Best Georgia high school football hires this century, ranked 1-50

Though the coach’s record and skills counts for a lot, the focus here is the hire. This is an attempt to rank the school’s success in picking just the right person for the job in the context of the program’s history and potential.

50. Ben Reaves Jr., Milton (2022-current): His tenure is just beginning, and his promotion from offensive coordinator — a position he held for five seasons — was too easy to rank this higher, but give Milton and former coach Adam Clack credit for recognizing Reaves’ talents and preparing him for the job at hand. Reaves’ three-year record is 38-6 with 2023 and 2024 state championships. (Milton is 92-18 since Reaves set foot on campus in 2017.) The 2024 team, with nine major Division I signees, went 15-0 and finished with a consensus No. 2 national ranking.

49. Jason Strickland, Ware County (2019-current): Strickland has been an excellent hire at four schools — Lamar County (2008), Fitzgerald (2012), Pierce County (2017) and Ware County (2022) — winning region titles at each. But his best achievement was realized at his current school, which he led to its first state title in its 65th varsity season in 2022. Ware had knocked on doors for years, losing in finals in 2007 and 2012.

48. Josh Niblett, Gainesville (2022-current): A few other active coaches with three years’ service or less have won state titles already. Those include Reaves, Grayson’s Santavious Bryant and Toombs County’s Buddy Martin, all outstanding hires. But those coaches had worked for their schools previously and needed little incentive to take the job. Gainesville’s hiring of Niblett was a bold accomplishment, as it got a seven-time Alabama state champion to leave Hoover, one of the nation’s best-known programs. Gainesville is 33-6 under Niblett with one Class 5A runner-up finish in 2023. Gainesville was 16-16 over the previous three seasons.

47. Mike Muschamp, Lovett (2005-current): On coaching skill and respect, Muschamp would be ranked higher, but the Lovett job is attractive, and Muschamp’s predecessor, Bill Railey, achieved a nearly identical record over the previous 20 seasons. But two good coaches don’t make a wrong one. With only a handful of major Division I signees in his time, Muschamp has put Lovett in the playoffs in all 20 of his seasons, advancing one round or better 18 times. The Lions’ 2013 state title was this Atlanta private school’s first since 1970. When hired, Muschamp had been Savannah Country Day’s coach for five seasons. He is a younger brother of former Georgia defensive coordinator Will Muschamp.

46. John Hunt, Woodward Academy (2011-current): Hunt is a former NFL player with coaching experience on college staffs, mostly under Steve Spurrier, with whom he also spent two NFL seasons with Washington as offensive line coach. Hunt was an assistant coach at a Florida high school when Woodward hired him as a first-time head coach in 2011. Hunt’s record is 139-40. Woodward was 96-40 the previous 14 seasons. Woodward is still seeking a state title that has eluded the College Park school since 1980.

45. Bryant Appling, Buford (2019-current): Buford was already the program of the century, with 10 state titles, when it promoted longtime assistant Appling in 2019. He broke a five-year title drought and became the first coach in GHSA history to win three state championships in his first three seasons. Appling’s six-year record is 75-9. The state-title run ended when Buford moved into the highest classification for the first time in 2022. Appling would be higher except for Buford’s absurd run of success and its rich facilities. Most GHSA schools have never won as many as 13 games in a season. Buford has averaged 13.3 victories since 2000.

44. Rance Gillespie, Peach County (2001-06): Peach County had several 10-win seasons in the recent years prior with Rodney Walker and Neal Rumble, each of whom led the Trojans to championship games, but it was Gillespie that captured the school’s first state championships in 2005 and 2006. Gillespie was Peach County’s offensive coordinator on a Class 3A runner-up team in 1999 and was head coach at Banks County the next two seasons before Peach County called him back. Peach County has remained a state power and won Class 3A again in 2009 under Chad Campbell, who also might’ve made this list, except that it was Gillespie who broke through with the titles and hired Campbell on staff and set the stage. Peach County ranks sixth in victories this century with 254.

