High school football: Kunz moves to Plainfield East from Plano

Brad Kunz has always felt really comfortable at Plainfield East High School.

Kunz's first high school track meet as a coach was hosted by Plainfield East High School, and as soon as he walked into the building, he saw the orange-and-green color scheme that mirrored that of his collegiate alma mater, Miami (Fla.), he couldn't help but feel as if he'd found a place he'd almost be destined to end up at.

That time is now as Kunz recently was appointed the new head coach of the Plainfield East football program.

Kunz replaces Terrance Terry at the helm of the program. Terry compiled a 4-14 record over two seasons leading the Bengals.

"From the first time I walked into that building and I saw that logo and I was like, 'You've got to be kidding me,' " Kunz said. "Ever since that moment, I've been like that's really cool, what a perfect fit. And then fast forward seven years and that's a job opening that comes up. I won't lie that was my icebreaker."

The school has made only two playoff appearances in the 10 years of the program's existence. But Kunz doesn't necessarily see that as a detriment, he sees it more as an opportunity.

"It has always been a dream to kind of build a program from scratch. How many times do you get a chance to go to a school that has only been around for 10 years?" Kunz said. "There's a tradition and a culture to create, building Plainfield East as a brand. It's a big task, but it's an awesome opporuntity to get a chance to do something like this."

Kunz has spent the past six seasons at Plano, compiling a 38-23 record with the Reapers, including five playoff appearances. His first four seasons at Plano all ended with playoff bids, with playoff wins coming in 2013 and 2015.

Kunz played collegiately from 2001 to 2004 for the Hurricanes and qualified for a bowl game in each of his four seasons. Kunz briefly appeared in the 2001 game that netted the Hurricanes a national championship and appeared again in the national title game in 2002, when the Hurricanes lost to Ohio State.

He played at Miami during the program's heyday alongside future NFL standouts such as Frank Gore, Ed Reed, Reggie Wayne, Andre Johnson and Bryant McKinnie.

After completing his degree and playing for a few years in the Arena Football League and briefly in the Canadian Football League, Kunz served as an assistant at Carlyle, where he played in high school earning All-State honors in his senior year as an offensive lineman.

After that apprenticeship at Carlyle, he took the post at Plano.

Making the transition from a program that has found itself in the Class 4A ranks to a school that is in Class 7A is one that requires adjustment, but it is one that Kunz hopes will not prove to be a substantial hurdle.

"I'm definitely going to have to lean on some of the coaches that I have to make sure that I have the right picture of things," Kunz said. "When I was at Miami, we always talked about having the most NFL-like program that we could have. And when I was at Plano, even though we were a [Class] 4A school, we did everything we could to make it a college-style program. I feel like if I can get that to transition over to a larger school like Plainfield East, that could work even better. There will be a lot of things to learn, and it's a totally different ballgame in some ways. Hopefully, it isn't as big of jump as it would seem."