Melbourne Central Catholic (FL) tabs Ryan Schnieder as next HFC

Melbourne Central Catholic (Fla.) football made a blockbuster hiring official on Wednesday for its vacant head coaching position.

According to sources, former Cocoa (Fla.) head coach Ryan Schneider has been tabbed to become the next lead man of Hustlers’ football program. Schneider guided the Cocoa Tigers to three straight FHSAA state championships from 2022-24.

Schneider, who was hired at Cocoa back in the spring of 2018, previously held the role of offensive coordinator at Melbourne Central Catholic and national powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas, respectively.

Once Schneider took over at Cocoa, it was for the most part a seamless transition for the program that had already won four state titles before he ever got there. Schneider never had a losing season under his watch, recording five double-digit victory seasons and winning state titles in 2022 (2S), 2023 (2S) and 2024 (2A).

This past 2025 campaign was by far the most challenging of Schnieder’s tenure with the Tigers as the team started off 2-4 before reeling off six straight victories en route to making it back the Final Four. Cocoa finished this past 2025 season with a 8-5 record and reached the Class 2A state semifinals, falling to eventual 2A champion Cardinal Mooney, 40-0.

Schneider inherits a Melbourne Central Catholic program that reached the Class 1A playoffs last season, losing to Carrollwood Day School, 49-6. The Hustlers have been up and down the last four years, recording two winning campaigns (9-3, 8-3) and two below .500 campaigns (3-8, 2-8).

The Hustlers ended up finishing this past season with a 3-8 record and as the No. 198 ranked team in the state, according to the final Florida 2025 High School Football Massey Rankings.

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