43. Mike Coe, Coffee (2022-current): Coffee averaged nine wins in the eight years prior to hiring Coe, but this South Georgia school had never won a state title. This was a jewel of a hire because Coe was a four-time state champion in Florida at Madison County. He got Coffee to the promised land in 2023, winning Class 5A. Coe’s teams are 36-6 in three seasons.

42. Gary Varner, Allatoona (2008-22): Varner was the offensive coordinator on Roswell’s 2006 state championship team, and Allatoona chose him to start its program in 2008. Allatoona went on to become the first Cobb County Schools team to win a state championship in 2015. Varner’s 14-year record was 129-49 with four region titles and two state finals appearances. Varner retired after the 2022 season.

41. Jim Dickerson, Clinch County (2004-17): Clinch County had won three state titles and was coming off an 11-2-1 finish — 15-0 the one before that — when it promoted Dickerson, an alumnus, a 16-year staff member and an obvious choice. He was set up for near-certain success, but he preceded to win five state titles, the most of any county-school coach this century. His record at his alma mater is 163-46-1. Dickerson came out of retirement last season and led Clinch County to an 11-2 finish.

Credit: Jason Getz / jgetz@ajc.com

Credit: Jason Getz / jgetz@ajc.com

40. T. McFerrin, Jefferson (2009-12): McFerrin, a 341-game winner and Georgia Sports Hall of Fame inductee, is the best jumper starter in Georgia football coaching history with his record of leading seven different schools to region titles. Jefferson, having gone 11-1 the year before, didn’t need a jump-start, just a bump over the hump. Coming out of retirement for this, McFerrin got it done in his fourth season, at age 71, with the Class 2A championship. McFerrin retired again, for good. Still beloved in Jefferson, McFerrin passed away earlier this month at age 83.

39. Daniel “Boone” Williams, Hughes (2019-24): Hughes opened in 2009 in south Fulton County near where Williams grew up. He was promoted to head coach in 2019. Hughes had been a good program by then but had never won more than 10 games in a season nor advanced more than one round in the playoffs. In Williams’ final five seasons, his teams were 61-9 with three region titles, three state finals appearances and one state championship (Class 6A in 2022). That 15-0 state winner set the state record for points in a season with 792. Williams left Hughes for Northside of Warner Robins this offseason.

38. Eric Parker, Burke County (2007-22): Parker took Burke County to the playoffs in all 16 of his seasons and won the school’s first state title in 2011, in Class 3A. Parker won 140 games and seven region titles over those 16 years compared to 112 wins and two region titles the previous 16. One of the century’s underrated coaches, Parker also won 68 games in his prior job at Laney, twice the number of his predecessors over the previous 10 seasons. Parker retired after the 2022 season.

37. Shane Queen, North Cobb (2006-current): Queen, a Cobb County native, inherited a program without a region title or deep playoff run in more than 25 years. In his 19 seasons, Queen has won six region titles, all in the highest classification, and he is now Cobb County Schools’ second-winningest coach in history behind retired McEachern’s Jimmy Dorsey. Hired away from alma mater South Cobb in 2006, Queen is 143-72 at North Cobb, 179-100 overall.

36. Donald Chumley, Savannah Christian (2005-15): Savannah Christian’s state championship under Chumley in 2011 preceded the GHSA’s decision to separate public and private schools for state playoffs in the Class A starting in 2012. That victory also signaled the start of the Savannah area’s emergence as a football force statewide, as private schools Benedictine, Savannah Christian and Calvary Day have played at high levels since. Chumley, a former Georgia and NFL player, had been Benedictine’s defensive coordinator. He was 116-32 in his 11 seasons. Savannah Christian was 61-52 over the previous 11.

35. Justin Rogers, Thomas County Central (2022-current): For three years of work, it can’t be much better. Thomas County Central is 38-3 with a 2023 Class 6A championship that was the school’s first title since 1997. Thomas Central was 14-17 the three seasons before. Rogers was hired from Colquitt County, where his teams were 26-7 over three seasons. Before that, Rogers led Jones County to its best five-year run in history with a 45-15 record from 2014 to 2018.

