It’s not often that a high-school coach goes online to respond to job speculation, but Jordan Lynch did just that last week.
Lynch, who has led Mount Carmel football to four consecutive state titles and five overall, posted a statement on the school’s social media reaffirming his commitment to the Caravan.
It came on Feb. 18, the same day Thomas Hammock stepped down as Northern Illinois’ head coach after seven seasons to take a job with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.
That led to a flurry of speculation that Lynch might return to NIU, where he was a Heisman Trophy finalist as a player and where he started his coaching career.
And that prompted a two-paragraph statement on Mount Carmel’s Facebook and X pages:
“There will always be speculation in this profession, and I want to be clear and get ahead of any rumors, but Mount Carmel is home,” Lynch wrote. “I love this school, I love our players, and I love our community. I am happy at Mount Carmel and fully committed to continuing what we’ve built here.
“Mount Carmel is home. I love Mount Carmel. I believe in our young men, our staff, and our community. What we are building here is special, and I’m looking forward to making history as we strive for five this season.”
Lynch is 87-12 in seven full seasons and eight overall (there was an abbreviated spring 2021 season because of COVID) at Mount Carmel. The Caravan beat Oswego 20-3 in November to win the Class 8A title.