Behind-the-scenes coach connects ODA football players with college opportunities

Josh Medeiros is the type of person who spends 30 minutes each night profiling each player who is eligible for the NFL Draft. 

Medeiros is so into sports that he is a Dallas Cowboys season ticket holder despite living in Lakewood Ranch. He cried at the final at-bat of Derek Jeter’s career, but didn’t cry at his own wedding. 

That devotion has made The Out-of-Door Academy head football coach Rob Hollway realize that Medeiros would be the perfect person to connect his program with college recruiters.

Image courtesy of Josh Medeiros

“Josh is a great example of how high school football is evolving,” Hollway said. “It’s harder to get top players or retain top players because they want to go where they’re going to get an opportunity to play at the next level.”

Within 30 minutes of speaking with Medeiros, it was clear that he’s the right man for the job. 

Despite being a husband, father, and the Executive Director, Revenue Strategy and Operations of TriNet, a provider of full-service HR solutions for small and medium-sized businesses, Medeiros still finds time to help ODA as the team’s special teams coordinator, wide receivers coach, head of football operations and director of recruitment. 

That type of dedication requires a minute-by-minute curation of Medeiros’s daily calendar — another job he’s well-suited to do. 

He said his day typically begins at 5 a.m. with football and work-day preparations, followed by a trip to the gym, then dropping his children off at school. When his work day wraps up, it’s back to the drawing board for football research, followed by playtime with his kids and then some more football and work-related prep before bedtime. 

“Sometimes at gymnastics I’ll be messaging a college football coach on Twitter while my daughter is doing a split in front of me,” Medeiros said. “I try to multi-task as best I can. I think I owe it to my players ... that’s kind of the badge of honor I take. These kids are such amazing kids and such amazing student athletes that they deserve the exposure and to have conversations with college coaches.”

Medeiros has since applied his obsession with research to connecting ODA players to potential college suitors. 

Whenever he encounters a college football coach, there’s a good chance Medeiros already knows their playing and coaching background and what type of player they’re trying to recruit. 

One prime example of Medeiros’s impact is Frankie Clark, a 2025 graduate.

Clark was an all-around standout with the Thunder. He amassed 187 rushing yards and two touchdowns on offense, along with 30 tackles, an interception, and three pass breakups across nine games on defense.

File photo

Clark, who has family in Ohio, wanted to play college football closer to family, and Medeiros helped him receive offers from the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio, and John Carroll University of University Heights, Ohio, by working his magic at a local recruiting fair. 

“He had a couple of offers early and I thought he was a perfect fit for a recruiting fair,” Medeiros said. “We ended up getting him five or six colleges who were offering him full rides to play D-III high-academic schools, and he ended up committing to John Carroll, which was at the recruiting fair. We saw what kind of impact that could make.”

The fact that ODA needs a director of recruitment speaks to the growth of the program in the past few years. 

Four years ago, the Thunder went 0-5 and ended their season early when players refused to finish the season. 

This past year, ODA finished 9-1 and sent three players — Clark, Carson Fisher (Denison) and Marvin Palominos (Middlebury) — to collegiate football programs. 

The upcoming senior class looks to be even more promising, headlined by running back/linebacker Allen Clark, who rushed for 1,524 yards and 22 touchdowns last season. 

There’s tangible evidence that college football programs are becoming more aware of ODA’s talent as well. Medeiros said representatives from 11 college football programs visited the team this past spring, compared to just four the year prior. 

Other rising seniors with next-level potential include kicker/punter/wide receiver/safety Dylan Walker, tight end/defensive end/outside linebacker Winston Crisci and tight end/middle linebacker Heath DeRusso. 

Medeiros and Hollway took those players to a Boston College megacamp in July to further their exposure, and from what I’ve learned about this coaching staff so far, that’s just the beginning of the work they’ll do to find them a place to play beyond ODA.