High School

Cocoa Football Coach Ryan Schneider Pulls A Shocker by Resigning to Take A Private School Job

After winning 3 state titles, Tigers’ head man goes back to Melbourne Central Catholic, where he once served as offensive coordinator

Jeff Gardenour

Cocoa football head coach Ryan Schneider directs his players during a game against Titusville in 2024. He resigned as head coach on Jan. 16 after leading the Tigers to three state titles and an 83-23 record. He then announced on Feb. 3 that he has taken the head job at Melbourne Central Catholic.
Cocoa football head coach Ryan Schneider directs his players during a game against Titusville in 2024. He resigned as head coach on Jan. 16 after leading the Tigers to three state titles and an 83-23 record. He then announced on Feb. 3 that he has taken the head job at Melbourne Central Catholic. / Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ryan Schneider made a lasting impression as Cocoa High football coach, winning three state titles, finishing as state runner-up twice and advancing to the state semifinals in all eight of his seasons at the Central Brevard school.

Now, he hopes to build the same kind of tradition at Melbourne Central Catholic.

Former UCF star quarterback announced decision on Feb. 3

The former UCF star quarterback announced on Tuesday, Feb. 3, that he has accepted the head football coaching job at MCC in South Brevard, per a story in Florida Today. The move comes on the heels of him shockingly resigning from Cocoa on Friday, Jan. 16.

Schneider won three consecutive state titles at Cocoa

Schneider helped sustain the success that former coach John Wilkinson built at Cocoa by winning three straight titles at one point (2022-2024). He finished with an overall record of 83-23 at Cocoa, per the Brevard Sports Network.

A four-year player at UCF who threw for a whopping 10,976 yards and 82 touchdowns from 2000-2003, Schneider finishes second in total victories at Cocoa High, trailing only Wilkinson, who won four state titles and posted a record of 143-27 with 34 playoff wins, per a story in the Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Schneider previously served as offensive coordinator at MCC

Schneider takes his offensive know-how to MCC, where he served as offensive coordinator before taking the head job at Cocoa. He assumes the reins of a program that has made the playoffs in eight of the last 10 seasons, but has never won a state title.

MCC advanced to the state semifinals in 2016, but lost to powerhouse Chaminade-Madonna.

Schneider also leaves Cocoa at a time when the balance of power has shifted from Central Brevard to South Brevard, where Eau Gallie has made consecutive state semifinal appearances under coach Chris Sands.

Cocoa, however, has produced scores of Division I college players and multiple NFL athletes.

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Jeff Gardenour can be reached via email at jgardenour1962@gmail.com or X @JMarkG1962

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Jeff Gardenour
JEFF GARDENOUR

Jeff Gardenour is a Florida native and long-time resident of the Sunshine State. He is a journalism veteran of more than four decades, having worked in a number of news divisions through the years for multiple media outlets, including Gannett and Tribune Company. A University of Florida journalism graduate, Jeff has covered every level of sports, including MLB, USFL, XFL, WNBA, NCAA, IMSA, high schools and more. He is a former award-winning sports editor of the Sebring News-Sun and current freelance writer for SBLive Sports, PrepVolleyball.com and The Orlando Sentinel. Jeff is married with two children and resides in Oviedo, FL. He can be reached at jgardenour1962@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @JMarkG1962.

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