This is Georgia’s Mount Rushmore of active football coaches, survey says

If Georgia had a Mount Rushmore of high school football coaches, it might include Alan Chadwick of Marist, Joey King of Carrollton, Bryant Appling of Buford and Justin Rogers of Thomas County Central, according to an AJC Varsity survey.

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The AJC reached out to the GHSA’s 413 head coaches beginning in preseason. The survey, which covered many topics, drew 195 respondents.

In one question, coaches were asked to “name the three best active GHSA head coaches or three that you greatly respect.”

Drawing the most votes was Chadwick, with 37, followed by King (27 votes), Appling (25) and Rogers (25).

The next-closest was Paul Standard of Gilmer with 13. Maurice Dixon of Creekside, Shelton Felton of Valdosta and Travis Noland of Jefferson got 12 apiece.

The first four vote-getters have resumes that set them apart.

Chadwick’s career record is 461-85 in a head-coaching career that began in 1984. Fewer than 15 coaches nationwide have won more games, and only one in Georgia. Retired Lincoln County coach Larry Campbell’s state record of 477 wins is in danger.

“Chadwick is a model of consistency and determination,” Blessed Trinity coach Ed Dudley said. “He has a clear vision for the program at Marist and doesn’t waver from it. Marist’s physical style of play in all three phases is trademark. When you turn on the film of Marist, you 100% know you will see hard-hitting defense and offense.”

At Buford, Appling has been a head coach for only eight seasons, but he has won four state titles. He is the only coach in state history to win championships in his first three seasons (2019-21). His 2025 team was the consensus national champion.

Milton coach Ben Reaves was an assistant on the team that lost to Buford in the championship game of Appling’s first season. They’ve split two meetings as head coaches.

“I’ve gotten to know coach (Appling) through our recent battles on the field but also on a more personal level when we attend the Coaching Summits that Nike flies the 47 Nike Elite Coaches out to,” Reaves said. “When he walks into a room, there is a presence about him that demands respect, so I can only imagine how locked in his players and coaches are to him when he speaks and coaches. But I think his secret sauce is there is a championship-level standard he seems to coach and live his life by each and every day, and he doesn’t waver from that regardless of situation or circumstance.”

King, Carrollton’s coach since 2021, began his head coaching career at Cartersville, where he won two state titles with Trevor Lawrence as his quarterback. King has been the fastest Georgia coach in history to 50 wins (50-2) and to 100 wins (100-8). His current Carrollton team is 8-0 and ranked No. 2 behind Buford in Class 7A.

Conor Foster was King’s defensive coordinator for Cartersville’s 2015 and 2016 state championship teams and succeeded King in 2019.

“Joey King is fueled by an infinite goal. There is no finish line for excellence,” Foster said. “Every meeting, practice and workout is an opportunity to improve. He dominates the details in preparation.”

Rogers, in his fifth season in Thomas County Central, has won two state titles, and his current team is 8-0 and ranked No. 1 in Class 6A. Rogers’ Thomas County Central record (61-3, .953 winning percentage) represents the best five-year start in history for a Georgia coach at a new school.

Woodward Academy coach John Hunt’s team has lost in the playoffs two of the past five seasons to Thomas County Central, including the 2023 Class 6A championship game. Thomas County Central scored 49 points in both.

“The most impressive thing about his teams is his offense,” Hunt said. “They are extremely surgical in how they attacked our defense. They did not just overwhelm you with talent like they do on defense. They are just so well coached. They uncover any weakness in your defense, whether it be personnel or scheme. They then surgically wear you out. It is truly impressive.”

At least one vote went to 113 coaches.

Here are the full vote totals.