Craig Yeast Starts New Journey At KWC
Yeast: ‘I’m Forever Grateful To Harrodsburg’
Harrodsburg High School football legend Craig Yeast was named head coach of the Kentucky Wesleyan College football program on Monday, Dec. 3.
Arpan Dixit
Herald Staff
sports@harrodsburgherald.com
Harrodsburg High School football legend Craig Yeast has found a new home.
Rob Mallory, director of Athletics at Kentucky Wesleyan College, announced on Monday, Dec. 3, that Yeast will be taking over the head coaching position in Owensboro.
This is Yeast’s first head coaching job at the college level.
“I’m extremely excited to be the head coach at Kentucky Wesleyan,” said Yeast. “My family and I are happy to be back home in the state of Kentucky.”
After graduating from Harrodsburg in 1994, Yeast went on to play at the University of Kentucky from 1995-1998. He finished his UK career with three career records, which still hold today: most receptions (208), yards (2,899) and touchdown receptions (28). He received many collegiate honors such as Third Team All-American by College Football News, two All-SEC awards in 1997 and 1998, and was a semi-finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given to the top receiver in college football.
He concluded his college career with the most receptions in SEC history, as well as holding the ninth spot for most yards, the fifth spot for catches and still ranks eighth all-time in the SEC in touchdowns.
After Yeast graduated from UK in 1998, he was drafted in the fourth round by the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL. After a small stint in the Queen City, Yeast spent one season with the New York Jets back in 2001. He also spent time in the Canadian Football League (CFL) playing for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
After his playing career ended in 2006, Yeast returned to the sidelines.
He coached as an assistant for Lincoln County, Marion County and Washington County before landing his first head coaching job.
He returned to Lexington and became the head coach at Bryan Station High School. After one season at Bryan Station, Yeast was hired as wide receivers coach at Tiffin University, a Division II school in northern Ohio. After spending two seasons there, he took the head coaching job at Fremont Ross High School, about 30 minutes from Tiffin.
After his stint at Fremont Ross, Yeast took the job as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Franklin College in Indiana, and stayed at that position from 2016-2018 before taking the job at Kentucky Wesleyan.
Yeast said he wouldn’t be in the position he is in today if not for the support of his family, mainly his wife, Tori.
“My wife and kids have been very supportive throughout this whole process. My wife was the biggest supporter for pushing me towards the position at KWC,” said Yeast. “She and our kids have been awesome throughout the whole process and with the transformation.”
Yeast has two children, Russ, who played cornerback at the University of Louisville in 2017-2018, and 16-year-old Kiyah.
Despite having moved around after his college days, Yeast will always appreciate the support he’s received from Harrodsburg.
“I am forever grateful to the Harrodsburg folks. I would not be where I am today without so many wonderful people who helped me along the way,” he said. “I will be back in the area recruiting the next generation of home grown talent in the near future.”
To learn more, check out this week’s issue of the Harrodsburg Herald.
