By Kyle Coppola
Mount Dora High Names Jacob Laub As Head Football Coach
After a turbulent six months that saw two previous head coaches come and go, Mount Dora High School has named Jacob Laub as its new head football coach and weightlifting instructor.
Principal Kyle Bracewell announced the hire Tuesday following a national coaching search. Laub, who comes to Florida from Oakton High School in Virginia, where he served as offensive coordinator and physical education teacher, impressed school officials during the interview process.
“He commanded the room,” Bracewell says. “We were impressed with his poise, his attention to detail and his ability to plan. He has a real vision for getting kids within our school who haven’t played football before involved in the program.”
Since he arrived in Mount Dora, Laub has already made an impact. He launched a team conditioning program, drawing over 45 participants, a strong turnout that has the administration encouraged.
“He’s very organized and passionate,” Bracewell added. “He’s already doing a great job in the weight room and with conditioning. He is from the metro D.C. area and the draw of our small-town community really drew him to the area. His entire reason for being here is to connect with students and be part of a true community school beyond just football,” says Bracewell.
A former NCAA Division I offensive lineman at Catholic University, Laub brings playing experience and a strong work ethic to the Hurricanes. At Lake Braddock High School in Burke, Va., he was a four-year letterwinner for the Bruins, helping the team compile a 36-4 record and winning three Patriot Conference championships. He earned three first-team all-conference selections, was named second-team all-region as a junior and collected first-team all-region and second-team all-state honors as a senior.
The son of Deborah and David Laub, he has four siblings: Adam, Valerie, Aaron and Natalie.
Laub’s hiring marks the third head coach for Mount Dora in just six months. Luke Hutchinson stepped down after last season to take a position at South Lake High. Hutchinson had led the Hurricanes to their first playoff appearance in over a decade in 2024.
The program then hired Colby Erskin as the new head coach, but Erskin was arrested earlier this year in Seminole County on charges of solicitation of a child and transmission of harmful materials to a minor out of Broward County. He never coached a game for Mount Dora and was dismissed from the district.
Despite the turnover, school officials and Laub are focused on restoring winning ways on the field. Mount Dora is also investing in its historic Lake County football stadium, with much needed updates underway to the grandstands, press box and other enhancements.
Coach Laub will also serve Mount Dora High as the schools weightlifting teacher.
The Hurricanes will look to build under their new head coach when the 2026 season begins this fall. Mount Dora is just a few weeks away from their spring football season.
Mount Dora High family and players will have a chance for a meet and greet with Coach Laub on Thursday, April 9 at 5:30pm in the MDHS Auditorium.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
