The number of high school football coaching changes is now over 40 (list below). Here are are few of the recent hirings and openings.
Rance Gillespie, recently let go after one season as Georgia Southern’s co-offensive coordinator, is the new head coach at Hart County.
Gillespie won state titles at Peach County in 2005 and 2006 and was Valdosta’s head coach from 2010 to 2015 before going back into the college ranks. Gillespie’s high school record is 119-51. At Hart County, Gillespie will be nearer his native Rabun County. He will replace the retiring William DeVane. Hart County was 11-2 as recently as 2014 but 1-9 in 2016.
The Camden County job is open. Camden has made Welton Coffey its athletics director, and Coffey will relinquish his head football coaching duties. Coffey will replace the retiring A.D. Gary Blount. Coffey has been at Camden since 2006. Camden was 27-16 in four seasons under Coffey, 2-7 in 2016.
Shaw has promoted Al Pellegrino to replace Chuck Stamey, who was 6-15 at the Columbus school. Pellegrino, Shaw’s athletics director, has been a head coach at Georgia schools Heritage (Conyers), East Hall and Savannah. He had been an assistant at Sycamore in Tennessee before returning to Georgia last summer.
Statesboro has hired Tattnall County coach Jeff Kaiser to replace Steve Pennington, who stepped down after 13 seasons. Kaiser was 62-55 in 11 seasons at Tattnall County, a program that hadn’t had a winning season in nine years before he arrived. Pennington won a state title at Statesboro in 2005. The program was only 4-26 the past three seasons.
New coaches:
Carver (Columbus) hired Calvin Arnold to replace Dremail King)
Cedartown hired Doyle Kelley to replace Scott Hendrix)
Central (Carrollton) hired Darius Smiley to replace Larry Kesler
Coahulla Creek hired Caleb Bagley to replace Chad Barger
East Paulding hired Billy Shackelford to replace Jon Lindsey
Gilmer promoted Casey Wingard, who had been interim coach for the final seven games
Hart County hired Rance Gillespie to replace William Devane
Pacelli hired Mark LeGreeto replace Buster Connally
Shaw hired Al Pellegrino to replace Chuck Stamey
Statesboro hired Jeff Kaiser to replace Steve Pennington
Villa Rica hired Rico Zackery to replace Chad Frazier
Still open:
Appling County: J.T. Pollock
Baconton Charter: Johnny Hayes
Bleckley County: Tracy White
Bradwell Institute: Greg Hill
Brunswick: Larry Harold
Buford: Jess Simpson
Camden County: Welton Coffey
Campbell: Ryan Brady
Claxton: Rodrick Williams
Dutchtown: Mark Myers
East Coweta: Steve Pardue
Flowery Branch: Chris Griffin
Forest Park: Dale Myers
Haralson County: Frank Vohun
Hebron Christian: Kevin Shaffer
Jeff Davis: Ed Lovvorn
M.L. King: Nicolas Kashama
Monroe Area: Joey Sulkowski
North Oconee: Terry Tuley
Northview: Chad Davenport
Perry: Carl Dixon
Pope: Kyle Adkins
South Cobb: Sherrod Rainge
Southwest DeKalb: Fletcher Salter
Sprayberry: Billy Shackelford
Strong Rock Christian: Tommy Webb
Tattnall County: Jeff Kaiser
Therrell: Dominic Callaway
Union Grove: Craig Melton
White County: Bill Ballard
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