Beginning with the 2025 season, Jake Gilbert ’98 will take the reins of the football program as the College’s 34th head football coach. The Wabash Athletic Department made the announcement on Monday, March 11 that Gilbert would return to his alma mater in the position of associate head football coach and defensive coordinator.
In his role as defensive coordinator, Gilbert replaces Coach Mike Ridings who spent two years in the position. Ridings leaves Wabash to accept a position as safeties coach at Division I Campbell University.
In order to promote a smooth transition for the program, Gilbert will spend the 2024 season as associate head coach, while performing the duties of defensive coordinator, before assuming the head coaching position in 2025. Head Football Coach Don Morel will continue in the position until the transition is complete.
“With Coach Morel and Coach Gilbert, Wabash is fortunate to have leadership of the football program with an unwavering commitment to its present and long-term success,” said Director of Athletics and Campus Wellness Matt Tanney ’05. “His on-field success, combined with his passion for preparing men for life after football, is a superb match for our athletics program. In a program with consistently high aspirations, Coach Morel sustained a winning tradition for eight years and contributed much to the life of the College. I look forward to partnering with both Morel and Gilbert to support our scholar-athletes’ pursuit of academic and athletic excellence.”
Gilbert’s extensive list of qualifications begins with his own career as a Little Giant.
Gilbert was part of a historically-great defensive line that The Bachelor dubbed the “Fab Four.” In his 1997 senior season, the Wabash defense held opponents to just 12.5 points per game. His career stats put him in the school’s top-10 and top-20 across multiple all-time categories including: forced fumbles, sacks and yards gained from sacks. In 1996, Gilbert was an honorable mention for the Hewlett Packard All-American team, one of his many accolades.
While at Wabash, Gilbert majored in history and would go on to earn a master’s degree in education at Purdue University. In addition to the football team, he spent time on the gridiron playing on the rugby team. He was a brother of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and he still fondly remembers his time spent at the College and the traditions that make it what it is. His favorite memories are winning the Bell Game — naturally — followed “distantly” by Chapel Sing.
“I give Wabash credit for my development and the skills that have helped me succeed,” said Gilbert. “I believe in the College and I love the school and football programs alike. I want to serve and to lead our football program back to the playoffs.”
After graduating from Wabash, Gilbert began coaching football almost immediately.
His first head coaching position came in 2000, when he led the staff of North Montgomery High School. From 2006-2010 he became an assistant coach for the Little Giants, where he served as the offensive line coach (2006-2007) before moving to defensive coordinator (2008-2010). He coached alongside two of the college’s winningest head coaches, Chris Creighton and Erik Raeburn, who he credits in large part for his development as a coach.
“I loved coaching at Wabash and I learned so much,” said Gilbert. “Chris Creighton and Erik Raeburn were excellent coaches. It was like going back to school to get a doctorate in football. I look forward to taking what I’ve learned and applying it this time. I’m a much better coach than I was 13 years ago, and I will help our guys realize their full potential on a higher level.”
“Jake is an outstanding coach and I have complete confidence that he will be an excellent defensive coordinator next season,” said Morel. “He had a fantastic head coaching career at Westfield with a state championship to his credit, and he knows every high school coach in the state. We’re going to continue to do things the right way by recruiting the absolute best scholar-athletes.”
From 2011-2023, Gilbert served as the head coach of Westfield High School, where he recorded a 103-55 record. In his 13 seasons, Westfield won the Hoosier Crossroads Conference (HCC) title three times and made it to the state playoffs eight times. His highest on-field achievement came in 2016 when Westfield won the Class 5A state championship.
All that winning earned him a long list of titles to go along with his name. He served the Indiana Football Coaches Association in the roles of president, vice president and director. He is the three-time HCC Coach of the Year (2013, 2020 and 2021), two-time Indiana Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year (2013 and 2016), the 2017 Fellowship of Christian Athletes Indiana Coach of the Year and the two-time Midwest winner and national finalist for the American Football Coaches Association Power of Influence Award (2020 and 2021).
The future is bright for the Little Giants as the Wabash community eagerly awaits the next era of Wabash football.