List: Title-winning coaches who took college jobs
Bill Stewart and Tim McFarlin are the most recent former Georgia high school football coaches who have taken college jobs not long after winning state championships. Here are other state-winning GHSA coaches who have moved into college positions this century, listed under the first college programs that hired them. Shown with them are their championship teams..
Auburn
Dell McGee, 2007 Carver (Columbus)
Charlotte
Adam Clack, 2018 Milton
Clemson
Mickey Conn, 2011 Grayson
Coastal Carolina
Joey King, 2015-16 Cartersville
Georgia Southern
Rance Gillespie, 2005-06 Peach County
Milan Turner, 2007 ECI
Georgia
Olten Downs, 2013 Creekside
Georgia State
Jess Simpson, 2007-10, 2012-14 Buford
Jimmy Smith, 2016, 2018 Cedar Grove
Georgia Tech
Tim McFarlin, 2006 Roswell, 2018-20 Blessed Trinity
Bill Stewart, 2017 North Gwinnett
Kentucky
Steve Pardue, 2001, 2003-04 LaGrange
Ohio State
Miguel Patrick, 2019 Cedar Grove
Tennessee Tech
Jeff Herron 1999 Oconee County, 2003, 2008-09 Camden County, 2016 Grayson
Virginia
Chris Slade, 2015 Pace Academy
Notes: McGee is now at Georgia. Clack coaches in Europe. King (Carrollton), Gillespie (Brookstone), Downs (New Manchester) and Herron (Camden County) are Georgia high school head coaches again. Turner became a head coach at Hanahan in South Carolina this offseason. Pardue is head coach of an eight-man team at Springwood in Alabama. Smith was named Arkansas’ associate head coach this spring. Simpson is Duke’s associate head coach. Patrick is UAB’s defensive line coach after spending a season as an Ohio State quality control assistant. The others remain with the college programs that hired them.
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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.
