Austin Holter the pick as new football coach at Wooster High
Austin Holter, who has spent the last 11 years as an assistant coach at Denison University, has been chosen to be the new head football coach at Wooster High School, pending school board approval. The 32-year-old was an all-conference quarterback at The College of Wooster and was the choice to replace Doug Haas, who stepped down several months ago after nine seasons leading the Generals.
Austin Holter will soon have a much shorter work commute, but his to-do list will be considerably longer.
A Wooster High School search committee has selected Holter from a pool of 25 applicants to be the Generals’ new head football coach, superintendent Michael Tefs confirmed Thursday afternoon. The Wooster Board of Education is expected to approve the recommendation at its meeting March 15.
Holter will succeed Doug Haas, who resigned in January after compiling a 59-36 record over nine seasons.
The 32-year-old Holter, who already lives in Wooster, had been commuting nearly 70 miles each way to Denison University in Granville, where he was the offensive coordinator.
A 2010 College of Wooster graduate, Holter was a record-setting quarterback for the Fighting Scots.
“I’m absolutely honored to be recommended to be Wooster High School’s next football coach, but recognize there’s still another step,” Holter said. “The board of education still needs to make its decision on the recommendation and I respect that process.
“I would love to have the opportunity to serve the Wooster community,” Holter added. “Coach Haas did an unbelievable job with the program, which started with Dr. Tefs making the right hire and supporting him. Doug left some big shoes to fill, which the next coach can hopefully build upon and add his own flair. I’d be extremely honored to be that guy.”
Wooster athletic director Joe Rubino said last week that the Generals’ search committee came up with a unified vision of what they wanted in the school’s new football coach.
“We were looking for someone who not only can lead a winning football program, but also be a great communicator and establish a top-notch football culture here,” Rubino said. “When you have someone who took the program as far as Doug Haas (won or shared six OCC titles, five playoff trips), you don’t ask candidates, ‘What needs to change?”
“You look at it and say, ‘What has Doug left us that we can build on?’ We wanted someone with the depth of knowledge and experience to be very successful; someone who will put kids first and do a great job.”
Mike Schmitz, who recorded a 78-54 record as The College of Wooster head football coach from 2000-2012, believes his former quarterback fills all the qualities Wooster High was looking for.
“It’s an absolute home run hire,” Schmitz said. “First and foremost, Austin is just a great person. He’s impressive in so many ways.
“He’s a person of impeccable character and a great family man. His family had already chosen to make Wooster their home before this even came up so he’s committed to living here. And he just has an infectious enthusiasm for life and coaching that make young people want to play for him.”
Someone asked Schmitz how he thought Holter would handle adversity as a high school head coach, which involves different challenges than being a college assistant.
“Austin was our quarterback, which means there’s a lot of chaos on every play,” Schmitz said. “There’s a lot of information that needs to be processed and you have to put your teammates in the best position to succeed.
“He was able to do that and he just has the right temperament to be a leader. He not only knows the Xs and Os, but with his recruiting background at Denison I think he’ll be able to recruit the hallways of Wooster High School and get kids to want to play for him.”
Holter will need the extra time his shorter commute allows to lead a program for the first time. Despite being a rookie head coach, Holter will bring a wealth of experience to Wayne County’s biggest high school.
Denison has recorded a 51-20 record since 2013 when Holter became offensive coordinator under head coach Jack Hatem. It’s the best stretch in program history.
Since 2016, Denison averaged 36.5 points per game, while posting a record of 31-10 with two NCAC titles.
Denison’s 2020 season, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, would have been Holter’s 11th season at Denison. He was the Big Red quarterbacks coach his first three seasons, then spent the last seven as the team’s offensive coordinator.
The 2018 Denison squad earned a share of its first NCAC title since 1986 and made the program's first playoff appearance in 33 years. The Denison offense set numerous program marks, including points per game (39.7), touchdowns (60) and total offense (5,000). Holter-coached quarterbacks rank first, second and fifth on the DU all-time passing yards list.
“I have absolutely loved my time at Denison,” Holter said. “It will always hold a special place in my heart.”
Holter spent three seasons as the Fighting Scots’ starting quarterback, becoming a two-time All-NCAC selection. In 2009, he set school records with 2,873 total yards of offense (now third-best) and 2,106 passing yards (now No. 6). He ranks third in career total yards (7,459).
A native of Johnstown, Holter has a graduate degree from Ohio University in sports administration.
The Wooster search committee narrowed the original list of applicants to 10 candidates, who were given interviews. The list was then pared down to finalists Holter, Brent Besancon (former Smithville, Rittman, New London head coach), Luke Durbin (former North Ridgeville head coach) and Keaton Leppla. Besancon and Leppla were both assistants on Haas’ staff.
Director of secondary education Rich Leone said part of the committee’s recommendation is to also hire Holter as an alternative education/in-school suspension teacher, which will fill a position that was held by a recent retiree.
“We are very excited and really looking forward to the possibility of Austin coming to Wooster High School,” Leone said. “He was a College of Wooster all-star, his resume at Denison is as impressive as any I’ve ever seen and he’s a great person.”
Holter’s Wooster connection has remained strong while coaching at Denison.
In addition to attending college here, Holter and his wife, Dr. Sara Wiswell, have lived in Wooster since 2018. They have a 19-month-old son, Emmett, and are expecting a daughter in May.
Wiswell, who’s also a COW grad, is a doctor of obstetrics and gynecology with the Cleveland Clinic in Wooster.
“Wooster is a very special place,” Holter said. “To get involved at a much deeper level, and help mold young men at the high school level and even get involved with the middle school and youth league, would be a great opportunity.”
Aaron Dorksen can be emailed at aarondorksen24@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AaronDorksen.