CLINTON, S.C. – Recently-appointed Presbyterian College football head coach Matt Rahl made the first official announcement concerning the new Blue Hose staff on Wednesday morning, introducing offensive coordinator Mike Babcock.

Babcock – who worked alongside Rahl during his 11-season tenure as the Head Coach at McKendree University – comes to Clinton after spending the 2025 season as the Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Line Coach at D-II UT Permian Basin.

Spending time at six schools, one of which was his alma mater (UCLA) and another two-year stint at the Power 4 level with Colorado, Babcock has a 58-52 overall record as a head coach and has been around college football for 25 years.

"I'm really excited to be working with Coach Babs again", commented Rahl, who spent four seasons with Babcock at McKendree during which the Bearcats compiled a 28-15 record.

"To be able to have someone with over a decade of head coaching experience is going to be very valuable to me. Mike and I had a lot of success together offensively during our time at McKendree and I look forward to watching him lead the offense."


 
Return to UCLA & UT Permian Basin (2024-25)

 
- Babcock joins the staff at Presbyterian after coaching an electric offense at UT Permian Basin last fall that reached new program heights with an 11-3 record and an appearance in the NCAA Division II Playoff Quarterfinals.

- In Babcock's first game with the Falcons, UTPB took down #5 Central Oklahoma by 20 points. They'd follow that up with another top-five triumph over Angelo State by two touchdowns and would eventually qualify for the postseason at 9-2.

- UT Permian Basin stacked up 187 total points in the final three games of the regular season, including a 66-7 win over Western New Mexico and a 74-10 result versus Sul Ross State.

- That sent the Falcons to the Playoffs where they accomplished their first two postseason wins in program history over third-seed CSU Pueblo (37-24) and Western Colorado (21-15 in overtime).

- Babcock coached five all-conference offensive linemen in his lone season with UTPB. The Falcons ranked third in the country in passing yards (330 per game), eighth in total offense (462 yards per game), and 16^th in points per game (37).

- Prior to UT Permian Basin, Babcock served as the Special Assistant to Head Coach DeShaun Foster at UCLA in 2024. The Bruins scored three straight Big Ten Conference victories at the midway point of the year, edging out Rutgers, Nebraska, and Iowa.


 
McKendree (2013-23)

 
- Babcock was named the 17^th head football coach at McKendree in December 2013, a Division II institution located in Illinois. He won 58 games over the next 11 years, including a 43-31 mark in Great Lakes Valley Conference matchups.

- In 2023, his final round with the Bearcats, McKendree closed the regular season with a flurry of five consecutive wins to qualify for America's Crossroads Bowl. Included among that stretch were two 41-34 decisions against Upper Iowa and Quincy, along with a 35-14 W over William Jewell in his final home game.

- The Bearcats' most successful stretch with Babcock at the helm came from 2015-17, a three-year period where they won at least seven games each time.

- In 2015, McKendree started with a 5-0 mark and would win their final three meetings over Lincoln (Missouri), Quincy, and Truman State by an average of 40 points. Their 6-2 GLVC record was good enough to finish solely in second place in the league standings.

- That 2015 squad calculated 489 total yards per game, ranking eighth in America. They lost just 10 turnovers all season (the fourth-fewest in the nation), while averaging 3.5 sacks per game to also rank fourth.

- McKendree's finish to the 2016 slate was even more impressive, again going 6-2 in conference territory, winning their last five contests, and going undefeated on their home base.

- That year, the Bearcats led the GLVC and ranked eighth nationally by allowing opponents to convert just 27 percent of third-down opportunities. Their 53 sacks were the second-most in D-II, while allowing just 18 points per game (15^th nationally). McKendree also blocked five punts.

- The 2017 unit led the nation with eight defensive touchdowns, claiming two separate win streaks of four and three games.

- Over his entire stint with McKendree, Babcock coached one D2CCA National Defensive Player of the Year, two All-Americans (Associated Press and AFCA), three players that won GLVC Defensive Player of the Year, and 28 all-conference first team selections.

- In 2022, Babcock directed Harlon Hill Trophy candidate Turner Pullen (QB) and a finalist for the Gene Upshaw Lineman of the Year Award (Kenny Thomason).


 
CSU Pueblo (2008-12)

 
- Before his head coaching gig at McKendree, Babcock spent five seasons as the Quarterbacks Coach at Division II powerhouse Colorado State Pueblo. The ThunderWolves notched consecutive undefeated regular seasons in 2011 and 2012, entering the Playoffs as the number one team in the AFCA poll on both occasions.

- After a 9-2 ledger in 2010, CSU Pueblo captured back-to-back Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference championships and went a combined 22-0 in regular season encounters.

- In those two campaigns, Babcock guided QB Ross Dausin to a total of 4,158 passing yards and 34 passing touchdowns. His quarterback efficiency rating of 160.24 in 2012 was the eighth-highest in America.

- The ThunderWolves achieved a 15-game winning streak during Babcock's time there, advancing to the D-II National Quarterfinals in 2012.

- CSU Pueblo set 13 team and 15 individual offensive records in Babcock's last year, establishing a new single-season benchmark in completions, yards, touchdowns, and completion percentage. Their 466 total points were another all-time program best.


 
Colorado & San Diego (2005-07)

 
- Prior to the CSU Pueblo position, Babcock spent the 2007 campaign in the Pioneer Football League as the Tight Ends Coach at the University of San Diego.

- USD was undefeated through the first seven games of that year, putting up points in rapid numbers (56 at Butler, 59 vs Drake, and 62 vs Jacksonville).

- San Diego shared the PFL regular season championship with Dayton (both having a 6-1 conference record), finishing at 9-2 overall.

- Before his only season at USD, Babcock directed the offensive line, tight ends, and special teams units at the University of Colorado for two years. The Buffaloes appeared in the 2005 Champs Sports Bowl.

- Hired by head coach Gary Barnett, the Buffs gathered seven victories in '05 with Babcock aiding the offense. Colorado won the Big 12 North Division with a 5-3 conference record that fall. Highlights include a shutout victory at Oklahoma State along with a three-game league winning streak over Kansas, Kansas State, and Missouri.


 
UCLA (Player, then Coach)…1997-04

 
- Having played linebacker for UCLA in the late 90's, Babcock started his coaching career with the Bruins over a period of five seasons. He was a Graduate Assistant in 2000, transitioning to coach the linebackers in 2001 and 2002, the defensive line in 2003, and the offensive line in 2004.

- UCLA added up for 33 wins while Babcock served his assistant duties, including a seven-win post in 2002 that started with a ranked victory versus #19 Colorado State. The '02 Bruins picked up a 27-13 win in the Las Vegas Bowl over New Mexico.

- The Bruins qualified for a bowl game in four of Babcock's five years on the staff, leading the Pac-10 Conference in total defense across the 2001 season while he worked with the linebackers.

- UCLA was one of the top programs in America while Babcock was a student-athlete, seeing two straight 10-win seasons under head coach Bob Toledo and winning at least a share of the Pac-10 championship in 1997 and 1998.

- The '97 Bruins vanquished #20 Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl Classic, ending the campaign with the number five ranking in the AP Poll. They would ultimately win 20 consecutive games and reach as high as number two nationally.

- In 1998, UCLA won three games over other ranked foes (#23 Texas, #10 Arizona, and #11 Oregon in a 41-38 thriller). After publishing a perfect 8-0 conference record, they would advance to the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day against Wisconsin.

 

Babcock earned two degrees from UCLA, an undergraduate in 2002 and his master's in 2005. He and his wife Kimberly have two children: Tyler and Emily.