon.

James Higgins
That’s a huge piece of the culture, so definitely great to nail that early on.

Another big part of running a program is recruiting. As a defensive coordinator, you did a lot of recruiting, but it's such a big part of building the entire program. What's your pitch to a recruit about why Catholic University is the right place for them?

Kory David
The message is simple: if you're looking for a place that's got a tremendous education, you look at Catholic University. You can get one of the best educations in the country.

Coming here gives you the opportunity to compete for championships. You look at all the other programs here in our athletic department and they're competing for championships, year in and year out.

That's what I want from our football program. That's something I'm pitching to the 2027 class right now. I hired some really good guys on the coaching staff who not only have winning traditions, they're genuine people that care about the program, the young men who are currently in the program, and the ones who will be coming into the program this upcoming season.

James Higgins
Building off that a little bit, is there a lesson that you've learned from past recruiting that you'll take into recruiting now as the head man in charge?

Kory David
Be fluid. Every place is a little different. Maybe it's operations, timelines, whatever it is, every year is just a touch different. We're going to continue to push, "Hey, when you leave Catholic University, you're going to be prepared because of the classroom, because of the football field.” We’re going to have tough young men who have worked really hard to get to the next step.

It sounds crazy when you're talking to a kid who is a junior in high school and you’re discussing the professional world and internships. They go, "I just want to graduate high school." But we're trying to get a young man to see what a great opportunity it is to not only be at Catholic University, but to be in Washington, D.C. The opportunities from internships and jobs to the social aspect. Maybe you're meeting your future spouse or significant other here as well. Yeah.

James Higgins
It's pretty common here so I'm sure there won't be an issue with that.
Getting into the good stuff now: the 2026 season. At the time of recording, we're just over a month away from kickoff. What are you most excited about with this current roster, and where do you see the biggest opportunities for growth with the guys on the team?

Kory David
We went through spring ball, went through winter lifts with these guys. I'm excited about the attitude, the willingness to push harder and get better.

It's something we talk about all the time. When we're doing something, we want to get better at it. Is it physics? Is it business? Is it bench press?

When we get on the field this year, every day we have to push ourselves to get better. I think they've embraced that change. The competition that we're bringing on a day in, day out basis, they've worked hard for. Hopefully, we can start to feel that throughout the whole building

I talked about it with Kevin Robinson during the interview process, I want the football team to be the gold standard. Like any program, we have a lot of improving to do from a depth standpoint. We probably installed about 35% or 40% of the offense and defense in the spring because we wanted to see what our strengths were, what our weaknesses were. We said, "Hey, here's where we're really good. Let's build off that." Or, “This wasn't one of our strengths, but we can get better at it in the fall.”

Those are the processes that we're working through, and that we'll continue to work through, throughout the pre-season and during the conference schedule. At the end of the day, winning the Landmark's what it's all about.

I think the biggest opportunity is just building consistency. When you look at some of the best programs in the country, yeah, they have really good football players, but they do the little things every day. And again, I think that's what we have to get really good at.

As a young man, learning how to take care of yourself. In the '90s, they didn't talk about sleep. They didn't talk about hydration. We had double days and we were up late and got a little bit of sleep and, looking back, it’s no wonder why our bodies are hurt so much nowadays.

We're going to continue to help our young men grow in that aspect. It's not always just about the football field. It's going to be all the little things that surround how to get better, how to get this program better.

James Higgins
Speaking generally about this season, what do you think is in store? What's something that fans and community members can look forward to?

Kory David
I don't know where we'll get picked or how the season will end, but we're going to surprise  people. There's a great opportunity for us right now in the conference.
We’re playing some really good football teams. We’re doing a preseason scrimmage against Johns Hopkins. We’re playing Carnegie Mellon, Franklin and Marshall, McDaniel, and Salisbury – three Centennial teams and then one of the nation's top teams in Salisbury. They’re going to be good tests.

We're going to understand, once we get into conference play, what our strengths and weaknesses are. We'll build on those and continue to execute at a high level. I have to drown out the outside noise. “Not everybody's going to be happy.”

Improving every day, maximizing what we have on our team right now is all we can worry about.

I think I got some young men that are really committed to the process and will continue to build chemistry, on and off the field. You can talk Xs and Os but again, it's who gives that relentless effort to play in and play out. Who runs to the ball, from an offensive perspective. Sometimes people just think it's throw and catch and go, but do you have the O line that's running to the ball to make that extra block? Defensively, do we have guys that are running to the ball? Can we get one, two, three, four, five guys on the tackle? That's when you know you have a good team.

James Higgins
Another aspect is the fans, the Catholic community. How do you want them to feel about the football program by the end of your first season? Obviously, winning cures all ailments, and that's probably the biggest thing. But aside from that, how do you want them to feel about the program with what you guys bring to the table this season?

Kory David
After every game, I want parents, alumni, and fans, as they're looking at Catholic Football, to have a really simple thought: "Man, that football team plays the game the right way."

James Higgins
Relentless, just like you talked about.

Kory David
Whether they’re winning or facing adversity, our fans should really step up, and be around this team because I think this is that team that's going to be the breakthrough.

Come, cheer, support, be our number one fan! I'm excited to meet everybody. I’ve met a lot of alumni so far, but I can't wait to meet more.

James Higgins
Obviously with the team on the field this year and the new locker room renovation project, there’s a lot to be excited about for Cardinal football.

One final question for you, Kory. If you had to sum up your coaching philosophy in a sentence or two, what would it be?

Kory David
In the years of coaching, I've pared it down: “Develop great people first. Great football players will follow.”

We'll build that culture, centered on relationships. Those relationships will then bring accountability, discipline, and relentless effort on the field. Success will be attainable.

Sometimes success is hard to measure. To me, success is the championships, but it’s also when your players 5, 10, 15 years down the road call you, "Hey coach, I'm getting married," "I got engaged," "I'm having a child," "I got a new job."

For them to think of you in their special moments… that's success to me. It’s great having the rings and the banners, but one of my proudest moments was a few years back when I went to one of my players' weddings.  I was sitting there like almost with a tear in my eye. It was a special moment when I realized I built that relationship with that young man and said, “I've done a good job."

James Higgins
That's definitely a great way to cap it off and just a great memory to look back on your coaching career.

Thank you guys for joining us. Coach David, thank you for taking some time today. The Cards kick off the season at McDaniel on Friday, September 4th. The home opener is Saturday, September 12th against Carnegie Mellon. Please join us at Cardinal Stadium for a game this year and we'll look forward to seeing the guys on the field soon.

Kory David
Thanks, James. Go Cards!