Just last week, Kerry Coombs became the latest coaching veteran to join the likes of Greg Mattison, Al Washington, Tony Alford, and Ed Warinner as guys that have coached on both sides of the Ohio State vs. Michigan rivalry when they brought the veteran coach in as their new special teams coordinator just before the ugly dismissal of head coach Sherrone Moore.
Now, one of those coaches who has seen both sides of one of the best rivalries in all of sports is set to land his first head coaching opportunity.
Ed Warinner, a well traveled assistant coaching veteran known for his work with offensive lines places like Army, Air Force, Kansas, Illinois, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Michigan, is bringing his four decades of coaching experience to Avila (NAIA - MO) as their new head coach.
“We are looking forward to Coach Warinner joining our Avila University family as our new head football coach, and also as someone who brings a wealth of collegiate coaching experience at some of the finest academic institutions in the country,” Athletic Director Shawn Summe shared in the school's announcement.
“His desire to see young men reach their full potential – not only on the football field but in all aspects of life – really showed throughout the interview process. Coach Warinner has been around some of the best minds in football and we look forward to having him share the lessons he has learned along the way!”
Warinner, a two-time winner of the FootballScoop Offensive Line Coach of the Year award, served as co-offensive coordinator during Ohio State's run to the national championship in 2014, and spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons as the program's offensive play caller following the departure of Tom Herman, who left to become the head coach at Houston.
After he and the Buckeyes parted ways after the 2016 season, Warinner landed at Minnesota for a season coaching the offensive line before taking the Michigan offensive line job for a few seasons from 2018-20.
He would end up spending a few seasons at Florida Atlantic before Herman was eventually hired as the Owls new head coach, and was retained before Herman eventually announced some staff changes that included Warinner in November of 2024.
Warinner spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons at the small college level, with Florida-based NAIA program St. Thomas, coaching their tight ends the last two years.
Those last few seasons marked Warinner's first experience in small college football, and he will certainly have to bring that to his new role at Avila.
At Avila, he inherits a program coming off a 1-10 season and a team that failed to score more than a touchdown in seven of their 11 games.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.