Amherst College Athletics

(Recruiting Area: Connecticut, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin, Iowa)

Matt Ballard joined the Amherst coaching staff in 2004, making 2025 his 21st season on the Amherst sidelines. He has coached the offensive line for the past 18 years and has also served as defensive line coach, special teams coordinator and offensive coordinator during his time in purple and white. Amherst has won five NESCAC championships, including four undefeated seasons, since Ballard joined the staff.

Amherst's 2008 offensive line was one of the best in program history, as the Purple & White allowed a Division III-best five sacks throughout the year under Ballard's tutelage. The next three years were equally impressive, as Amherst led the NESCAC in fewest sacks allowed in 2009 (8), 2010 (7) and 2011 (6). In 2015, the offensive line paved the way for the top rushing attack in the conference, as it averaged a stellar 201.5 yards per game.

Ballard joined Amherst after five seasons as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, three seasons as the head coach at Cathedral High School in nearby Springfield, Mass., another three-season stint as the offensive line coach at WPI, and two years as a graduate assistant at the University of Albany. While at Albany, Ballard worked on the same staff as Amherst head coach E.J. Mills and earned a master’s degree in education. Ballard graduated from Albany in 1990 and was a two-year starter at offensive tackle, earning CoSIDA Academic All-District honors as a senior.