Credit: Jason Allen

Credit: Jason Allen

34. Biff Parson, Rockmart (2016-current): Parson was hired from Banks County, where he had a losing record over three seasons, but the low-key hire has taken Rockmart to heights not seen since the 1950s. The Yellow Jackets improved to 9-3 from 2-8 in Parson’s rookie season. They are 94-21 overall with two runner-up finishes in his nine seasons. They were 45-51 the previous nine seasons.

33. Maurice Freeman, Brooks County (2008-23): Freeman had won a state title at Brooks County, his alma mater, in 1994 — his first season as a head coach. But he’d been coaching elsewhere 11 years by 2009, when the Trojans called him back home. From a 3-7 finish in 2007, Freeman brought immediate results — a 12-2 record and Class 2A semifinal appearance. That was the first of eight semifinals under Freeman. The Trojans would enjoy winning seasons and playoff berths in all 16 of his years. The 2021 team won the Class A Public title. Probably no Georgia coach this century forged team identity better than Freeman with his catchphrase “Bring That Hammer.”

32. Mark Stroud, Calvary Day (2008-24): Stroud retired last season with 212 victories this century, fourth-most behind Alan Chadwick (275), Hal Lamb (232) and Jeff Herron (221). He got most of those at Savannah private school Calvary Day, where he was 149-44 over 16 seasons. Calvary had won just one game each of the previous two seasons before hiring Stroud in 2008 and was 88-84 over the previous 16 seasons. Ten of Stroud’s 16 teams won at least 10 games. Stroud’s 2013 team was the Class A runner-up, but perhaps more impressive were his final three seasons — all quarterfinal-or-better finishes of 11-1, 13-1 and 10-2 playing up in Class 3A with an enrollment of about 430 students. Stroud was hired from Toombs County, where he started the program in 1992. His career record was 273-111.

31. Tim Barron, Heard County (2002-20): When Heard County hired him, Barron had been Alexander’s coach for three years and never had a winning season. In his first season at Heard, Barron became the first coach in GHSA history to win 10 games at a school that was 0-10 the season before (actually 0-11, as the 2001 Braves actually made the playoffs). Barron’s 19-year record at Heard County was 153-71 with one state title and seven region championships compared to 85-120 with no region titles the previous 19. Heard County’s 2018 championship, in Class 2A, was the school’s first in its 47 seasons. Barron moved to Villa Rica in 2021 and retired after the 2022 season.

30. Pete Wiggins, Callaway (2005-current): Before Wiggins, Callaway played in the shadow of LaGrange in Troup County, with no 10-win seasons in its nine-year history and no real state relevance in football. A native of Ranburne, Alabama, Wiggins had been on Callaway’s staff three seasons when promoted. Since 2005, Callaway has been a regular in the top 10 of Class 2A (and sometimes 3A). Wiggins’ record is 187-61 with 11 10-win seasons, 11 region titles and a 2020 state championship.

29. Ryan Herring, Pierce County (2019-current): Pierce County was trending well when it hired Herring, with Stetson Bennett as its quarterback a few years earlier and a 13-1 finish in 2018, but this southwest Georgia school hit pay dirt with Herring, who was coming off three straight 10-win seasons at Oxford, Alabama. In Herring’s six Georgia seasons, Pierce County is 72-9 with state titles in 2020 and 2023. The 72 wins since 2019 are tied for third most among Georgia schools with Carrollton and trail Buford (75) and Prince Avenue Christian (72). Herring is the son of Bob Herring, whose 301 victories included 71 in Georgia at Newnan High.

28. Buddy Nobles, Irwin County (2014-19): The Irwin County job opened in 2014 when Jon Lindsey, coming off a 10-2-1 finish, left for Cook. Irwin hired Nobles, who had been a head coach in Florida and most recently was Fitzgerald’s offensive coordinator. Nobles’ six-year record at Irwin was 67-13 (compared to 29-35 the previous six seasons) with five appearances in state finals and a Class A state championship in 2019 that broke a 44-year title drought at this South Georgia school. Nobles coached his final season following a grave cancer diagnosis he’d been given the previous summer. He coached the 2019 title game — 56-14 victory over Marion County — seated in a wooden stand built for him by the school’s agriculture department. Nobles died in January 2020. Irwin County remains a perennial state contender.

