When Brian Foos took on the role as Capital’s head football coach in December 2020, he inherited a program that has significantly struggled on the field for the past several years.
As he enters his second year as the leader of Capital’s football squad, Coach Foos says this year is all about “buying into a new culture” for his players.
“Any time that a team I’ve been on as a coach has struggled, the first thing you do is go back to the basics of blocking and tackling and taking care of the football,” Foos said in an interview with the Chimes last Wednesday.
Foos, an Otterbein alum and former standout offensive lineman for the Otterbein Cardinals, returned to Central Ohio to coach Capital in 2020 after a two-year stint with Madonna University in Michigan, where he helped to prepare the up-and-coming Madonna Crusaders for their inaugural season in the fall of 2020.
Upon the end of the 0-10 2019 football season, Capital immediately went into rebuilding mode and began the search for a new head coach.
With the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) delaying the 2020 Division III football season to the Spring of 2021, Capital Athletics saw the perfect time to commence that rebuilding process, starting with the acquisition of Foos from Madonna.
Coach Foos could easily be described as somewhere in the realm of an offensive juggernaut, excelling in a key aspect of football that Capital has desperately struggled to grapple in recent years.
Photo submitted by Brian Foos.
Foos said that having a summer training camp this past summer has proved to be “a big plus” for the team, while also admitting that there’s still plenty of work to be done; he acknowledges that the team roster “isn’t where it needs to be”. No matter what challenges the team may face this season, Foos’ method is simple: try, learn, try again.
As Capital prepares for the 2021 season with a lineup including returning players, such as star wide receiver and punter Kameron Lee, who led the team in receiving yards despite a shortened spring season; as well as All-OAC offensive lineman Brady Kuhn, Capital looks to revamp an offense that historically has underperformed in more ways than one.
Defensively, third-year linebacker Nick Fisanick returns following a campaign that saw him earn 37 tackles, as well as an All-OAC selection. Fourth-year quarterback Luke McCarrell also returns to the field this season, alongside third-year running back Jonathan Williams.
With Capital’s opening day 41-7 win over the Defiance Yellow Jackets last Thursday, expectations are high for the team this year, and with good reason; an overhaul of the depth chart and a fairly new coaching staff eager to teach and win is surely nothing to shy away from.
As Capital Athletics begin the return to normal for the first time in well over a year, all eyes will be on Coach Foos and the Capital football team, but no matter the results of this season, fans can surely agree that it’s good to see the team back on the field.
