Wittenberg Football Assistant Coach Jake Kennedy

Bio

Jake Kennedy joined the Wittenberg football coaching staff in January 2026. He serves as the team's co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Kennedy returned to his alma mater after spending the 2025 season as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Otterbein University. As the offensive coordinator at Otterbein, Kennedy led the Cardinals to their best statistical season in at least five years, based on points scored, rushing yards, pass efficiency, and fewest turnovers.

A native of Bellefontaine, Ohio, Kennedy previously taught marketing and served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for his high school alma mater, Bellefontaine High School, from 2020-24. In 2022, he helped lead the Chieftains to an 8-3 record and a Central Buckeye Conference (CBC) championship, boasting the top offense in the conference with 4,129 total yards and 363 points. Seven players earned all-conference honors following the season. In 2023, the Chieftains broke 10 school records, including total offense (5,219 yards) and points (493) in a season as they advanced to the regional semifinals, compiled an 11-3 record, with had seven all-conference performers. During his career at Bellefontaine High School, Kennedy assisted in the development of quarterback Tavien St. Clair, the Marcus Dupree National Player of the Year in 2024 after throwing for 2,536 yards and accounting for 38 total touchdowns as a senior. St. Clair was the No. 1-ranked 2025 high school football player by Rivals.com and went on to play for The Ohio State University.

Kennedy got his coaching start at Wittenberg, serving as the Tigers' running backs coach in 2019 and helping the team to a 7-3 record and a North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) title. He coached two all-conference running backs that year, including the team's Offensive MVP Jaheem Washington. After the 2019 season, Kennedy paused his coaching career to play professionally for the Graz Giants of the Austrian Football League. He was a finalist for league MVP honors in 2019, and he went on to play for the New Yorker Lions of the German Football League in 2020 and 2021.

Kennedy was a three-year starter at quarterback and two-year captain for Wittenberg. The Tigers posted a 29-4 record and won three conference championships with Kennedy calling the signals for the offense, and he accounted for 8,700 total yards and 93 touchdowns. He holds program records for career passing yards (7,949) and passing touchdowns (75) and passing touchdowns in a game (7).

Kennedy graduated from Wittenberg in 2019 with a degree in business management. He went on to earn an education licensure from Bowling Green State University in 2024 and a master's degree in curriculum and instruction from Western Governors University in 2025.