High school football season in Cincinnati has been officially over for about a month now, and the coaching carousel is just starting to get spinning.
About a half-dozen Cincinnati schools have head football coaching openings, and more may be to come. A few schools have filled their openings, most notably Colerain by hiring former Mount Healthy coach Jordan Stevens, but multiple desirable jobs remain open.
So far, here are the head coaching moves that have been made around Cincinnati:
Out: Justin Schmitz, not renewed after two seasons.
In: To be announced.
Blanchester went 11-10 in two seasons under Schmitz, making the postseason in his first year before losing to Bethel-Tate 35-20 in the opening round. The school is expected to begin interviewing candidates for its next head football coach in the coming weeks.
Out: Carl Huber, resigned after two winless seasons.
In: Jordan Stevens, most recently head coach at Mount Healthy.
Previously one of Cincinnati’s most dominant football programs, Colerain has fallen on hard times in recent years. After winning at least a share of the Greater Miami Conference title every season from 2000 to 2019, going undefeated in-conference from 2008 to 2019 and winning a state title in 2004, the Cardinals are coming off two winless seasons in 2023 and 2024.
Stevens, who played defensive line and tight end at Miami University, is coming off a three-season stint as the head coach at Mount Healthy, where he compiled a 23-12 record and led the Owls to the Division II regional semifinals in 2024.
Out: Dave Brausch, retired after 38 years of coaching.
In: Will Davis (interim).
Brausch, who was a head coach around Cincinnati for 21 years and led Lebanon to the 1998 Division II state title, retired after just one year at the helm of the Gators. After going 7-4 and winning Gamble’s first-ever Cincinnati Metro Athletic Conference Blue Division title in 2022, the Gators went 4-5 in 2023 and 0-6 in 2024.
Davis was the winner of the 2023 Doc Collins Award, which is presented by the Southwest Ohio Football Coaches Association to a coach who “has contributed beyond the sidelines.”
Out: Brian Damewood, stepped down after one season.
In: To be announced.
Damewood’s hiring to Loveland was announced on June 7, 2024. Loveland went 3-7 and finished tied for sixth place in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference in 2024. In the Tigers’ final game of the season, on Oct. 25, they lost to Anderson 49-23, the only team to put up more than 21 points on Anderson before the state semifinal.
No timeline has been announced for Loveland to fill its open head coaching position.
Out: Jordan Stevens, accepted head coach position at Colerain.
In: To be announced.
The Fighting Owls have traditionally had a strong program. They won the first four Southwest Ohio Conference (SWOC) titles after the conference was formed in 2012. But before Stevens took over the program before the 2022 season, Mount Healthy hadn’t had a winning season in the SWOC since 2017.
Mount Healthy City Schools has posted an application form for its head varsity football coach opening with an application deadline of Jan. 5, 2025.
Out: Scott Dattilo, retired after 19 seasons.
In: To be announced.
Scott Dattilo, one of the most respected football coaches in Cincinnati, retired after the 2024 season as Sycamore’s winningest football coach ever, with an overall record of 109-93. Sycamore made the OHSAA playoffs 10 times during Dattilo’s tenure after making the tournament just once before he was hired.
Reportedly, Sycamore is set to begin its first round of interviews for its next head football coach starting Monday.
