When some coaches step down, they usually take at least a year off or coach at a lower level. According to Jason Griffith, he knew he wanted to coach again but was willing to wait for the right opportunity and that opportunity has come earlier than expected when he was announced as Hiram College’s new men’s lacrosse coach on Jan. 8.
“This is a dream. Coaching college lacrosse is fantastic,” the first-year coach told The Weekly Villager. “I would honestly say that my favorite coaching gig that I had was at Hood College, where I was a graduate assistant. I cannot thank the Athletic Director, Scott Pohlman, and the other head coaches who were involved in the hiring committee for giving me this opportunity.”
The last time Griffith coached at the collegiate level is when he coached at his alma matter, the University of Delaware, in the 2012 campaign.
He went on to coach high school lacrosse, serving as the offensive coordinator for St. Edward in 2013 and 2014, then became the head boys’ lacrosse coach at Shaker Heights from 2015-2018 and then swapped coaching jobs with the then-Kenston boys’ lacrosse coach Jay Lammers. Lammers assumed Griffith’s old job with the Red Raiders and Griffith became the new Bombers’ coach.
He coached at Kenston for five seasons but stepped down following a challenging 2023 season and also so he could fulfill his work and family responsibilities.
During the summer, Griffith assisted Ryan Dean, head of Solon’s youth lacrosse program, and established a first and second-grade youth team. Despite still having a hand in Northeast Ohio lacrosse over the summer, he acknowledged it was a difficult adjustment not having any lacrosse coaching responsibilities on his fall schedule.
“Not popping in the weight room in the fall or doing small group work when you have three or four kids doing shooting, it was weird and strange,” he added. “I would find myself on a random day thinking I have a free hour here what am I supposed to do?”
The Solon resident said that his associates had contacted him about taking over the Solon boys’ lacrosse program or another program in Akron, but he was not willing to jump back in so soon unless he could join a program that already had a strong foundation.
In November, Griffith got word that the Terriers were in the hunt for a new men’s lacrosse coach to replace Brian Welch. He previously had been interested in becoming Hiram’s coach in the summer of 2022, but the Terriers elected to go a different route.
According to Griffith, he was strongly advised by Pohlman to reapply for the position and things took off from there.
“I always wanted to get back into college coaching and when an opportunity like this comes around and the Athletic Director says you should apply, I took him at his word,” Griffith noted. “I could not pass up an opportunity to jump back into the college game.”
Griffith’s return to the coaching ranks took him only 15 minutes down the road of State Route 422 East from his previous head coaching job at Kenston.
He acknowledged that one of the biggest changes to coaching college lacrosse compared to high school lacrosse was the higher emphasis placed on recruiting. In high school lacrosse, Griffith had to recruit his players to stay engaged but in college, he also needs worry about recruiting high school athletes to come play for Hiram.
He inherits a program with only 19 student-athletes but after spending 11 years coaching Northeast Ohio high school lacrosse, Griffith believes he has his finger on the pulse of the lacrosse community, giving him a leg up in recruiting.
“I do think that is a big advantage and think it will be very helpful for the recruiting and upcoming class,” he added. “I have started reaching out to the local club coaches and the high school coaches that I know to send me a list of solid 2024 graduates that are still looking for a program. I know it will definitely help me for the class of 2025 and beyond because I know the programs well, and know a lot of the coaches in the area and what they are trying to do with their programs.”
Griffith added that another change in coaching college athletes is that he can stress more accountability with his players.
“It is much easier to achieve that team cohesion at the college level so as long as we are doing our jobs as coaches and coming up with the right schedules and plans for the kids and holding them accountable,” he said. “The team should get better, and the program should improve year over year.”
The Terriers will have their first scrimmage on Feb. 3.
