Class 6A coaching changes: Gainesville brings back Grayson’s coach

Brunswick hired Cook coach Byron Slack to replace Garrett Grady, who is now Coffee’s offensive line coach. Slack’s Cook teams were 28-20 in four seasons and 5-6 in 2025. He was Hillgrove’s coach in 2020 and assisted at Colquitt County, Lowndes and Camden County in years prior. Brunswick was 36-10 with three region titles in Grady’s four seasons and 9-3 in 2025.

Region 2

None.

Region 3

Lovejoy hired McEachern offensive coordinator Jabari Wilder to replace Edgar Carson, who remains with the school system but will not coach this season. Wilder was Lovejoy’s offensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022. He has worked on staffs at Salem, Griffin and alma mater Luella. He was an offensive line coach at Carson-Newman. Lovejoy was 78-54 in Carson’s 12 seasons and 9-3 in 2025.

Morrow hired Central of Macon coach Jarrett Laws to replace Jerome Weaks, who has taken an administrative job and won’t coach this season. Morrow will be Laws’ sixth school over his 20 seasons as a head coach. His other stops were at Salem, Griffin, Drew and Mount Zion of Jonesboro. Morrow was 28-71 in Weaks’ 10 seasons and 1-9 in 2025.

Northside of Columbus promoted defensive coordinator Brycen Freeman to replace Andrew Oropeza, now Harris County’s offensive coordinator. Freeman has been on Northside’s staff the past 10 seasons and coached at other Columbus schools since 2007. Northside was 31-30 in Oropeza’s six seasons, making him the school’s winningest coach and the only one to lead the Patriots to a region title (2022). They were 2-8 in 2025.

Region 4

Alcovy hired Central Gwinnett offensive coordinator Diego Dixon to replace Spencer Fortson, who remains at the school as assistant athletic director and teacher. Dixon joined Central’s staff after two seasons as Grayson’s wide receivers coach. He was alma mater Baldwin’s co-offensive coordinator in 2017-20 and Tucker’s quarterbacks coach in 2013-16. He’s a former Baldwin quarterback and Fort Valley State wide receiver who started his coaching career at Fort Valley as a graduate assistant. Alcovy was 11-29 in Fortson’s four seasons and 1-9 in 2025.

Heritage of Conyers promoted offensive coordinator Quincy Carter to replace Caleb Shaw, now the school’s athletic director. Carter, a former Georgia and NFL quarterback, was a community coach last season and completed GHSA requirements to work full time this offseason. Carter worked during the 2023 and 2024 seasons at Southwest DeKalb, his alma mater. He also has worked in recent years as a local private quarterbacks coach. Heritage was 1-9 last season as Shaw worked as interim coach after getting the job unexpectedly in the summer.

Region 5

Chapel Hill hired Har-Ber (Arkansas) defensive coordinator Julian Washington to replace Brad Stephens, who is now an offensive coach at Washington High. Washington was Arabia Mountain’s head coach from 2021 to 2023 and won a region title in his final season there. Washington is a Douglas County native who had been on New Manchester’s staff before going to Arabia Mountain. Chapel Hill was 1-9 the past two seasons after an 8-3 finish in 2023 under Stephens.

South Paulding hired Southeast Bulloch coach Jared Zito to replace Maurice Allen, who is now Kell’s run-game coordinator. Zito, a Florida native, has been a head coach at Southeast Bulloch (2021-25), Ola (2014-20), Dacula (2011-12) and North Forsyth (2007-10). He was head coach for four seasons at Spruce Creek in Florida before coming to Georgia to work at Etowah in 2006. South Paulding was 10-21 in Allen’s three seasons and 4-6 in 2025.

Region 6

Rome hired Rabun County defensive coordinator Bill Stewart to replace John Reid, who retired and remained the school district’s athletic director. Stewart was on Brent Key’s Georgia Tech staff as an analyst in 2023 and 2024. He was North Gwinnett’s coach for six seasons and went 60-19 with a 2017 championship in the highest classification. He won three region titles as Etowah’s coach from 2006 to 2011. Under Reid, Rome was 117-26 in 11 seasons and won eight region championships and the 2016 and 2017 Class 5A titles.

Woodstock promoted offensive coordinator Justin Pearce to replace Dan Devine, now head coach of IMG Academy’s postgraduate team. Pearce joined Woodstock’s staff in 2023. He has assisted at Duluth, Fannin County, Cherokee and alma mater Rabun County. After a 2-28 run, Woodstock is coming off 7-4 and 6-5 finishes and the program’s first back-to-back playoff berths since 2016-17.

Region 7

Alpharetta hired Chattahoochee coach Danny Carlisle to replace Brian Landis, now head coach at St. Xavier in Kentucky. Carlisle’s Chattahoochee teams were 10-20 in three seasons (5-24 the three seasons prior). Carlisle was on Grayson’s staff in 2021 and 2022 and was head coach at his alma mater, Cooper City in Florida, the three seasons before. He also worked in Georgia at Discovery and Mountain View in Gwinnett County. Alpharetta was 2-8 in Landis’ only season.

Gainesville hired Grayson coach Santavious Bryant to replace Josh Niblett, now the tight ends coach at Colorado. Bryant led Grayson to a 37-5 record and the 2024 Class 6A championship in three seasons and was on Grayson’s staff the three previous seasons. He spent 2022 with Gainesville as defensive pass game coordinator. Bryant began coaching at alma mater Wheeler in 2017. Gainesville was 44-10 in Niblett’s four seasons and reached the state finals in 2022 and 2025.

Johns Creek hired Eastside defensive coordinator Jason Tester to replace Jim Rowell, who is now coaching the secondary at Berkeley High in South Carolina. Tester was Flowery Branch’s coach from 2022 to 2024. His record there was 12-20. Tester has been on staffs at Grayson, Eastside, St. Pius and three schools in his native Michigan. Johns Creek has lost 27 straight games and scored only three points in 2025.

Riverwood hired Denmark offensive coordinator Josh Coffey to replace Shawn Cahill, who is now Johns Creek’s offensive coordinator. Coffey has been on staffs at Union Grove, Lamar County, Chattahoochee and Spalding in a coaching career that began in 2010. Riverwood was 5-25 in Cahill’s three seasons and 1-9 in 2025.

Region 8

Apalachee promoted defensive coordinator Chuck Kenyon to replace Kevin Saunders, who is now coach at Central-Wise in Virginia. Kenyon came to Apalachee last season after serving three seasons as head coach at Royal Palm Beach in Florida. He had been the coach at Martin County and Sebastian River in Florida and was an assistant at Windsor Forest and Veterans in Georgia. Apalachee ended a 29-game losing streak in the opening game of Saunders’ only season.

Mountain View promoted Todd Welborn to replace John Poitevint, who remained at the school as a teacher. Welborn joined Mountain View’s staff in 2022. He is a Gwinnett County native and Collins Hill graduate who has been on staffs at Lanier, Jackson County and North Hall. Mountain View was 17-46 in Poitevint’s six seasons and 1-9 in 2025.