Rick Finotti, former head coach at St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio, and a defensive analyst at the University of Michigan, will be named head coach at John Carroll.
Finotti replaces Tom Arth, the 2016 D3football.com Coach of the Year who took John Carroll to the national semifinals, then took at job as head coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga. The Blue Streaks were 12-2 this past season, their fourth under Arth, including a win at Mount Union to win the Ohio Athletic Conference championship.
John Carroll is not the only OAC member naming a head coach this week: Baldwin Wallace has named former Thomas More coach Jim Hilvert as head coach as well.
As a defensive analyst for the Wolverines, Finotti was not an on-field coach.
St. Edward, in the Cleveland suburbs, went 62-15 under Finotti from 2008-13, including 58-9 over the final five seasons. His team won the state title in Ohio's Division I in 2010 and 2014, the 2010 title with future Mount Union Purple Raider and two-time Gagliardi Trophy winner Kevin Burke at quarterback.
"We are excited to have Rick leading our football program," said athletic director Laurie Massa. "He is a winner, and has made a positive impact on students at both the high school and collegiate levels. He has made a conscious decision to continue teaching young people with the hope of making a difference in their lives. He has unique experiences at the highest level of college football, which we expect will help us build upon our recent success."
Finotti earned a bachelor's degree in management and labor relations from Cleveland State in 1999.