Josh Furtado walked the halls of Ryle High School as a student four years ago. On July 1, he walked back in as the Raiders' athletic director.

Furtado, a 2022 Ryle graduate, was named to the position on April 22, and officially started the job at the beginning of July. He replaces Mike Woolf, who retired after holding the role since 2022.

Furtado's path back to Union was unconventional. After playing two seasons of varsity baseball for the Raiders, he started his college career at Transylvania University before transferring to Morehead State as a sophomore. He studied business management and pitched as a reliever for the Eagles baseball team, logging 11.1 innings in his final season.

Principal Matt Shafer said Furtado's connection to the school made the difference.

"His passion and love for Ryle is what truly made him stand out in our interview process," Shafer said in an April statement. "We are looking forward to his energy and technological savvy to help modernize our athletic program and promote all 31 of our sports as we continue to grow."

The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Furtado was so flooded with congratulatory texts after the 4 p.m. April 22 announcement that he couldn't keep up with them all. He was coaching a Morehead State practice at the time.

Ryle, located in Union, enrolls about 2,100 students and fields 31 sports programs. Furtado now oversees all of them as the 2026-27 school year gets underway.