Former Marion-Franklin QB Raymond Thomas set to tackle new role as school's football coach

Former Marion-Franklin QB Raymond Thomas set to tackle new role as school’s football coach

Posted by author February 10, 2025 Football

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A former standout quarterback at Marion-Franklin, Raymond Thomas can’t wait to lead the football program at his alma mater.

Pending school board approval, Thomas will succeed Derek Katis, who went 4-7 in his only season as coach.

“This is super big,” Thomas said. “It’s amazing. I’ve been preparing myself for this moment my entire life and I’m blessed and I’m grateful for the opportunity, and I’m ready to put the work in. I’ve got the community behind me, all the alumni, so it’s a big blessing to have this opportunity.”

Thomas is a 2006 graduate of Marion-Franklin. He was a four-year starter at quarterback under coach Brian Haffele.

Thomas, 36, first joined the Marion-Franklin staff as an assistant in 2008, giving him a chance to coach under Haffele. Thomas stepped away from the program after the 2017 season and returned as an assistant in 2023, guiding the quarterbacks and safeties.

Haffele stepped down following the 2018 season, his 14th, and now is a linebackers and special teams coach at Pickerington Central.

“Brian is my mentor,” Thomas said. “… I still talk to him regularly. That’s my guy. He’s helped me a lot.”

Thomas was named Division III Assistant Coach of the Year by the Central District Football Coaches Association in 2013. The Red Devils went 12-2 that year, reaching a state semifinal.

“Coach Raymond has a passion for football, but most importantly he knows our students and community,” athletic director George Gamble II said. “He has helped Marion-Franklin create a football tradition as a player and assistant coach.”

Dubbed “Big Play Ray” during his time as Marion-Franklin’s quarterback, Thomas wants to live up to the nickname as the Red Devils’ head coach.

“I got that nickname back in high school during my playing days and it’s carried on for a while,” Thomas said. “I hope we can make a lot of big plays.”

Thomas lives in Columbus with his wife, Tiara, and son, Jo’Sean, who is a senior at Groveport.

“The kids know,” Thomas said. “They’re all ecstatic. They’ve been calling me and texting me and they’re ready to go to work.”