5 things to know as former Bengal QB Jon Kitna is introduced as Lakota East football coach

LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio – Jon Kitna smiled, looked out into a sea of reporters Wednesday afternoon and joked.

“There’s more press here than when I signed as a free agent with the Bengals,” Kitna laughed.

Kitna, who spent five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2001-2005, was formally introduced as the next head football coach at Lakota East High School Wednesday.

More:Report: Former Bengals QB Jon Kitna to become the new head football coach at Lakota East

More:Turpin High School taps Bryan Walker as its next head football coach

“It’s surreal, to be honest. We left here in 2005. We have adopted boys who live here and their families. They graduated from (Lakota) East. Their wives graduated from (Lakota) East. We have seven grandkids that live in Ohio. Our best friends in the world live here,” Kitna said. “It’s exciting.”

Here are five things to know as Kitna joins the Greater Miami Conference.

1. Kitna’s coaching experiences include 4 high schools, NFL

One year after retiring from the NFL, Kitna took over as the head coach at Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Washington, his alma mater. Kitna coached at Lincoln for three seasons, going 24-8 with a state playoff berth.

Kitna also has high school head-coaching stops at Waxahachie High School in Texas (2015-2017), Brophy College Prep in Phoenix (2018) and was most recently the head coach at Burleson High School in Texas for three seasons. Kitna was also the quarterbacks coach for the Dallas Cowboys in 2019.

Overall, Kitna has a 69-38 combined record as a high school head coach. Will his winning ways continue in the GMC?

Kitna replaces Rick Haynes, who spent the last 13 seasons as head coach of the Thunderhaws and resigned earlier this month. Lakota East went .500 (48-48) against GMC foes during Haynes’ 13-year tenure and 70-65 overall.

“We’re gonna be a team that is tenacious, coachable and resilient,” Kitna said. “We’re a leadership factory. When you talk about high school football in America, we believe it’s a great opportunity to instill some of the characteristics and traits that you need to be successful in life.”

2. Lakota East got their 'big fish'

Lakota East Principal Robert Burnside had coached Kitna’s adopted sons for one year at Lakota East and made the first contact with Kitna just a few days after Haynes resigned. That’s how the ball got rolling when the Thunderhawks were in the market for a new head coach.

“We thought this is our opportunity and let’s see if we can go after a big fish and see if it works out,” Lakota East Director of Athletics Jill Meiring said.

Kitna visited Lakota East and did a tour of the stadium and the fieldhouse and there was mutual interest, according to Meiring.

“I think we’re both on the same page with the vision of the program. It’s exciting for him,” Meiring said.

What attracted Kitna to the job?

“It didn’t take long to know God was doing something. He was opening a door that he was calling us to our season of life,” Kitna said. “The football side was attractive, as well. Where (Robert) Burnside, Jill Meiring, see the program and what they want to do. It’s gonna be a challenge but we’re excited about it.”

3. Inspiration down the road

Just eight miles south of Lakota East High School, Lakota West has turned into a football powerhouse just four years after hiring Tom Bolden.

In the four seasons prior to Bolden’s arrival (2015-2018), Lakota West went 15-25. In last four years under Bolden, Lakota West has gone 39-8, with three consecutive GMC titles, a current 23-game league winning streak, a 9-4 playoff record and three-straight trips to the Division I, Region 4 championship game.

Lakota East has gone 19-20 in that span with one playoff victory. Last season, the Thunderhawks (3-7 overall) were seventh in the GMC, their worst finish since 2015.

“Obviously, Lakota West is one of our big rivals. They’ve done a phenomenal job of turning their football program around to state and national prominence,” Meiring said. “We want to be on that same track. This was something that we knew had to be a really good hire.”

4. A new offense on Lakota Lane?

Last season, Lakota East ran the ball on 83.4% of its offensive snaps. The Thunderhawks have not had a 900-yard passer since 2005 (Nick Darland) and have not eclipsed 1,000 yards passing as a team since 2010.

That could change with Kitna leading the program and his son, sophomore Jamison Kitna, under center.

Jamison, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound sophomore, already holds offers from Baylor, Duke, Houston, North Texas, Texas Tech, UAB and UTSA, according to his 247Sports profile. Last season, he threw for 1,896 yards and 15 touchdowns against seven interceptions along with six rushing scores.

“Just a guy who tosses the ball around and uses my legs to hurt the defense. Just excitement, I guess,” Jamison said of what Lakota East fans can expect. “I think physical growth is one thing, quickening my release, making more consistent decisions and being more accurate with the football (how he’s improved the last two years).”

On expectations from the offense, Kitna said he’s coached a variety of different styles and expects points, one way or another. Lakota East ranked ninth in the GMC in scoring (10.6 points per game) last season.

“I’ve run everything you can think of from the pro-style stuff. We’re gonna do what suits the young men in this program and what they do best. Our job on offense is to put the ball in the endzone; don’t really care how it gets there,” Kitna said. “There’s zero ego when it comes to that. As a staff, that’s what we’re trying to put together. It’s a team thing.”

5. Optimism from Kitna, Lakota East fanbase

Team turnarounds don’t happen overnight, but the splash hire of Kitna resonated with a Lakota East fan base that hopes to ascend to the top tier of the GMC in the coming years.

“First it was shock, then it was excitement,” Meiring said of the reaction to Kitna’s hiring. “I think the kids are really going to buy in. He’s got a son that’s a quarterback. He was a quarterback. It’s gonna be a little different style of Lakota East football. I think that’s appealing to some people.”

Kitna said he and the Lakota East administration are on the same page regarding the future of the program. He felt it during the interview process and last night when he watched the Lakota East boys basketball team beat Withrow in the second round of the sectional tournament.

“They want to be one of the best programs in the state of Ohio,” Kitna said. “There’s a commitment level to that. They have programs that have done that. There’s an understanding as to what excellence looks like.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Jon Kitna introduced as Lakota East head coach: 5 things to know