TOLEDO, Ohio — There's a new leader along Airport Highway and his name is Joe Horn.
St. John's Jesuit High School officially made that announcement on Wednesday to introduce their new football coach.
"This is a dream come true for me," Horn said. "The reason why is St. John's is the perfect fit and is a place that feels like home."
Larry McDaniel stepped down from the program at the end of October following an 8-year stint with the Titans. The team has failed to post a winning season since 2020, providing a challenge to build the program back up to excellence.
"The way we get there is how quickly and efficiently I'm able to communicate what we need to do as a football team and what our culture is," Horn said. "How quickly our kids buy into that also will be key to how quickly this thing gets turned around and get going in the direction we want to go."
Horn becomes the 6th head football coach at St. John's Jesuit and will mark the first time that he himself will lead a program.
"Our defense is going to be the backbone of who we are, we want our best players to play defense and set the tone for us on Friday nights," Horn said. "Offensively we want to put our guys in the best position to make plays."
For the past two seasons, Horn has served as offensive coordinator at Anthony Wayne where the Generals averaged nearly 40 points per game in 2024, which helped lead to the most successful season in program history.
"My family has shaped me into who I am," Horn said. "Obviously being at Anthony Wayne with Andy Brungard was a tremendous asset and I don't think I'll ever be able to repay him for how much I was able to grow underneath him. That allowed me to have this opportunity at St. John's.
A 4th-generation football coach, Horn has also worked as a wide receivers coach at East Tennessee State with stops at Colgate University and Tiffin University before that. As a player, he set multiple school records at Ashland University (2,681 career receiving yards and 28 career receiving touchdowns) while also earning NCAA Division II All-American honors twelve times in track, as well.
A graduate of Waynesfield-Goshen High School, he practically won the 2006 OHSAA Division III State Championship in track & field after winning three sprinting events and a team relay (that included setting a state record in the 400-meter dash).