New Haven's football program has posted 10 consecutive winning seasons and appeared in the NCAA Division II Playoffs in four-straight years, as well as five out of the last six full seasons overall.
Now, the Chargers are facing a dramatic shakeup atop the program just a couple weeks before the Memorial Day holiday.
FootballScoop has learned that veteran head coach Chris Pincince has abruptly departed the program and Mark Powell has been tabbed New Haven's interim head coach, in addition to his defensive coordinator duties.
New Haven has committed to elevating its program to the Football Championship Subdivision level and becoming a member in the Northeast Conference.
All of the school's sports aside from football have been announced as being integrated into the NEC beginning with the upcoming calendar year.
The timeline for the Chargers football program was less defined.
Sources told FootballScoop on Monday that internally within the football program there had been a desire to play a reduced schedule in the fall in order to "preserve redshirts" for players as New Haven transitioned from D-2 to FCS.
Powell is in his first months on the job, having previously been the defensive coordinator at Darien High School there in Connecticut. But the veteran Powell has significant college experience at both the FCS and Power Conference levels.
In addition to work on the staffs at FCS programs Austin Peay and Fordham, Powell also coached in the SEC when he was on staff for a season at Mississippi State.
New Haven is currently scheduled for a full, 10-game schedule for the 2025 season, a slate that's set to kick off Sept. 4 with a home game against Slippery Rock.