Credit: GHSA

Credit: GHSA

27. Franklin Stephens, Tucker (2007-11): When Stephens came on board, Tucker had won 10 games or more with five different coaches over the previous 20 years. Those predecessors were big names, too — such as T. McFerrin, Phil Lindsey and Keith Maloof, coaches who won state titles elsewhere. But no one had won a state title at Tucker, not until the DeKalb County school brought in an outsider, an assistant from 350 away, off Camden County’s staff. Under Stephens, Tucker went 64-6 with two state titles in his five seasons. He got to 50 wins in 56 games, the fourth-fastest route for any GHSA coach in history to that point. Stephens has gone on to coach at Lamar County, Ware County, McEachern and Burke County, winning region titles at each.

Credit: Rich Addicks / raddicks@ajc.com

Credit: Rich Addicks / raddicks@ajc.com

26. Tyler Aurandt, North Oconee (2017-current): North Oconee hired Aurandt in 2017, following an 0-10 season. After a 1-9 start, Aurandt is 74-17 with a 2024 Class 4A championship, the school’s first state title. North Oconee is 50-6 over the past four seasons. Only Cartersville (51-6, .895) has more wins and a better winning percentage in that time. Aurandt had been Parkview’s offensive coordinator and he was on Grayson’s staff for the 2011 state championship.

25. Richard Fendley Jr., Bowdon (2018-current): The son of a famed defensive coordinator at powerhouse Warner Robins, Fendley inherited a 2-8 team, started 1-9, then built what’s now Georgia’s elite Class A public-school program. His teams are 65-15 since that first season with three state titles (2022-24). Bowdon is the first Class A public school to win three straight since Lincoln County (1985-87) under Larry Campbell. When hired, Fendley had been an assistant at Heard County from 2008 to 2016, when he also headed up the Braves’ weightlifting teams that won three state titles.

24. John Reid, Rome (2015-current): Rome had good teams before Reid and even averaged 10 wins a season over a previous 10-year stretch, from 1999 to 2008, under three coaches. Reid is the one who broke down the door to state championships with two Class 5A titles in 2016 and 2017. His 10-year record is 105-24. The 2017 team set a state record for points in a season (broken by Hughes in 2022). Reid might’ve made this list twice. In 2006, East Paulding hired Reid from Tennessee, where he had just won back-to-back state titles at Alcoa. East Paulding had won only 16 games over the previous 10 seasons. Reid went 12-2 and 12-1 out of the gate.

23. Roger Holmes, Dublin (2002-current): Hire a coach and admire 23 years of sustained excellence. That’s the story of Dublin’s choice of Holmes, who’d been a consistent winner in his native Tennessee when he came to Georgia in 2002. Holmes brought to Dublin his mastery of the wing-T offense and delivered the school’s first state title since the 1960s with his 2006 team that scored a state-record 682 points. He won another state title in 2019. Holmes’ record is 206-74 with 10 region titles (compared to 155-107 with four region titles the previous 23 seasons). Only Marist’s Alan Chadwick has been at his school longer among active GHSA head football coaches.

22. Chip Walker, Sandy Creek (2005-16): Chip Walker was promoted to succeed program founder and 300-game winner Rodney Walker, his father. But the son was brilliant, too, leading the Patriots to state titles in 2009, 2010 and 2012. Chip and Rodney became the first father and son to win GHSA championships. Rodney’s win came at West Rome in 1984. Chip’s Sandy Creek record was 127-26. Sandy Creek remains a state power (won a title in 2022 with former Walker assistant Brett Garvin) and is the only Fayette County school with GHSA-championship pedigree.

21. Joey King, Cartersville (2014-18): King got a sweet deal, as the previous Cartersville team had gone 13-1, and Cartersville had an incoming freshman named Trevor Lawrence. Still, this northwest Georgia school could not have done better with its choice, picking the rising star offensive coordinator from Carrollton. King’s five-year Cartersville record was 67-4 with two state titles. He remains the fastest GHSA coach to 50 wins (52 games). And for what it’s worth, he was 14-1 in his lone season without the future No. 1 NFL draft pick Lawrence as his quarterback. King’s hire at Carrollton in 2021 wasn’t so bad either. Searching for its first title since 1998, Carrollton has reached two state finals in the highest class in King’s four seasons. King is Georgia’s highest-paid coach with a salary reportedly topping $200,000.

