Jordan Lynch Suspended, Mt. Carmel Placed On Probation For Rules Violation

The reigning Class 8A Illinois High School Association state football champions will be without their head coach for a number of practices.

Jordan Lynch, who placed third in the 2013 Heisman Trophy voting after a breakout season at Northern Illinois University, was suspended for two practices as the head coach at Mt. Carmel High School. The entire program is also on probation from the Illinois High School Association for the remainder of the upcoming season.

The Caravan are ranked 24th in the High School On SI Preseason Power 25 after finishing 16th last season in the rankings. They are expected to claim another state football championship under Lynch this coming fall.

Jordan Lynch, Heisman Trophy Finalist, Suspended For Two Practice Sessions With Mt. Carmel Football

According to a report by the Chicago Sun-Times, a photo of a Mt. Carmel practice earlier this month showed the players in full pads. That broke IHSA guidelines, resulting in the punishments being handed down.

While the picture posted to X (formerly known as Twitter) was taken down, it had already been seen by an assistant coach for another Illinois high school and shared.

“Weird that this post is made, the school pictures is in full pads, that’s not able to happen until Tuesday,” Antioch assistant football coach Thor Patrick Swanson posted on X. “Then getting pulled a couple of hours later…private school don’t operate the same IHSA rules as publics.”

Weird that this post is made, the school pictured is in full pads, that’s not able to happen until Tuesday., then getting pulled a couple of hours later… private school don’t operate the same IHSA rules as public’s… pic.twitter.com/CjTywei25C
— Thor Patrick Swanson (@thor2x152) August 8, 2026

School Shared Photo Of An Illegal Practice Session On Social Media

Swanson had shared a post by Tim O’Brien, the sports editor at the Beverly Review.

Mt. Carmel self-reported the violation on August 12 to the IHSA, with Lynch declining comment. The preseason started on August 5 for Illinois high school football, and rules state full protective equipment and full contact cannot begin until the sixth day of practice.

Lynch will sit out practices planned for August 17 and August 18.

“This policy exists to protect high school football athletes across Illinois while ensuring a competitive playing field for all of our teams,” IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said. “To their credit, the Mt. Carmel coaches and administration recognized the violation, took responsibility and acted quickly to address it.

“The sanctions imposed are consistent with the consequences applied in previous instances involving violations of this policy.”

Mt. Carmel Has Won 89 Games, Four Straight Illinois State Football Titles Under Lynch

Since taking over at Mt. Carmel, Lynch has continued the incredible run of success of the program. They are four-time defending Illinois high school state football champions, with Lynch sporting a career record of 89-12 over eight seasons.

That includes a perfect 14-0 record a season ago, with the team entering the year on a 19-game win streak overall.

Lynch replaced Frank Lenti, who led Mt. Carmel to 12 state championships during a 34-year coaching career at the school.

The Caravan are set to open the 2026 season on August 22 against East St. Louis before hosting St. Joseph out of New Jersey live on ESPN in Week 2.

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