Former Georgia Tech DE gets job at Locust Grove, hopes to build on region title
Anthony Williams, the former Georgia Tech defensive end hired this month as Locust Grove’s football coach, is inheriting a team coming off its first region title in history.
It’s also a team coming off eight forfeits levied in the offseason for alleged recruiting last year. Williams says the forfeits are behind the team.
“I haven’t heard any players or previous coaches talking about it,” Williams said. “I think it’s in the past for the kids, like it didn’t even happen in their mind.”
Williams was approved for the job April 13, just a day before the team’s spring game. Locust Grove is among the last schools to hire a coach for the 2026 season. Only three jobs (Groves, Crawford County, Pataula Charter) remain open among 94 openings.
Locust Grove was 9-2 last season and won Region 2-4A. Gone from that team are eight of its nine first-team all-region players, including region offensive player of the year Armond Parker, now at Florida A&M, and region defensive player of the year Bryce Robinson, now at Virginia.
The first-team returnee is Timi Aliu, a top-300 national prospect who plays tackle. He committed to Nebraska this week. Locust Grove returns four of its five second-team all-region players.
“It’s just about putting the pieces together,” Williams said. “We lost some really good dudes, but there’s still some really good dudes here. The big thing is Locust Grove is its own community with a lot of home-grown kids who love being here. They are see a lot of players go off to college, setting examples for our young guys, and they want to be the next guy.”
Williams got into coaching at Locust Grove in 2017 and worked on staffs at Eastside (2021-23), Flowery Branch (2024) and Piedmont Academy (2025), most recently as a defensive coordinator.
He played high school ball at Union Grove, another Henry County school, and calls his return to his home county and the school that gave him his first coaching job “a full-circle moment.”
Williams graduated from Georgia Tech in 2014 after playing three seasons. He played his final season at Troy as a graduate student.
Locust Grove improved from 0-10, to 1-9, to 5-5, to 9-2 under the previous coach, Garry Fisher, who resigned in February.
Fisher, who has joined Lovejoy’s staff, said his resignation was unrelated to the forfeits and called the GHSA’s ruling unjust.
About the Author
Todd Holcomb covers high school sports across the state. He rejoined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2025 and has worked with the AJC in varying capacities since 1985. He is a co-founder and editor of Georgia High School Football Daily.
