GHSF Daily asked Georgia head coaches to answer these four questions. We'll report from a different head coach each day.
Derek Cook, Kell
1. Who is/was the most influential person in your coaching career? "Two people are responsible for me becoming a coach. Johnny Caldwell and Ronnie Jackson were two of my high school coaches [at Etowah] that I would say guided me to become a coach. I would say that two people who have been very influential in my career are Steve Brooks [at Clarke Central] and Ed Koester [at Cherokee]. I worked for both of these men early in my career, and they taught me the value of being organized, putting in the necessary time in order to have a chance to be successful and to always love your players but demand their best effort."
2. Who is the best Georgia player you ever faced? "Deshaun Watson of Gainesville in 2012 in the second round of the playoffs. We led the game 35-21 at the half. Deshaun took over in the second half, and they won going away late in the fourth quarter." [Gainesville won 62-41 and went on to win the school's first state title.]
3. What is the best team you ever faced as a coach? "Creekside in 2013. Their OL/DL were immensely talented and they played with great effort. Everything else around the OL/DL reaped the success of those guys."
4. If you were Gary Phillips, the new head of the GHSA, what would be the first rule that you would try to change? "I'd like for the GHSA to revisit the consequences of the 'intent to deceive' rule. Currently, it is only a 15-yard penalty if the officials catch the violation. I believe it should be significantly more harsh because of the impact these types of plays can have on the outcome of a game." [The intent-to-deceive rule outlaws behavior designed to make a defense think that a snap is not imminent. An example would be a snap to a running back after a quarterback pulls up from under center and walks toward the sideline pretending to get a play.]
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