North Paulding is looking for a head football coach while Hillgrove, Lambert, West Forsyth and Denmark are closing in on theirs. The staff of Lowndes could be losing to high-ranking staff members as a result.
At North Paulding, Jim Bob Bryant has resigned and will accept a head-coaching position nearer his native North Carolina.
“I’ve accepted the job in theory but can’t make it public,’’ Bryant told AJC.com. “I wanted to help North Paulding as best I could and went ahead and resigned early because if I stayed, they can’t post the job. They’re good people that have been good to me.’’
North Paulding was 7-4 and 6-5 in two seasons under Bryant, who won three state titles as a head coach in North Carolina while at Havelock High.
Lambert, West Forsyth and Denmark – all Forsyth County schools – are set to approve recommended head coaches at a school board meeting Tuesday, according to Nathan Turner, Forsyth Schools athletic director.
Turner would not comment on prospective hires, but other multiple sources have tied Lowndes assistant Tommy Watson to the Lambert job.
Watson was head coach at Upson-Lee, his alma mater, from 2008 to 2013 and spent the past five seasons at Lowndes, where he was the run game coordinator and offensive line coach.
Sources also indicate that Lowndes defensive coordinator Byron Slack has been recommended for the Hillgrove opening, pending board approval. Slack was on Camden County’s staff from 2005 through 2011, during which the Wildcats won two state titles under coach Jeff Herron.
Lowndes has a new head coach, Jamie Dubose, who has replaced the retiring Randy McPherson. Dubose was most previously head coach at Central in Phenix City, Ala.
Meanwhile, West Forsyth is likely to hire a current head coach from a nearby metro Atlanta school while Denmark has not settled on a leading candidate, according to sources.
Below are reported head coaching openings this off-season:
Alpharetta- Former coach: Jacob Nichols. New coach: Open
Cedartown- Former coach: Doyle Kelley. New coach: Jamie Abrams
Central Gwinnett- Former coach: Todd Wofford. New coach: Jason Thompson
Chattahoochee County- Former coach: Jody Allen. New coach: Pierre Coffey
Chattooga- Former coach: Charles Hammon. New coach: Shawn Peek
Coahulla Creek- Former coach: Caleb Bagley. New coach: Danny Wilson
Coosa- Former coach: Todd Wheeler. New coach: Joey Mathis
Dade County- Former coach: Dale Pruitt. New coach: Open
Decatur- Former coach: Cody Cory. New coach: Open
Denmark- Former coach: Terry Crowder. New coach: Open
Dooly County- Former coach: Ashley Harden. New coach: Phillip Hale
Druid Hills- Former coach: Rosaria Rice. New coach: Open
Forest Park- Former coach: Gerren Griffin. New coach: Open
Hillgrove- Former coach: Phillip Ironside. New coach: Open
irwin County: Former coach: Buddy Nobles. New coach: Casey Soliday
Islands- Former coach: Robert Zoller. New coach: Open
King's Ridge- Former coach: Jeff Pickren. New coach: Terry Crowder
KIPP Atlanta Collegiate- Former coach: James Briscoe. New coach: Coy Brown
LaGrange- Former coach: Chuck Gibbs. New coach: Matt Napier
Lakeview Academy- Former coach: Deuce Roark. New coach: Lee Shaw
Lambert- Former coach: Louis Daniel. New coach: Open
Lincoln County- Former coach: Michael Pollock. New coach: Lee Chomskis
Loganville- Former coach: Mike Humphreys. New coach: Open
Lowndes- Former coach: Randy McPherson. New coach: Jamie Dubose
Luella- Former coach: Jason Jackson. New coach: Open
Manchester- Former coach: Evan Hochstetler. New coach: James Moore
Mount Zion-Jonesboro- Former coach: Kevin Jones. New coach: Open
North Paulding- Former coach: Jim Bob Bryant. New coach: Open
Northside-Columbus - Former coach: Dave Nurnberg. New coach: Andrew Oropeza
Northside-Warner Robins - Former coach: Kevin Kinsler. New coach: Chad Alligood
Providence Christian- Former coach: Parker Conley. New coach: Open
Redan- Former coach: Rahman Sparks. New coach: Open
Savannah- Former coach: Rebel Green. New coach: Michael Moore
Social Circle- Former coach: Chad Estes. New coach: Open
South Paulding- Former coach: Jason Thompson. New coach: Jason Nash
Southeast Whitfield- Former coach: Sean Gray. New coach: Todd Murray
Spalding- Former coach: Jeff Hammond. New coach: Open
Tatnall County- Former coach: Nick Tatum. New coach: Ike Ferrell
Tri-Cites- Former coach: Terrence Banks. New coach: Open
Turner County- Former coach: Nick Hayes. New coach: Kevious Johnson
Union Grove- Former coach: Chad Frazier. New coach: Casey Smith
Valdosta- Former coach: Alan Rodemaker . New coach: Open
Vidalia- Former coach: Lee Chomskis. New coach: Open
Walker- Former coach: Matt Casper. New coach: Open
West Forsyth- Former coach: Shawn Cahill. New coach: Open
Wheeler County- Former coach: Timothy McArthur. New coach: Thomas Smith
Whitewater- Former coach: Bryan Holley. New coach: Chad Frazier
Wilkinson County- Former coach: Keldrick Burke. New coach: Open
Windsor Forest- Former coach: Issac Ferrell. New coach: Open
Worth County- Former coach: Frankie Carroll. New coach: Phillip Ironside
