For Ryan O'Shea, New Prairie football job is about giving back to his grandfather
NEW CARLISLE ― Two years ago, Ryan O’Shea and his father mapped out Ryan’s future in coaching. Ryan had been the head football coach at Lakeland for three years, following in his father and grandfather’s footsteps.
There was one job that Ryan circled.
He was hired for that job Wednesday.
Ryan O’Shea is the new head football coach for New Prairie High School. The school board approved the hiring in a brief special meeting.
“The school, number one,” said O’Shea of what stands out about New Prairie. “Educationally, this is a great school. There are tough, hard-nosed kids here on Friday nights; that’s also really appealing.”
Full-circle moment for O’Shea family
There is a deeper reason for O'Shea wanting the New Prairie job. Along with being one of the state's better programs the last 15 years, New Prairie represents a homecoming for O'Shea.
Sixty-six years ago, Ryan’s grandfather, Frank, and grandmother, Janice, graduated from New Carlisle High School. Frank played football and basketball, while Janice was a cheerleader. The school eventually consolidated into the modern-day New Prairie.
Frank was emotional discussing what it meant to see his grandson coaching his adopted alma mater.
“It’s very special,” Frank said. “We drove up from Lafayette just for this occasion. We’re a tight-knit family. I know (Ryan) wanted to stay around South Bend, and I think this is about as good as it can get.”
Ryan sees this job as a way to pay back the countless lessons his grandfather taught him in sports and life.
“It’s surreal,” O’Shea said. “To be at a place that was my grandfather’s old stomping grounds is great. ‘Coach Gramps’, as we call him, has taught me a lot. He’s been every step of the way with me in this journey. … I could never, ever repay him for the things he’s taught me over the years. I’m going to try and do my best to repay him with wins on Friday night.”
O’Shea legacy strong in football
O'Shea's grandfather and father are Indiana Football Hall of Famers.
His father, Twin Lakes head coach Kevin O'Shea, enjoyed his greatest success at Lafayette Central Catholic, winning five Class 1A state titles, including four straight from 2009-12. He has a 249-121 career record.
Frank O'Shea began his coaching journey as a Penn assistant in 1963. He’d be a head coach at five schools, taking McCutcheon to the 1982 state final. Frank spent his 50th year in coaching as his son's offensive line coach at Twin Lakes.
“He worked hard to get this job,” said Kevin O'Shea said of his grandson. “He prepared hard to get this job. … He’s taking over a program that has been extremely competitive. Now, he’s hoping to take it to that next level.”
Ryan O’Shea’s coaching history
Ryan O'Shea's first coaching job was under his father at LCC in 2015. After stops at Monroe Central, Yorktown, South Bend Saint Joseph and Jimtown, O’Shea accepted his first head coaching gig at Lakeland in 2020.
It's official: Ryan O'Shea is the next football coach at New Prairie. Had spent the last five seasons with Lakeland pic.twitter.com/i5BvBupHk7
— Austin Hough (@AustinRHough) March 19, 2025
Though his teams are 19-31 record with zero postseason victories in five seasons, they saw gradual improvement. They went 6-4 and 5-5 the last two seasons, losing in sectional openers each time to to eventual regional champions.
After the Lakers were a run-dominant offense for decades, O’Shea installed a more modern offense that was as much passing as rushing. Current Lakeland senior quarterback Brayden Holbrook, who’s receiving interest from mid-major Division I programs, has every passing record in Lakeland, in part because of O’Shea’s offense.
O'Shea's Lakers averaged more than 30 points, more than double their previous output.
“We went from a culture of a lot of negativity, and a lot of kids were down on themselves, to now we had kids who believed they could win every Friday night,” O’Shea said. “The culture shifted. … I have not had one kid get in trouble in class the last two years. That’s the type of kid we’re trying to build.”
O’Shea inherits a program that has won four straight Class 4A sectional titles. They added regional crowns in 2021 and 2022, also winning semi-state in the latter to reach the state finals.
He replaces Casey McKim, who departed in early February for the head coaching job at Lowell.
“It was a priority to get the new coach in so they could get acclimated not only the student-athletes, but the community and pulse of the program to get ready for next season,” New Prairie Athletic Director Ben Bachmann said.
O’Shea understands the challenge.
“The traditions and expectations ― some people try to shy away from that, but not me,” O’Shea said. “I love the competition. Bring it on, I’m ready to go.”
Follow Austin Hough on X (formerly Twitter) @AustinRHough and on Facebook at "Austin Hough - South Bend Tribune." Hough can be emailed at ahough@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Roadmap leads Ryan O'Shea to New Prairie football job
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