North Oconee football coach says team’s strength could also be its weakness
Credit: Stan Awtrey
Today’s Four Questions interviewee is North Oconee coach Tyler Aurandt, whose team is the defending Class 4A champion. Aurandt became North Oconee’s coach in 2017 following an 0-10 season. North Oconee is 75-26 overall under Aurandt and 50-6 over the past four seasons.
1. Looking back on 2024, what was legacy/story of North Oconee’s first state championship team?
“After having some time to reflect on our season, I felt like the story of last year’s team was their toughness and determination to achieve something that had never been done before at our school. I felt like and still feel like 4A is one of the deepest if not the deepest classification in terms of quality football teams and previous state champions. You look at the 4A bracket last year and there were several programs that had won at least one state championship in the last 10 years either in 4A, 5A or 6A. I just felt like last year’s team did a great job of fighting through adversity and never losing focus of the task at hand.”
Note: North Oconee defeated Ware County, Cartersville, Blessed Trinity and Marist over the final four rounds. Those opponents have won seven state championships in the past 10 seasons, each with at least one title.
2. What’s the scouting report on this team? What are the strengths/areas of concern?
“As with every year, this is a new team with new challenges. This team hasn’t played a game yet. I think everyone has their own expectations for this team, but honestly it’s the process that we have put in place as a program and the willingness to meet or exceed the standards that we have inside our program that are going to predict our success this year. The experience that returns on this year’s team could be a strength but could also be a weakness — a strength in the sense that we have guys that have played a lot of snaps and on big stages, but a weakness in the fact that complacency is real and it can be detrimental to the success of our team.”
Note: North Oconee returns nine first-team all-region 8-4A players. They include region player of the year Harrison Faulkner and defensive player of the year Khamari Brooks.
3. Your best-known players are probably Harrison Faulkner and Khamari Brooks. Who are some players that aren’t as well known that you feel people should know about, and what do they bring to the table?
“I feel like there are several players that could be mentioned. They all show up and work hard, but there are two guys that really stand out to me that haven’t gotten the attention that I feel like they deserve. Luke Burnett is a starting linebacker/safety for us. He started in all 15 games last year. He is a great leader and is very passionate about North Oconee and the game of football. The other player that I am excited to watch this fall is one of our offensive tackles, Bryant McCants. He was a starter on our offensive line last year but has had a great offseason. He is really starting to emerge as a leader up front for us, but I really like the way he is going about his business and the consistency with his actions.”
4. North Oconee was your first head-coaching job. What person or coach had the most influence on how you set up the program? “I can’t point to one person in particular, because there have been so many people that I have taken things from over the years. I have had the chance to play and work for some great men that have been highly successful in their careers. Chris Hatcher (Aurandt’s head coach at Valdosta State) and David Dean (Aurandt’s offensive coordinator at Valdosta State), Mickey Conn (former Grayson coach, now on Clemson’s staff) and Eric Godfree (former Parkview coach, now at North Gwinnett) all had a part in who I am as a coach and the way we run our program here at North Oconee, but my dad (Kenny) has had the biggest impact on my life. He has taught me that the real impact that we make is in the way we serve and treat others. He did this through his actions all throughout my childhood, and it is something that I try to emulate daily with everyone I come in contact with.”
About the Author
Todd Holcomb has been a contributor to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1985. He is currently co-founder and editor of Georgia High School Football Daily.
