Saj Thakkar Embraces the Challenge of Rebuilding Davidson Football

Trailblazing college football coach Saj Thakkar is using his background, recruiting vision, and transparency to reshape the Davidson Wildcats. Saj Thakkar made history when he took over at Davidson College at the end of 2024, becoming the first head coach of Indian descent in NCAA Division I football. Though the Wildcats endured a difficult debut campaign under his watch with few bright spots, the team did secure a signature upset victory over #25 ranked Presbyterian. The initial struggle came as little surprise given the natural player turnover and immediate transfers that accompany most coaching changes. Now Thakkar has the opportunity to turn the roster around and actively rebuild Davidson football by assembling players who embody the culture he wants to imprint. This season, Thakkar has been providing fans with a behind-the-scenes look into reviewing game tape, with “Inside the Film Room” posted weekly on Davidson Athletics’ YouTube channel. Before arriving in North Carolina, Thakkar served as head coach at NCAA Division II Bentley University from 2023 to 2024, compiling a 14-6 overall record and securing back-to-back second-place finishes in the Northeast-10 Conference. The 35-year-old’s professional background includes stints as an NFL Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellow with the Atlanta Falcons in 2022 and the Tennessee Titans in 2023.  Prior to those professional fellowships, he spent five seasons guiding running backs at Harvard from 2018 to 2022.  Earlier in his coaching path, he worked on the staff at SUNY Maritime from 2015 to 2017 after getting his start at Fitchburg State from 2013 to 2014. Originally from Wakefield, Massachusetts, Thakkar played his collegiate football as a quarterback and wide receiver at Western New England before finishing at Fitchburg State, where he earned academic all-conference honors three times and earned both his undergraduate degree and an MBA.