Syracuse men’s lacrosse DC John Odierna to become Fairfield head coach
SU men’s lacrosse defensive coordinator John Odierna has accepted the head coaching position at Fairfield, Inside Lacrosse reported Monday. Eli Schwartz | Asst. Photo Editor
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Syracuse men’s lacrosse defensive coordinator John Odierna has accepted the head coaching position at Fairfield University, Inside Lacrosse’s Terry Foy reported Monday. Odierna replaces outgoing Stags’ head coach Andrew Baxter, who left the program on May 5 for the head coaching position at The Taft School (Connecticut).
Odierna spent three seasons as Syracuse’s defensive coordinator, helping rebuild a unit that went 2-10 in Atlantic Coast Conference play under Dave Pietramala’s stewardship in 2022 and 2023.
Odierna’s intense preparation and defensive philosophy — partially inspired by the blockbuster film “Step Brothers” — helped him thrive at SU. The defensive coordinator arrived with his “Enterprise Defense,” which allowed players to take charge of how they wanted to defend and adapted his scheme to fit each matchup.
The Orange won at least 12 games in all of Odierna’s seasons on staff, advancing to Championship Weekend in 2025 and 2026. This past season, he helped rebuild Syracuse’s short-stick defensive midfield unit by adding Ohio State transfer Dante Bowen. He also helped Chuck Kuczynski battle back from injury to emerge as a breakout long-stick midfielder.
Before coming to Syracuse, Odierna spent the 2023 season as Manhattan’s head coach. The former Gettysburg defender led the Jaspers to a 10-5 record in 2023, claiming the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season championship. Manhattan’s defense allowed the fewest goals per game in the nation that year, sparking Odierna’s move to SU.
Now, with his second Division I head-coaching opportunity, Odierna takes over a Fairfield program that won 12 games in 2025 but went 4-10 in 2026. IL reported he beat out Richmond assistant Paul Richards and Penn State assistant John Haus for the job. He’ll work with Stags’ star defender Julian Radossich, who led the team with 39 caused turnovers this spring.
