Johns Hopkins University Athletics

Updated:  August 29, 2025
First Day at Johns Hopkins: August 1, 2014

Dan Wodicka, a 2014 Johns Hopkins graduate and a standout wide receiver during his playing days for the Blue Jays, was named the University’s James F. Margraff Head Coach of Football on February 1, 2024.  Wodicka is the 28th head coach in Johns Hopkins history.

In his first season at the helm in 2024, Wodicka promptly guided the Blue Jays to a 12-2 record, the program’s 17th Centennial Conference title and a run to the NCAA Semifinals.    

The 12 wins the Blue Jays amassed in Wodicka’s first season tied the program single-season record and the trip to the NCAA Semifinals was the second in program history.  Johns Hopkins ended the 2024 season ranked third in both major national polls (AFCA, D3football.com) for the highest rankings in school history.  The Blue Jays spent Wodicka’s entire first season ranked in the top 25 in the nation.

During 11 seasons with the program (four as a player, six as an assistant coach, one as head coach), Wodicka has helped Johns Hopkins to a record of 112-18 (.862), nine Centennial Conference titles, nine trips to the NCAA Playoffs and two Centennial-MAC Bowl victories.

Prior to  becoming the head coach, Wodicka spent two seasons the team’s defensive coordinator.  In addition to his two seasons as the defensive coordinator, Wodicka spent three years as the team’s special teams coordinator and defensive line coach (2019-21) and two years as the wide receivers coach (2014-15).

Wodicka was promoted to defensive coordinator after the 2021 season and promptly led a defense that helped Johns Hopkins to a combined record of 22-2 with one Centennial Conference Championship (2023), a trip to the NCAA Quarterfinals (2023) and a Centennial-MAC Bowl victory (2022) during the 2022 and 2023 seasons.  Johns Hopkins posted a 12-1 record, won the program’s 16th Centennial Conference title and made the run to the NCAA Quarterfinals in 2023.

Under Wodicka’s direction, the 2022 Blue Jay defense ranked 17th in the nation in rushing defense (73.0), 23rd in scoring defense (14.2) and 24th in total defense (258.5). The 73.7 yards allowed per game on the ground are the fewest in school history.  He followed that with a unit that allowed just 20.1 points and 325.8 yards per game during the 2023 season, when the Blue Jays played a schedule that ranked as the third most difficult in the nation.  The Johns Hopkins defense finished 17th in the nation in interceptions (17) and 23rd in sacks per game (3.0) in 2023.

Wodicka began his coaching career as a member of Jim Margraff’s staff in 2014 and 2015.  During his first stint on the staff, he helped the Blue Jays to a 22-2 record, two Centennial Conference titles and two appearances in the second round of the NCAA Playoffs.  Wodicka helped guide an offense that led the Centennial in scoring (37.2, 45.7) and total offense (434.4, 505.8) in 2014 and 2015 and he coached 2015 Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Bradley Munday.

Wodicka moved to Division II Northern Michigan for the 2016 season. There, he coached the running backs, served as the team’s video coordinator and helped produce the Wildcats’ first 1,000-yard rusher since 2008.

From Northern Michigan, Wodicka moved to Williams College and spent two seasons as the wide receivers and tight ends coach.  The Ephs posted a record of 11-7 in his two seasons there after winning a total of just six games in the previous four years combined.  Wodicka conducted daily positional meetings, assisted in the overall offensive game planning and was heavily involved in Williams’ national recruiting.  He coached First Team All-NESCAC selection Frank Stola in 2018 and developed one of the youngest receiving corps in the league into a unit that contributed 166 receptions for 1,819 yards in 2017.

A native of West Lafayette, Indiana, Wodicka graduated from Johns Hopkins with a degree in biomedical engineering.  As a member of the Blue Jay football team, he earned First Team All-Centennial honors in 2011 and 2012 and second team honors in 2013 and was a two-time D3football.com All-South selection as well.  He concluded his career with 260 receptions for 3,148 yards and 16 touchdowns and was the program’s career receptions leader when he graduated. 

As a player, Wodicka was a member of four Centennial Conference championship teams and helped the Blue Jays to a four-year record of 38-7 and three appearances in the NCAA Playoffs.

Wodicka’s father, George, is a 1982 Johns Hopkins graduate, while his younger sister, Maggie, graduated from Johns Hopkins in 2020 and was a four-year member of the Blue Jay women’s basketball team.

Wodicka and his wife, Maria, live in Baltimore with their infant daughter, Wynnie.