Of the 412 football programs in the GHSA, 90 hired new head coaches during the offseason. That’s about 1 in 4.5, which is a little more stable than the 1-in-4 ratio of the NFL and NCAA FBS division this offseason.
Of the 90 schools that changed coaches, 59 had losing records. Nine were 0-10. There were 27 head coaches who took head coaching positions elsewhere.
It’s not always a case of a bigger job, though. In a pair of surprising moves, Jeff Herron of mega-power Camden County downsized to Class A Prince Avenue Christian, while Ed Pilcher of Bainbridge moved to long-suffering Berrien. Those coaches have won nine state titles between them.
Colleges also lure top Georgia coaches. Auburn added Dell McGee of Carver (Columbus) to its staff. Kennesaw State’s new program nabbed Grant Chestnut of Central of Carroll County and Tim Glanton of South Paulding.
Then, there are the coaches lucky enough to finish their careers on their own terms. About eight coaches retired and two were especially noteworthy.
T. McFerrin went out on top at Jefferson, winning a state championship to cap a career that began in 1968. McFerrin was head coach at eight Georgia high schools and led five to the state semifinals or better.
Buck Godfrey won 273 games, the most of any coach in DeKalb County history. Godfrey was a head coach for 30 seasons, all at one school: Southwest DeKalb.
Godfrey was a beacon from a more stable time in high school sports. But McFerrin was a reminder that the revolving door of high school coaching is as old as the forward pass. It just seems to be spinning faster than ever.
This week, GHSF Daily and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will summarize the coaching turnover in each of the six classifications. A more in-depth summary can be found on ajc.com.
Class AAAAAA
Number of hires: 12
Best hire: Matt Dickmann, Harrison
Hardest to replace: Jeff Herron, Camden County
Best job: Camden County
Toughest job: Druid Hills
Most interesting: Jeff Herron was 154-18 in his 18 seasons at Camden County and put the program on the map nationally. He retired from public schools and took a job as head coach of Prince Avenue Christian, a Class A school near Athens.
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