Holy Cross Athletics

Recruiting Areas: Illinois (Chicago), Ohio (Catholic)

Jimmy Walsh enters his third season on the Holy Cross football staff in the 2026 season. He was elevated to special teams coordinator and linebackers coach ahead of the 2026 campaign, after previously serving as the linebackers coach and safeties coach.

In his first season with the Crusaders, Walsh helped Holy Cross earn a share of its sixth consecutive Patriot League Championship, with the team posting a 5-1 record in conference play. Both of his units have excelled under his guidance, producing linebacker Cam Santee, who received All-Patriot League first team honors in 2025, and safeties Curtis Harris-Lopez and Jake Jarmolowich, who both received All-Patriot League second team honors in 2024. Holy Cross has sported one of the top defenses in the Patriot League in each of his first two seasons. 

Walsh spent the 2023 season at Colby College as the special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach. With Walsh leading the special teams unit, Colby ranked first in the NESCAC with six blocked kicks in nine games; Brendan Sawyer ranked atop the NESCAC in kickoff return average (20.2 yards per return). The Mules held opponents to a 16.9 average per kickoff return and  recovered three fumbles on special teams. Defensively, Colby ranked fourth in the NESCAC in pass defense (221.2 yards per game), and the team’s defensive backs totaled 21 pass breakups on the year. 

In 2022, Walsh served as the special teams coordinator and cornerbacks coach at the University of Maine. The Black Bears were one of only 18 teams in FCs that did not allow a blocked kick or punt, and Maine ranked third in the CAA with a net kickoff average of 41.2. Maine’s cornerbacks totaled three interceptions and 14 PBUs on the season. 

Before Maine, Walsh spent one season as the special teams graduate assistant at Rice University and one season as the running backs coach and co-special teams coordinator at Merrimack College. Walsh also spent two seasons as an outside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at Springfield College. During the 2019 season, Springfield College tied for No. 1 in all of Division III football with four return touchdowns. 

Walsh began his coaching career at Phillips Academy Andover and also spent one season at Bates College. 

In 2016, he graduated with his bachelor’s degree in political economy from Bates College. In addition, Walsh earned a master’s degree in athletic administration from Springfield College in 2020.

WALSH’S COACHING CAREER
2026 - | Holy Cross (Special Teams Coordinator / Linebackers)
2024-25 | Holy Cross (Safeties Linebackers Coach)
2023 | Colby (Special Teams Coordinator / Defensive Backs)
2022 | Maine (Special Teams Coordinator / Cornerbacks)
2021 | Rice (Graduate Assistant / Special Teams)
2020 | Merrimack (Co-Special Teams Coordinator / Running Backs)
2019 | Springfield (Special Teams Coordinator / Linebackers)
2018 | Springfield (Linebackers)