Eight-time state champion Noel Rash is coaching Beechwood football again, and the Fort Mitchell program returns a roster stacked with Division I talent.

Rash, who won 200 games and eight state titles during his first run with the Tigers, was named head coach in May after predecessor Jay Volker accepted a teaching position in Ohio. He officially started June 1 and was formally approved by the Beechwood Independent School District Board of Education on June 8.

"I feel like I'm home," Rash said in a July report. "I love this place and I love these kids. It's a special place and I feel blessed to be a part of it."

The program, an 18-time state champion overall, won its most recent title in 2024 under Volker, who had succeeded Rash in March 2023 after Rash's initial retirement. Rash returned to coaching as Conner's head coach in 2025 before coming back to Beechwood.

Senior right tackle and defensive tackle Chase Wulfeck said his teammates were thrilled when the hire was announced, praising Rash's experience and energy. Senior wide receiver and safety Tyler Fryman said Rash has been pushing the team to improve every day, with the singular goal of winning at Beechwood.

The roster backs up that ambition. Fryman, a four-star recruit ranked No. 203 nationally and No. 31 among wide receivers in the 2027 class by 247Sports, is committed to the University of Kentucky for football and baseball. As a junior he caught 45 passes for 1,023 yards and 18 touchdowns while adding 277 rushing yards and three scores on the ground. He also won the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes at the 2026 KHSAA state track championships.

Senior quarterback Emmett Queen, committed to Wake Forest, gives the Tigers two Power Five verbal pledges in the same backfield.

Rash said it took about 10 seconds to feel acclimated, though he is working to know the current players at a deeper level. His preseason themes are commitment, sacrifice and brotherhood, and he has emphasized toughness in July workouts, wanting players to handle adversity during games.

Senior offensive lineman Kingston Brockett summed up the message: Rash tells the team every day to be great players on the field and better people off it.

Beechwood opens the 2026 season at home against Indian Hill on August 28.