Admiral Farragut football coach Ryan Hearn confirmed via text message Monday that he has hired former St. Petersburg Catholic coach Dan Mancuso as offensive coordinator and assistant head coach.
Mancuso, the offensive coordinator at Northeast the past two seasons, coached the Barons from 1995-2006 and is the school’s all-time coaching leader with 71 victories.
He resigned five games into the ’06 season, leaving a program that was penalized by the Florida High School Athletic Association for recruiting violations and illegal practices.
He also was an assistant at Jefferson before landing at Northeast.
“Ryan Hearn, my old friend, called me and he asked me to come help him build up a program,” Mancuso said. “The coaching staff he’s assembled, it’s a super coaching staff, and I want to be a part of that.
Hearn and Mancuso were both finalists for the head coaching job at Admiral Farragut and consulted each other during the process. The two met when Hearn played for USF, and Hearn recruited SPC while he was an assistant at the Citadel.
Hearn said he also hired former Palm Harbor University assistant coach Chris Carothers to be his offensive line coach. Carothers was a three-year starter at Clearwater before playing for USF from 2002-05.
“I played with Chris at USF, and he was still there when I was a graduate assistant,” Hearn said. “There was some familiarity there, and I feel like I’m getting one of the best offensive line coaches in the state.”
Carothers said he made the move because he was able to get a full-time teaching position at Admiral Farragut.
“There were a lot of incentives for making the switch,” Carothers said. “It’s a great opportunity, and a great staff. I’m excited about it.”
Photo: Dan Mancuso, left, has been on Mike Jalazo's staff at Northeast the past two years.
Staff writer John C. Cotey contributed to this report.