High school football: Brunswick coach headed home to coach at University of Rio Grande

BRUNSWICK — Kole Carter seized an opportunity to leave his hometown for a Division I high school football head coaching job two years ago. On Monday, he decided to take another leap of faith and return to Southeastern Ohio — this time for the college ranks. After leading Brunswick over two seasons of improvement, Carter accepted a co-defensive coordinator/director of recruiting position with NAIA University of Rio Grande, located approximately five miles from his childhood home. The 28-year-old will reunite with mentor Mike Bartrum, who was hired less fewer two weeks ago to lead the infant program. Carter compiled an 8-14 record at Brunswick, dropping his overall mark to 26-20, but the Blue Devils took notable steps forward en route to a 5-6 season last fall. Carter informed the players of his decision Monday afternoon after school, nearly two years to the day after beating out 27 other applicants for the job. "I think if I was ever to take a leap of faith, it would have to be right now," he said. "I don't have things tying me down like family, mortgages impeding me from taking the next step. "I love Brunswick, but being four hours from home was difficult. (Athletic director) Jim Kovi does a phenomenal job — he works his tail off — and took a chance on me, a 26-year-old from the middle of nowhere. It's really just an opportunity that is hard to pass up, and I've pondered it for the last month." Famous for its early 1950s basketball teams that featured hall of fame super scorer Bevo Francis, Rio Grande dropped football after the 1949 season but decided to bring it back in 2024. The first official season was 2025, when the RedStorm went 0-9 and decided to part ways with coach Mark Thurston. Enter Bartrum, a 2005 Pro Bowl long snapper with the Philadelphia Eagles and the former head coach at Meigs High School, of which Carter played against as the quarterback for Gallia Academy. Bartrum, whose son Cody played Little League baseball with Carter, reached out to Carter and made his best recruiting pitch. Carter said he will receive a compensation package similar to what he made at Brunswick, along with a discount on a master's degree. He'll also skip having to be a low-paid graduate assistant, the traditional path to bigger and better jobs in the strict hierarchy of college coaching. "(Bartrum) laid out his vision for me and the people he has on board," Carter said. "I thought if I looked back in 10 years, I'd regret not taking this opportunity. "He's giving me the freedom to do a lot of different things, so I'm really excited about it." Brunswick went 3-8 in Carter's first season, struggling to gain a foothold on both sides of the ball in the talented Greater Cleveland Conference. Carter's second season was different, as the Blue Devils increased their scoring average by 5.1 points to 21.4 behind All-Ohio quarterback Sean Barnett, lowered their defensive scoring average 3.6 points to 20.8 thanks to the efforts of first-team All-Ohio defensive end Eli Nichols and produced Medina County's career field goals leader, Vincenzo DiTeodoro. While the Blue Devils are just 74-92, including 2-8 in the Division I playoffs, since Medina County Sports Hall of Fame coach Rich Nowak retired following the 2009 season, help appears to be on the way. The eighth-grade class won a Ohio Athletic Committee youth state championship two years ago, and the seventh grade also went 7-1 this fall. The current varsity team will be hit hard by graduation. All seven players who earned All-GCC accolades were seniors, though Gavin Ballok (RB/LB), Anthony Gamboa (WR/DB), Jamaurie Garth (OL/DL), Adin Evert (WR), Drew Dempsey (LB), Logan Matousek (LB) and Jake Tamosiunas (QB/S) are among the top players expected to return. "We really relied on the kids who were in the program," said Carter, deferring most of the credit. "They had experienced three 3-8 seasons in a row, and we made it a point to lean on those seniors, who I want to give an opportunity to play at the next level as well. "I'm a players' coach, and the best teams are led by the best players. Whatever role we had, it was all player-led to make sure they wouldn't find themselves in the same position they were in the last three years." Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com.