Page Reader AI | Lawrence High hires former Baker coach, Lawrence alumnus as head football coach | News, Sports, Jobs - Lawrence Journal-World: news, information, headlines and events in Lawrence, Kansas

Lawrence High hires former Baker coach, Lawrence alumnus as head football coach | News, Sports, Jobs - Lawrence Journal-World: news, information, headlines and events in Lawrence, Kansas

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Key Appointment

Lawrence High School has named Jason Thoren as its new head football coach. Thoren brings a strong coaching background, having served as head coach at Baker University from 2019-2022, where his team achieved a 30-12 record.

Thoren's Background

Before his role at Baker, Thoren held the position of defensive coordinator from 2009. He also has experience as a senior defensive analyst at UConn (2024) and Mississippi State (2023). He's a Lawrence High School and University of Kansas alumnus, having played linebacker for the Jayhawks. His coaching career also includes time at Lawrence High School (linebackers and running backs), a Kansas City Chiefs internship, and a season with Free State High School.

Lawrence High's Recent Performance

Lawrence High had a 4-5 season in 2023, losing in the first round of the playoffs. The team is tied for the most state championships in Kansas history but hasn't won one since 1995. The coaching vacancy arose after Clint Bowen's resignation to take a position at Oklahoma State.

Baker head coach Jason Thoren walks toward a player during a summer camp Wednesday morning at Free State on June 26, 2019.

Lawrence High School officially hired Jason Thoren as its next head football coach during Monday’s Lawrence school board meeting.

Thoren notably was Baker University’s head coach from 2019-22. The Wildcats went 30-12 in his four seasons at the helm, including a 7-1 record in 2020 in which the team reached the NAIA quarterfinal round. Thoren started coaching at Baker in 2009 and held the defensive coordinator position until his promotion to head coach after the 2018 season.

Thoren, a Lawrence High School and Kansas alumnus, joins the Lions after working as a senior defensive analyst for UConn in 2024. Prior to that, he held the same position at Mississippi State for the 2023 season.

While attending Lawrence, Thoren helped the Lions win three-straight state championships in the early 1990s under Dick Purdy and then-assistant coach Dirk Wedd. He stayed close to home for college, where he had several productive years as a linebacker for the Jayhawks.

This won’t be the first time that Thoren has coached at Lawrence High School. After graduating from Kansas, he spent some time coaching linebackers and running backs with the school before spending a year in a coaching internship with the Kansas City Chiefs and a season with Free State.

Lawrence is coming off a 4-5 season in which the Lions lost 28-14 in the first round of the playoffs. The Lions are tied with Bishop Miege for the most state championships in state history, despite not having won one since 1995, when the Lions beat Derby 20-0. The job vacancy came after Clint Bowen, who led the team from 2021-24, resigned and became an offensive quality control coach at Oklahoma State.