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Monday, August 4, 2008
2008’s best high school football coaching hires: Pilcher, Propst head list
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There have been 95 coaching changes in Georgia high schools since the 2007 season, plus another six schools hired head coaches to start programs. That’s 101 new coaches in all.
Below are the 10 most intriguing coaching hires of the off-season. Here are my questions for you:
Why were there so many changes for 2008? There were only 66 new coaches hired for 2007. Are schools not patient enough with head coaches?
Consider this quote by Wendell Early, new coach at South Forsyth: “A lot of times, communities and administrators or boosters, they all say they’re excited about building character and discipline and helping their kids grow up, but the bottom line is a lot of them really just want to win. … Everyone always thinks the fix is to get a new coach.”
It’s not only schools looking for change. About 25 Georgia coaches moved to other Georgia schools. The turnover is most pronounced in metro Atlanta. In East Cobb, only Walton has held firm lately. Four of the other five schools have new coaches, and the fifth (Sprayberry) got a new coach last season. All have had at least three coaches in the last five years.
Here are my 10 top hires of 2008. Which coaches do you think will have the most impact? Did I forget somebody?
Kenny Barrow, Douglass - One of the top young coaches in metro Atlanta, Barrow is the coach who started M.L. King’s program and took it to the Georgia Dome semifinals in 2004. He had pretty good teams at Mundy’s Mill but never had a breakthrough. Now, he’ll have all the talent in the world at Douglass. He’s replacing Gary Cantrell, who took a job in administration.
Wendell Early, South Forsyth - Early put Berkmar in the playoffs twice in his last four seasons. That’s not an easy place to win. Now, he’ll have more resources and community support at a school that’s struggled the past four seasons and never been a big winner.
Victor Floyd, Brunswick - Floyd was head coach at Chester High in South Carolina and made the Class AAA championship game in his third season. His teams improved each season: 2-9, 6-5, 7-4, 12-3. Brunswick has no shortage of athletes. Remember that this was the last school to beat Parkview in 1999 before the record winning streak.
Kyle Hockman, McEachern - Hockman was 15-7 in two seasons at Campbell in Smyrna. Now, he takes over for a legend in Jimmy Dorsey, who won 219 games in his 24 seasons in Powder Springs. But McEachern was 4-6 in 2007, the school’s first losing season under Dorsey. More than 225 applied at McEachern, probably the most for any vacant job.
David Humphreys, Trion - Trion bottomed out at 2-9 last season just four years after reaching the Class A semifinals and taking Lincoln County to the brink. Humphreys was 42-8 in four seasons at Rome (2001-04) before venturing into the Arena Football League. He was an assistant with the Georgia Force last season. I’d buy stock in Trion right now.
Mitch Olson, Oconee County - Olson comes from California, where he won eight league titles in 21 seasons as head coach. His J.F. Kennedy team last season was 8-4. At Oconee County, he inherits Zach Mettenberger, the state’s top-rated quarterback recruit. He has committed to Georgia. Oconee County has been mediocre (and impatient with coaches) since winning a Class AAA state title in 1999 under Jeff Herron.
Ed Pilcher, Bainbridge - Pilcher made the most startling off-season move in Georgia this year when he left Thomas County Central, where he won five state championships in the 1990s and led the Yellow Jackets to the Class AAAA semifinals in 2007. There were rumors of tension with administration at Central, but Pilcher just said he needed a new challenge. Bainbridge, which went 9-4 last season, is putting tons of money into its athletic facilities and is viewed as a state power in the making. Bainbridge plays at Thomas Central on Nov. 7 in a game may expect will decide Region 1-AAAA. Bill Shaver, Pilcher’s former offensive coordinator, has taken over at Central.
Rush Propst, Colquitt County - The most famous and controversial high school coach in the country, Propst won five state championships at Hoover High of Alabama. He had become a star of the MTV reality TV show, “Two-A-Days,’’ which chronicled Hoover’s 2005 and 2006 seasons. Propst resigned after the 2007 season. There were allegations of professional misconduct, including involvement in a grade-fixing scandal, but nothing was proven, and Propst maintained his innocence.
Jim Showfety, Northview - The former Marist assistant was 12-2 in his only season as Chamblee’s head coach. Now, he’ll bring the option offense to Northview in Alpharetta, which has not had a winning season in its six years of varsity football.
Perry Swindall, LaFayette - Swindall is widely known in Alabama, where won a state title in Alabama at Daleville High in 1992. He was the defensive coordinator at Spain Park (arch-rival to Hoover High) last season. He’s taking over a Georgia program that has won only 26 games the past 10 seasons.
Kick off the debate: You’ve seen Todd’s list. Now give us yours. Which coaches top your list of best new hires? Are you surprised by all the turnover in 2008?
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