FAIRFIELD, Ohio — Oak Hills football coach Justin Roden stepped down Tuesday morning and is set to become the Fairfield head coach, pending board of education approval.
"I want to share with you that Coach Justin Roden has accepted the position of head football coach at Fairfield High School," Oak Hills athletic director Ben Hagmen said in a statement. "While this is a new chapter for Coach Roden, it marks the close of more than five years of dedicated leadership, commitment and service to the Oak Hills football program. We are incredibly grateful to Coach Roden for the passion, time and energy he has devoted to our student-athletes and the Highlander community. His efforts have helped shape not only the performance of our football program but also the character and growth of the young men he has coached."
Hageman said Oak Hills will begin the process of identifying the next head football coach.
Roden, who has been Oak Hills' head coach since December 2019, accepted an offer on Monday from the Fairfield City School District. Roden succeeds former longtime Fairfield coach Jason Krause, who announced his retirement from coaching and education in late May.
"We’re thrilled to welcome Coach Justin Roden as the next head football coach at Fairfield High School," Fairfield athletic director Aaron Blankenship said. "His championship pedigree, commitment to student-athlete development, and over two decades of coaching experience make him an exceptional fit for our program. Coach Roden’s proven leadership, both on and off the field, aligns with the values of Fairfield Football and our school community. We’re excited for the future and confident he will continue to build on the strong foundation of excellence established here."
Roden said the process went "super fast" after Fairfield athletic director Aaron Blankenship contacted him late Saturday.
There was a meeting with Fairfield City School District Superintendent Billy Smith on Sunday, and the district made an offer on Monday.
“They made a fantastic offer that checked a lot of boxes,” Roden said. “They were extremely hospitable.”
Roden will also be dean of students at Fairfield High School, pending board of education approval.
Roden lauded the "great facilities" at Fairfield and said he's looking forward to leading the program. He admitted that preparing for the season is a significant challenge when taking over a different program at the start of June.
Despite the timing, Roden said he's confident in a veteran coaching staff at Fairfield, and he believes the timing is right to go in a different direction for his coaching career within the Greater Miami Conference.
Roden said he's very proud of what he built at Oak Hills, including the stability, toughness and academics.
“I think we earned a lot of respect back for our school,” Roden said. “Even now, there is great energy.”
Oak Hills had a 4-7 record, including 3-6 in the GMC. Fairfield was 2-9 overall, including 2-7 in the GMC. On Oct. 18, 2024, Oak Hills defeated host Fairfield 21-18.
Roden, who led East Central High School to an Indiana 4A state championship in 2017, was the head coach of Noblesville (Ind.) in 2018 and 2019 before taking over at Oak Hills for the 2020 season.
Prior to the Indiana high school programs, Roden served as the Oak Hills defensive coordinator for three seasons, defensive backs coach at Colerain for five years, associate head coach at Mount Healthy High School and special teams coordinator for the College of Mount St. Joseph (now Mount St. Joseph University).
In his seven years at East Central, he led his teams to 35 wins and three consecutive regional championships.
