CLEVELAND, Ohio — Tom Kaufman is St. Ignatius’ pick to be its next football coach.
The school announced Monday that it has hired Kaufman, who will replace Ryan Franzinger after a three-year stint and attempt to steer the Wildcats back to the success they enjoyed during Chuck Kyle’s 40-year run at the school.
Like Kyle and Franzinger, he has a defensive background. Unlike his predecessors, who are St. Ignatius graduates, Kaufman attended Lake Catholic. He also will serve as assistant athletic director to Rory Fitzpatrick.
“Throughout the interview process, Coach Kaufman articulated a clear vision for what he wants to build here at St. Ignatius: a program that values competitive excellence, teamwork, discipline, and the holistic development of our young men,” Fitzpatrick said in the school’s press release on the hire. “He understands the importance of culture and character in a successful program and is committed to preparing our student-athletes not just for the next level on the field, but for life beyond it.”
Kaufman played at John Carroll University from 1999 to 2002 and quickly became a linebackers coach in college. Kaufman served as defensive coordinator at Kent State and John Carroll before coaching two seasons at Gilmour Academy on Cleveland’s east side. There, the Lancers enjoyed a record-setting season in 2024 with him at the controls.
They won a school-record 12 games and reached the OHSAA Division III regional finals. He left the high school ranks this year to become the head coach at Marietta College, which finished 5-5.
St. Ignatius will be a different challenge.
The Wildcats’ 11 state championships in Division I is a record at that level. Their last state championship came in 2011 under Kyle, who retired in 2022. St. Ignatius planned that year for Franzinger to succeed him and made him associate head coach that year.
In the three following seasons, the Wildcats were just 5-29. They parted in early November with Franzinger, a 2002 graduate, and began a national search for his replacement. St. Ignatius was 1-10 in each of the last two seasons, bothered by injuries and an unforgiving schedule.
The school said it received more than 80 applications from coaches in at least 30 states. Many Northeast Ohio coaches were linked to the job in the last month, including Avon’s Mike Elder, Walsh Jesuit’s Nick Alexander and Marty Gibbons of Lake Catholic along with brother Mike Gibbons of Highland. Elder publicly stated his desire to remain at Avon, which just won its second straight Division II state championship and has beaten St. Ignatius to start each of the last two seasons.
“What draws me deeply to St. Ignatius is its commitment to forming young men of character, purpose, and service,” Kaufman said. “In every program I’ve led, our culture has been built on love, action, and connection — values that align closely with the Ignatian tradition of educating the whole person.”
Kaufman also outlined his vision on the field.
“Our program will strive for excellence with humility — featuring an explosive offense, an aggressive and disciplined defense, and special teams that reflect the attention to detail this community expects,” he said. “Most importantly, we will be a team that competes with gratitude, serves others generously, and represents St. Ignatius with integrity and heart.”
Kaufman inherits a program that will graduate All-Ohio safety Jayshon Thomas and offensive tackle Michael van der Oord, a Pittsburgh commit. The Wildcats are slated to return a Division I college prospect at receiver in Trey Haddad, while sophomore Jacob Mikin earned starts at quarterback. Junior linebacker James Conrad also is expected back after playing through injury.
The school plans to introduce Kaufman at 3:30 p.m. Thursday during a press conference at the new DiSanto Hall on St. Ignatius’ campus.
