McCorkle Rounds out Coaching Staff Ahead of 2026 Season

HANOVER, N.H. - Robert L. Blackman Head Football Coach Sammy McCorkle announced on Saturday the addition of five staff members, rounding out the coaching staff for the 2026 campaign.

Adam McGuire and Ben Wilkerson join the program as assistant coaches, Noah Reilly and Luke Seale will lead defensive and offensive quality control, while Cat Palmer joins the Big Green as the Football Recruiting and Operations Coordinator.

McGuire, who will work with Dartmouth's corners, comes to Hanover after a two-year stint at Marist, serving as the team's defensive backs coach. In his first season with the Red Foxes, McGuire coached a Freshman All-American. He also led Marist's recruiting efforts focusing in Western Pennsylvania, Houston and San Antonio, Texas, and Oklahoma.

Prior to his time in Poughkeepsie, McGuire spent two seasons as the defensive backs coach at Central Oklahoma. He helped the Bronchos to their first winning season since 2018. Additionally, McGuire has experience at TCU, coaching four players to the NFL, and at Trinity. He's also been a Bill Walsh Fellow for the Minnesota Vikings and Carolina Panthers.

"Adam's easy demeanor, mastery of the corner position, and experience in high academic and high-performance environments made him the ideal candidate for this position," McCorkle said.

Next, Ben Wilkerson joins the staff as Dartmouth's newest running backs coach, having spent the last three seasons at Fordham. As the Rams running backs coach, Wilkerson led Fordham to top-15 rankings in the FCS in multiple categories: 11^th in total rushing yards (1,146) and 12^th in yards per game (104.2), both coming in the 2023 season. He also coached two first team all Patriot League selections and a 2024 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year nominee.

Wilkerson also coached running backs at University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, including the Southwestern Athletic Conference rushing touchdown leader, who also ranked second in the conference in total yards.

The Alfred State graduate also coached at the University of Buffalo, serving as the running backs quality control coach and a graduate assistant, Susquehanna, and Buffalo State at the collegiate level. Wilkerson also has experience in the indoor football league and abroad, coaching in both Finland and Germany.

"In his short time on our staff, Ben has made an immediate impact. His in-depth knowledge of the running back position and ability to connect with his players have been a great addition to our staff, and we're looking forward to seeing the results of his hard work in the Fall," McCorkle said.

Noah Reilly will lead Dartmouth's defensive quality control this season, most recently coaching at the University of San Diego. In three seasons as the inside linebackers coach, Reilly developed five All-PFL players and coached two that ranked top ten in the FCS by PFF. Additionally, he helped USD to two straight eight-win seasons and was a part of a defensive staff that coached 19 top-20 FCS statistical leaders, including nine in the top ten.

Prior to his time in California, Reilly coached at Millsaps College, dropping the Majors points per game by over five and yards per game by nearly 116. He also has experience at the high school level.

"Noah's analytical skills, easy going personality, work ethic and dedication make him a natural fit for our staff and program," McCorkle said.

Luke Seale joins the Big Green and will assist with the team's offensive quality control. He's spent the past two years as an offensive line graduate assistant at the University of Buffalo assisting with the preparation of drills and scout defense. Seale also coached two All-MAC selections, each receiving the honor twice.

Prior to Buffalo, Seale coached at Gordon Central High School, again working alongside the offensive line. He served in multiple roles at Berry College, his alma mater, working as an offensive assistant and coaching tight ends, running backs, and outside linebackers. Seale also acquired strength and conditioning experience at Berry.

"Luke has done great work this spring, meshing seamlessly with the offensive staff and the players. His humility and work ethic will help elevate Dartmouth Football," McCorkle said.

Finally, Cat Palmer joins the Big Green as the newest Football Recruiting and Operations Coordinator. Palmer has spent the past three seasons as the Director of Operations for the back-to-back NESCAC Champions, Wesleyan, while completing her undergraduate degree. In addition to coordinating team logistics, she assisted with scouting reports, social media, and prospect clinics.

Palmer also completed an internship with the National Hockey League and Kansas City Chiefs. With the NHL, she assisted with social marketing, while in Kansas City, Palmer worked in events, managing daily operations for over 200 VIP guests, coordinating training camps operations, and assisted with team and family transportation.

"Cat's infectious and down-to-earth personality, attention to detail, work ethic, and extensive athletics experience stood out to us during the interview process. This is a start to a great career, and we're excited to have her on board," McCorkle said.

More information on the upcoming 2026 season and how to purchase tickets will be available on DartmouthSports.com.

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