ROCKFORD, Ill. — The Auburn High School football program is turning to a familiar face to lead them into a new era. Hosea Harris has been named the Knights' third head coach in five years, taking the reins of a program hungry for stability and success.

While this marks Harris's first varsity head coaching job, he's no stranger to Auburn athletics. With 17 years of coaching experience at the school and 25 years total in Rockford Public Schools, he's been a fixture across multiple sports—football, basketball, and baseball—starting his career at Eisenhower Middle School, where he coached current NFL player Vederian Lowe.

"I'm super excited for the opportunity, and I can't wait to get started," Harris said Wednesday.

Harris learned the craft under some of the area's best. As an assistant to Dan Appino, he helped guide Auburn to NIC-10 championships and deep playoff runs in 2015 and 2016. He also worked alongside Bryan Ott, one of the winningest basketball coaches in conference history, watching him transform a struggling program into a powerhouse.

"Some of the things I learned from Dan was creating basic standards, sticking to them," Harris explained. "Starting from the ground foundation and building up from there, because if you don't have a solid foundation, it's not going to work."

The Knights have won just one game over the past two seasons, but Harris isn't looking for shortcuts. "I'm not in a rush. I can't be in a rush because that's when you fumble," he said. "I want to take my time and build it from the ground up with weight training, framework, and skill work."

This isn't about a quick fix or a one-hit wonder. Harris is focused on building a sustainable program that can compete year after year. He's also a Rockford native—part of West High School's final graduating class in 1989—which gives him deep roots in the community.

Beyond the X's and O's, Harris serves as Auburn's Student Mentor, helping students navigate their career paths. That trust he's built off the field could be just as valuable as anything he draws up on a whiteboard.

For Auburn football, this isn't just a new coach. It's a foundation being laid by someone who knows every brick.