January 26, 2025
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Miles Osei leaving Kankakee for Evanston’s head coaching position

By Mason Schweizer
Kankakee head coach Miles Osei walks off the field following the Kays' 39-13 loss to East St. Louis in the IHSA Class 6A quarterfinal game on Nov. 12, 2023. Osei is leaving to fill the vacant position at Evanston Township, the school told the Daily Journal Saturday.

Kankakee head coach Miles Osei walks off the field following the Kays' 39-13 loss to East St. Louis in the IHSA Class 6A quarterfinal game on Nov. 12, 2023. Osei is leaving to fill the vacant position at Evanston Township, the school told the Daily Journal Saturday. (Mason Schweizer)

Head coach Miles Osei led the Kankakee football program to back-to-back double-digit win totals for the first time in program history during his first two seasons with the Kays.

If the program wants to make it a 10-win three-peat, they’ll do so with a new coach leading the charge.

Osei informed the football program Saturday that he was leaving to take the vacant head coaching job at Evanston Township High School, an official from Kankakee told the Daily Journal Saturday evening.

In his two seasons leading the Kays, Osei led the team to a combined 21-3 record that included back-to-back IHSA Class 6A State quarterfinal appearances and Southland Athletic Conference championships, both firsts in program history. In 2023, Osei’s first season, the team completed its first undefeated regular season.

Osei took over after former head coach Derek Hart returned to his native Indiana at North Central High School in Indianapolis. Hart resigned from his role at North Central on Wednesday. During Hart’s four years, the program elevated to new heights, including the program’s first state championship game appearance when they were the 2021 Class 5A runner-up.

Kankakee athletic director Ronnie Wilcox said that with Osei’s ability to inherit the program and continue its elevation, it’s no wonder he was a sought after coaching candidate.

“It tells you how good a coach he is to come in didn’t skip a beat,” Wilcox said. “He kept us at a high level with the organization level of attention to detail he brought every day. We’ll miss it, but we’ll reload quickly.”

As Wilcox quickly begins to embark on the process of looking for another head coach that can step right in to a promising program and continue its upswing, although finding the right coach is never an easy task, the Kays have plenty of selling points.

In addition to Osei leaving the program in at least just as good of hands as he found it, the Kays have seen significant upgrades to their facilities recently, most notably the Dr. Genevra Walters K Community Center that opened at the start of the school year, and a growing reputation around the state as one of Class 6A’s top programs.

“I’m very optimistic,” Wilcox said. “Based off the success we’ve had the past six, seven, eight years, with facility upgrades, I believe we’re one of nicest high schools in the state and have a wealth of talent we’ll continue to have.

“We’re a destination spot, we just have to find a coach that wants to stay more than three-four years,” he continued. “But I understand someone wanting to move to a better situation, moving for a better move for their family. We wish [Osei] luck, but we’re very optimistic to have a new coach in place soon.”

Osei, a former standout and 2010 graduate of Prospect High School before a career as a quarterback and wide receiver at the University of Illinois, will now take over for an Evanston program that’s been led by Mike Burzawa the past 17 years. Burzawa, who led the Wildkits to a 77-82 record that included nine Class 8A Playoff appearances over his tenure, announced last month that he was stepping down.

An immediate request for comment from Osei was not immediately returned.