The Illinois High School Association has suspended Mount Carmel football coach Jordan Lynch for two practices and put the school’s football program on probation for the rest of the season.
The sanctions were levied after the team practiced in full pads earlier than state rules allow.
On Aug. 8, a local reporter posted a photo on X of Mount Carmel’s football practice. The photograph appeared to show the Caravan players in full pads. The post was eventually deleted. Antioch assistant football coach Thor Patrick Swanson later shared a screenshot of the post on his X account.
IHSA rules don’t allow full protective equipment and full contact until the sixth day of practice. High school football practices began on Aug. 5.
Lynch, a 2009 graduate of Mount Carmel and a Heisman Trophy finalist at NIU in 2013, declined to comment on the matter. He will sit out practices on Aug. 17 and 18.
According to the IHSA, Mount Carmel self-reported the violation on August 12 and “provided a corrective action plan and self-imposed sanctions.” The IHSA accepted the sanctions.
“This policy exists to protect high school football athletes across Illinois while ensuring a competitive playing field for all of our teams,” IHSA executive director Craig Anderson said. “To their credit, the Mt. Carmel coaches and administration recognized the violation, took responsibility, and acted quickly to address it. The sanctions imposed are consistent with the consequences applied in previous instances involving violations of this policy.”
Lynch, who is 89-12 in eight years as Mount Carmel’s head coach, has led the Caravan to four consecutive state titles. Mount Carmel is an overwhelming favorite to win Class 8A again this season and become the first team in state history to win five consecutive titles.
Mount Carmel is the top-ranked team in the Sun-Times’ preseason Super 25 rankings and opens the season on Aug. 22 against highly-regarded East St. Louis at ISU’s Hancock Stadium. The Caravan hosts St. Joseph, NJ in Week 2. That game will be televised live on ESPN.
The IHSA’s “football acclimatization chart” is available on the organization’s website: