South Atlanta hires Franklin as football coach
South Atlanta hired Jeff Franklin as football coach this week, leaving only eight GHSA jobs unfilled in an offseason that has seen 94 openings.
South Atlanta, a Class 2A school, was perhaps the top job on the board. The Hornets have won three straight region titles and gone 11-2 and 11-1 the past two seasons under Michael Woolridge, who left for Pebblebrook, a Class 7A school in Cobb County.
Franklin, the defensive coordinator at Woodland in Stockbridge last season, is a Chicago native with a diverse coaching background.
He’s coached at South Gwinnett in Georgia, Chicago Bulls Prep in his home state and Bridgton Academy in Maine. He’s made college stops at Holy Cross, Wabash College, Wright State and alma mater Central State and worked internationally for the Milano Daemons in Italy and the Minas Locamotives in Brazil.
That’s since 2009, when he was a star defensive back at Central State, where he was inducted into the school’s sports hall of fame in 2019. He also played two seasons of arena football, winning a pair of Continental Indoor Football League titles.
Jobs still open are Baconton Charter, Berrien, Crawford County, Cross Keys, Greenville, Riverdale, Twiggs County and Wheeler County.
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.
