Last week, Earlham (D-III - IN) announced that head coach Nick Johnson would be taking a new role at Earlham, working in a capacity that shifted his focus to student athlete development.
By all accounts, coach Johnson in an incredible individual caught in a tough football situation. To make matters even tougher, his wife has spent a huge chunk of her time at the hospital battling some serious health issues the past few years. Johnson's fellow coaching colleagues in the HCAC had so much respect for him that he was awarded the conference coach of the year honor after finishing his first season as head coach back in 2015 despite going 0-10.
Despite Johnson and his staff's best efforts, Earlham hasn't recorded a win since 2013, dropping the last 53 games in a row.
Today, the school announced that they will suspend their football program for the 2019 season and is initiating a review of the program.
"Our board of trustees has been looking at football with concern for several years, and we agree that it is time to consider whether or not success on the football field is a goal we should pursue. This decision was not made easily or lightly, but I am convinced that it is the right one at this point in the history of the College," interim president Avis Stewart shared.
According to the school's release, three conditions need to be met for the school to bring football back in 2020.
1) determine the appropriate funding levels and resources to support football outside of the College's current operating budget
2) hire a highly qualified head coach for the 2020 football season, and
3) recruit an appropriate number of football student-athletes to field a competitive team.
The school did put together a strategic plan back in 2015, setting benchmarks for the program to hit over a three-year window, but the program had made little progress towards those goals. In an attempt to keep current players at the school, Earlham is offering them opportunities to participate in "special experiential learning opportunities in the local community."
Only time will tell what this means for the Earlham football program, but it's clear that returning a program to the field in 2020 is going to take a really special, driven individual committed to future success and creating a new legacy for the program.