For many of Carmel’s athletes, the evening of October 13th was spent at signing night, deciding where their career will continue. For Coach John Hebert, the night took the opposite path, as he stepped down as head coach of Carmel football.

In a move announced abruptly on Wednesday night, Coach Hebert officially resigned from his role as head coach. This, after a historically poor season, in which the Hounds finished with a 3-7 record, accumulating in a heartbreaking sectional loss against Zionsville. While coach Hebert was not entirely to blame, as injuries and misfortune plagued the Hounds throughout the entire season, many still believed that the best decision for the program was for Hebert to be relieved of his duties, and to move on from the championship-leading coach.

Many of Hebert’s current and former players have already taken to social media to display their displeasure with the decision. It is apparent that coach Hebert had no issues winning over his locker room, it was merely a failure to win games.

As Carmel football looks forward to the 2025 season, and the senior years of names such as Anthony Coellner, Dom Shockley, Drew Pemberton, and Jake Bellin, the search for a new head coach will be taken with a strong sense of urgency. The window of winning may be closing, and the implantation of Carmel’s next coach will prove to be atop the list of offseason plans.