Grayson football stays in house for its next head football coach

LOGANVILLE — Grayson has promoted defensive coordinator Greg Carswell to head coach.

Grayson football players, coaches and other guests erupted when Carswell’s elevation was announced Thursday in the school’s theater. The Rams’ new leader flashed his 2024 state championship ring with one fist and pumped the other as he emerged in front of the crowd.

“It feels great. I feel like it’d hurt me in my heart for anybody else to be leading these young men outside of somebody that’s been here with them and loving them,” Carswell said.

Carswell’s promotion follows former coach Santavious Bryant’s resignation to take the head job at Gainesville. Bryant led the Rams for the last three seasons, including a 15-0 state championship season in 2024.

Bryant returned to Gainesville, where he was an assistant coach in 2022 before Grayson hired him. The Gainesville job opened up Jan. 5 when former coach Josh Niblett resigned to be an assistant coach for the University of Colorado, according to The Denver Post.

Carswell has been a Grayson assistant coach for the last three seasons. Previously the defensive line coach at Gainesville with Bryant, he also left after the 2022 season to help coach the Rams.

Carswell first came to Grayson as an assistant coach in 2018. He was encouraged to see a lot of the same faces in the auditorium for his introduction.

“I have guys whose little brothers were 6 years old when I was first in this program,” Carswell said. “I had families I’ve known for a very long time, so being from six different seasons from 2018 to now is just special.”

Carswell has also been on staffs at Colquitt County and his alma mater, Warner Robins.

Carswell has developed some of the top defenders in the country over the last three seasons. AJC Super 11 selection and University of Texas linebacker Tyler Atkinson and 4-star Ole Miss linebacker Anthony Davis Jr. headlined a ferocious defense that allowed just over 10 points per game.

Grayson finished 2025 at 12-1, falling short of defending its Class 6A state title with a quarterfinal loss at Carrollton. The Rams were ranked No. 1 in the country by several national polls for much of the season.

Grayson has taken a different approach with Carswell and Bryant than it did with the head coaches before them. Grayson’s last three hires before Bryant — Jeff Herron, Christian Hunnicutt and Adam Carter — all had at least one season as a head coach before taking the Grayson job. Grayson’s first coach, Mickey Conn, was the last first-time head coach before Bryant.

Carswell is the first coach to be promoted from within at Grayson, which he believes will serve him well as he takes the program over.

“With turnover and new staff changes, I think the hardest thing is coming in and building relationships with the community and bridging the gap between the community and the school,” Carswell said. “And the staff and administration, well, I’ve been working with these people for a long time, so I’m thankful and honored to be able to continue what we’ve already been working on.

“It’s not like it’s going to be a sudden change. It’s just going to be a continuous growth and success in elevating what we’ve done so far.”

Carswell is the sixth head coach in program history. Four of Grayson’s previous five coaches won a state title, with Hunnicutt (2017-2018) being the only former coach without one.