4 HS football teams make recent hires; only 3 remain without coaches

Locust Grove, South Atlanta, LaFayette and Jordan have made football hires the past two weeks, leaving only three GHSA football programs without head coaches. There have been 91 reported hires this offseason.

Locust Grove’s new coach is Anthony Williams, a former Georgia Tech and Troy defensive end. Williams has worked on staffs at Eastside (2021-23), Flowery Branch (2024) and Piedmont Academy (2025).

Locust Grove finished 9-2 and won its first region title in history last season, although the GHSA overturned eight of the victories in the offseason over undue influence recruiting violations that occurred in 2025.

Locust Grove improved from 0-10, to 1-9, to 5-5, to 9-2 under the previous coach, Garry Fisher, who said his February resignation was unrelated to the forfeits and called the GHSA’s ruling unjust.

South Atlanta promoted defensive coordinator Keith Whatley, also the school’s track-and-field coach. Whatley will replace Jeff Franklin, whose teams were 13-20 in three seasons in Class 2A.

LaFayette, a Class 3A school, promoted defensive coordinator Lee Bohannon, who joined the staff in February.

Bohannon, a 1983 LaFayette graduate, has coached high school football for 36 years. He’s worked on staffs of several other northwest Georgia schools including Cedartown, Ringgold, Gordon Lee and Gordon Central.