Lake Forest College head football coach Jim Catanzaro announced Thursday that Jim Kiernan has been added to his staff as the team's offensive coordinator. Kiernan replaces former offensive coordinator Ted Soenksen, who was recently hired as the head coach at Beloit College.
Kiernan comes to Lake Forest after six seasons as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Concordia University Chicago in River Forest, Illinois. Under his direction, the 2018 Cougars averaged 32 points per game and had the national leader in rushing yards per contest. Two years earlier the team's quarterback posted the highest pass efficiency rating in program history and a wide receiver set school records for receptions and touchdown catches.
The 2019 season will be Kiernan's 29th on a college sideline and 25th as a team's offensive coordinator. In addition to his time at Concordia Chicago, he also served as an assistant at Kentucky Wesleyan College for four years, Alabama A&M University for one, Mercyhurst University for three seasons, Lakeland College for one, and Saginaw Valley State University for eight. During his time at Saginaw Valley he coached and worked with current Green Bay Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur. They were both on staff in 2003 when the Cardinals finished the regular season 10-0 and atop the NCAA Division II rankings. In addition to 23 years as a college assistant, he was also the head coach at Gannon University from 2007-11. Kiernan helped two different programs set team records for victories in a season, coached three All-Americans and four conference players of the year, and mentored 10 offensive players who went on to play in the NFL, CFL, or AFL.
"I am extremely excited to have Coach Kiernan join our staff," began Catanzaro. "He has a wealth of experience and a long list of accomplishments as an offensive coordinator and I'm confident he will lead us to continued success on that side of the ball."
"I look forward to working with the players and other coaches here at Lake Forest College," stated Kiernan. "This is a great opportunity for me to continue my coaching career at an institution with a strong academic reputation and a successful football program."