Rabun County hires alum Gillespie as football coach
Rance Gillespie, a 21-year head coach in Georgia, is Rabun County’s new football coach. The northeast Georgia mountain school made the announcement Monday.
Gillespie, a Rabun County alumnus, is a 21-year Georgia head coach with stops at five schools, most notably Peach County, where he won two state titles.
Gillespie was Georgia Southern’s offensive coordinator over separate stings in 2007-09 and 2016. He was head coach at Hart County (2017-21), Valdosta (2010-15), Peach (2001-06) and Banks County (1999-2000).
He left public schools in 2022 to coach at Brookstone, a GIAA school in Columbus.
Gillespie has won a state title, reached a semifinal or attained a 10-win season in all of his previous coaching stops except the first one at Banks.
His career coaching record is 170-91.
He played at Rabun County in the 1980s and was a four-year walk-on at Georgia.
Rabun County was 27-10 in three seasons under Michael Davis and 6-5 in 2024. Davis announced his retirement last month, though indicated that he wanted to stay on.
Rabun County has become a state power over the past decade with stars such as Atlanta Falcons player Charlie Woerner and Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton.
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.
