Rush Propst would take ‘a serious look’ at return to South Georgia

Rush Propst is back contending for Alabama state championships — and has eyes on what’s next.

Propst, whose Coosa Christian team will play for the AHSAA Class 2A title Friday, expressed his interest in a return to South Georgia, according to ITG Next.

“My coaching juices are flowing, and I want to continue to coach. I have two grandchildren in South Georgia that I miss, and want to spend time with again,” Propst told ITG Next.

“I feel like South Georgia is home. We lived there a long time, and had a lot of success, so if I get an opportunity to come back, I’ll take a serious look at it.”

Propst told ITG Next that he has offers for next season but would not say if those opportunities were in Georgia.

“I’ll just have to wait and see what happens,” he said. “I’ll wrap up things with Coosa Christian, and see what my plans are.”

Coosa Christian hired Propst as its interim coach in August after it suspended former coach Mark O’Bryant for the season. O’Bryant was suspended for allegedly misrepresenting how many games an ineligible player participated in last year, according to MaxPreps.

Coosa Christian was Propst’s seventh head coaching job in Alabama and his ninth overall.

Propst led Coosa Christian — which he said has “about 18 players that are high school age” — to an 8-2 season. The Conquerors lost to Pierce County (Georgia) and Pell City, where Propst coached in 2023, to open the season. They have won every game since, including a 17-0 quarterfinal win over 2024 state runner-up Tuscaloosa Academy.

Coosa Christian will face Lannett, which beat reigning Class 2A champion Reeltown in the semifinals, for the state title.

Propst is chasing his sixth Alabama state championship. He won five with Hoover between 2000 and 2005.

His tenure at Hoover gained national attention when it was featured on the MTV series “Two-a-Days.”

Propst left Hoover for Colquitt County in 2008. He led the Packers to two GHSA Class 6A championships, in 2014 and 2015.

His time at Colquitt County was marred with controversy.

In 2016, Propst was reprimanded for inappropriate physical contact with a Colquitt County player, according to WALB.

Propst was relieved of his duties in 2019 in a unanimous vote by the Colquitt County Board of Education. An investigation afterward confirmed he had violated the Code of Ethics for Educators in several ways.

Propst also coached at Valdosta in 2020 and led the Wildcats to the state semifinals. However, Valdosta was ordered to forfeit seven victories from that season and was banned from the 2021 postseason, along with other penalties, for use of ineligible players.