Woodland Hills Football Coach Brian Tarrant Suspended for One Year

Woodland Hills football coach Brian Tarrant has been suspended for one year after the school district said he violated WPIAL and PIAA guidelines.

Woodland Hills School District interim superintendent Denise Sedlacek announced the suspension Monday. The district has not publicly identified the specific violations that led to the decision, according to TribLive.

District Does Not Disclose Specific Violations

Sedlacek said the district reviewed information provided to it regarding the violations before arriving at its decision.

“The district takes its responsibilities related to students, athletics and compliance with WPIAL and PIAA requirements seriously,” Sedlacek said in a statement provided to TribLive. “We expect all individuals serving as coaches and representatives of the district to follow applicable rules, regulations and district expectations.

Sedlacek provided no further details, stating that it was a personnel matter.

Community Members Seek More Information

That lack of detail hasn’t been good enough for some residents of the district who wonder why the coach who led what was called a “team culture overhaul” was suspended.

“It’s frustrating that the public doesn’t know the reason behind it,” Edgewood resident Brian Locke told WPXI News in Pittsburgh.

“I think there should be some transparency. The parents and the kids should know what happened. And the public in general, we should know,” another resident, Arneeta Freeman added.

The WPIAL Board of Directors was scheduled Tuesday to consider whether to accept Woodland Hills' response regarding offseason violations and social media posts involving the football program, according to TribLive. As of Wednesday morning, the league had not publicly announced the outcome of that review.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette obtained a copy of a letter sent to the families of Woodland Hills players Friday that did not address the specific violations but informed them of the decision and would address their concerns at a parent meeting Monday night.

Tarrant Led Woodland Hills to Consecutive Conference Titles

Tarrant is in his fourth season as Woodland Hills' head coach. He entered 2026 with a 22-10 record and had led the Wolverines to consecutive Class 5A Big East Conference championships.

He coached the season-opening 43-15 victory over New Castle but has been absent for the past two games.

Last season, the Wolverines went 8-3, including 6-0 in the Big East, and reached the quarterfinals of the WPIAL 5A playoffs before falling to Upper St. Clair 36-26.

Tarrant coached in Woodland Hills’ season opener this fall, a 43-15 victory over New Castle. The past two weeks, assistant coaches Maurice Walker and Steve Meyer have directed the Wolverines offense and defense, respectively, during a 45-0 loss to Central Catholic — the No. 1 team in this week’s High School On SI Pennsylvania Top 25 rankings — and last week’s 33-25 win over North Allegheny.

Walker served as the team’s interim coach in both games, but it has not been announced whether he would serve in that capacity moving forward.

Woodland Hills plays at Fox Chapel this week in its Big East Conference opener.

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