GHSA carousel proves defensive coaches are still valued despite NFL trend

Recent NFL coaching carousels have prioritized young, offensive minds, but Georgia high school football doesn’t seem to be as interested.

The NFL’s offensive prodigy craze — which many trace back to the Los Angeles Rams hiring coach Sean McVay in 2017 — revealed itself in Atlanta this year when the Falcons hired offensive mind Kevin Stefanksi.

Since McVay took the bottom-feeding Rams to the 2019 Super Bowl in two seasons, offensive-minded coaches have established themselves at the highest level, such as Kevin O’Connell (Minnesota), Zac Taylor (Cincinnati), Dan Campbell (Detroit), Nick Sirianni (Philadelphia), Dave Canales (Carolina), Matt LaFleur (Green Bay), Liam Coen (Jacksonville) and Ben Johnson (Chicago).

For all the ways that lower levels of football try to emulate the NFL, Georgia high schools don’t appear to be chasing offensive backgrounds with the same ferocity.

Openings at Grayson, Gainesville and Rome have headlined one of the most notable GHSA football coaching carousels in recent history. All three of those schools hired coaches with defensive backgrounds.

Several big programs have hired offensive coaches, too. Former Valdosta State quarterback Tucker Pruitt took over at Camden County and West Forsyth promoted offensive coordinator Jacob Nichols.

But the overarching message is clear: defensive leadership can still win in high school football just as much as their counterparts.

Take the 2025 state championship games. Four of the eight champions were led by coaches with defensive backgrounds, including the biggest title game of the season.

Buford’s elite defense was crucial to its de facto national championship in the Class 6A final. The Wolves, led by former Buford defensive coordinator Bryant Appling, forced five turnovers against a talent-stacked Carrollton offense.

Buford beat Carrollton 28-21 with a game-sealing turnover on downs, and Appling credited his defense and his equally physical offensive attack.

“You might not see it until later on in the season sometimes, but defensive teams usually win championships,” Appling said at Buford’s national championship celebration. “We pride ourselves on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and our defense did a great job from the coaches to the players, but I’m definitely proud of all of them. Our whole line and our running backs have always been a stalwart for us, and they provided the opportunities for us to throw the ball because we could run it really well.

“But yeah, it’s going to take a good defense to win games. You’re not going to win shootouts very much.”

Former NFL linebacker Jarvis Jones also led his team to a defensive state championship win last season. Carver-Columbus held Hapeville Charter to 85 total yards and forced three turnovers in a controlled 24-7 victory.

Class A Division II champion Bowdon won its fourth straight title under the defensive-minded Rich Fendley. The Red Devil defense struggled in a 35-31 win, but they stood strong when it mattered most. Bowdon denied Lincoln County’s attempt at a go-ahead touchdown three yards short of the goal line as time expired.

In the small private school division, former Hebron Christian coach Kenny Dallas’ defense held Calvary Day in check for a 28-21 championship win. The Lions came down with three interceptions, the last of which sealed the program’s second consecutive championship.

Dallas’ defense was elite in his first and only season — the Lions allowed just 17.5 points per game. The veteran coach believes his focus on strong defense spills over to another side of the ball, too.

“Most defensive guys, and I know I’m this way, are also big special teams guys,” Dallas said. “A lot of times, a lot of those defensive kids make up your special teams.

“I got a stat from the NFL from years ago that said most people think the number one reason you win or lose games is turnovers or yards rushing. It was interesting because this article said actually, the number one reason was if somebody got a punt blocked or not.”

Dallas said special teams was crucial to Hebron Christian’s state championship. The Lions’ punt return unit didn’t block a punt, but they nearly reached Calvary Day’s punter twice, causing punts of 17 and 19 yards.

Dallas has watched high school football evolve over his three decades of coaching. But he says elite defense combined with strong special teams and physical offense has never failed him.

“I think there are some concepts of the game that are just never going to change,” Dallas said. “Generally, the most physical team wins. Generally, the team that doesn’t make the most mistakes — therefore the most disciplined team — wins.

“I think at the end of the day, it matters who can run the football and who can stop the run. Who turns the ball over and who doesn’t.”

New Brunswick coach Byron Slack would love to see his own program follow suit in his first season. The former Cook coach plans to implement a fast style of defense — in more ways than one.

Like many defensive coaches, Slack preaches the need for speed on defense. Quickly reading and reacting to an offense is a cornerstone of defensive success.

But Slack also wants his defensive scheme to be quickly teachable. He believes a simple system will help players acclimate themselves quicker in the offseason.

“When I go in as a defensive coach, the first thing I want to do is get our base defense, and we’re going to line up, and we should be able to play that to everything,” Slack said. “A lot of offensive guys want to get in there, and they want to have the entire offense installed on the first day of spring or whatnot.

“I am not afraid to go in there and watch film and say, ‘You know what? We’re going to stick with these same three calls tomorrow. We’re not running anything else.’”

Slack believes it’s easier to build a program from a defensive background than an offensive background. Good defense allows a margin for offensive mistakes and creates a physical approach that benefits the entire program.

“You don’t want to hang your hat on, ‘Hey, if you mess up, just go hit somebody in the mouth with an opposite-colored jersey on,’ but on defense, that’s kind of the fail-safe,” Slack said. “I always tell the guys if you’ve got an option, you take the most violent one if you’re on defense.”

Class 6A’s previous champion, Grayson, has built a similar winning culture on physicality. First-year head coach Greg Carswell was Grayson’s defensive coordinator when the Rams capped a 15-0 season with the 2024 Class 6A title.

Carswell, who was promoted to head coach on Jan. 15, saw the Rams’ fast physicality on defense shape a similar approach on offense.

“Every defensive-minded guy is going to want to be able to control the game, and the way you control the football game is through running the ball,” Carswell said.