20. Adam Clack, Milton (2017-21): Milton had won only two playoff games going back to the 1950s when it hired Clack from West Forsyth. Clack went 54-12 in his five seasons (compared to 35-21 the previous five) and delivered the school’s first state championship in 2018 with an upset victory over No. 1-ranked Colquitt County in the highest classification. Clack’s vision set Milton along the course of becoming a national powerhouse with aggressive scheduling that included opponents such as Cardinal Gibbons of Florida, JSerra Catholic of California and St. Joseph’s Prep of Pennsylvania. Under successor Ben Reaves Jr., Milton has won consecutive state titles and was the consensus No. 2 team nationally last year.

19. Randy McPherson, Lowndes (2002-19): Lowndes had won a state title three seasons before it hired McPherson in 2002, and his first two teams did worse than the 2001 Class 5A quarterfinal team that preceded him. What McPherson did that his predecessors did not was to make Lowndes the premier program in the state for a time, winning championships in the highest class in 2004, 2005 and 2007 with physical, speedy defenses and an irresistible wing-T offense. Lowndes’ 238 victories in the highest classification are the most of any Georgia school this century. And just as big, under McPherson, Lowndes surpassed rival Valdosta as the best program in town for a sustained period. Lowndes was 12-6 in the Winnersville Classic under McPherson.

18. Jess Simpson, Buford (2005-16): When it hired Simpson, Buford was coming off a 71-4 run with three state titles and five finals appearances in five years. Simpson was coach Dexter Wood’s right-hand man for almost 10 years. Simpson was an easy choice, but still an outstanding hire. Simpson followed his mentor Wood, also his former high school coach at Marietta, by winning seven state championships in 12 seasons with 164-12 record (167-9 if not for three forfeits). The Falcons hired Simpson away from Buford in 2017 and made him their defensive line coach. That’s the role Simpson now holds for Georgia Tech.

Credit: Jason Getz / AJC

Credit: Jason Getz / AJC

17. Jimmy Smith, Cedar Grove (2013-18): Smith, promoted to head coach in 2013, set up Cedar Grove for a run of five state titles in eight seasons. Cedar Grove won the first two under Smith, who was 67-14 in his six seasons with titles in 2016 and 2018. Cedar Grove was 37-28 over the previous six seasons. Cedar Grove was and is an underfunded program, often forced to practice off campus. Its rise came during a time when many DeKalb County programs began declining. Smith left for college jobs after the 2018 season. He’s now the running backs coach at TCU.

16. Bruce Miller, Gainesville (2002-17): Gainesville hadn’t won a playoff game since 1986 when it hired Miller in 2002. The school was renowned for having never won a state title while losing in the finals six times. Inheriting a 6-5 team, Miller’s first edition went 13-1. Gainesville would win eight region titles and one historic state title (2012) with Deshaun Watson as the Red Elephants’ quarterback. Miller’s record was 157-46 across 16 seasons compared to 84-85 during the previous 16.

15. Mickey Conn, Grayson (2000-15): Grayson is the program of the century so far in the highest classification — the only one to win four state titles and with four different head coaches. Conn was the program starter and the coach most responsible. Starting in 2000 at age 28, hired off T. McFerrin’s staff at alma mater South Gwinnett, Conn went 137-48 in his 16 seasons. His only state title came in 2011. He left to take a job on Clemson’s staff in 2016 and left behind a talented team that won the 2016 championship under Jeff Herron. Grayson has not won fewer than 10 games in a season since. Three of Conn’s assistant coaches — Lenny Gregory, Tyler Aurandt and Blair Armstrong — went on to win state titles elsewhere. Conn is now Clemson’s co-defensive coordinator.

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

14. Paul Standard, St. Pius (2001-20): Until hiring Standard, a St. Pius alumnus, the Lions had not won a playoff game — much less a region title — since the 1960s. The Lions’ record over the previous 20 years was 67-133. Under Standard, St. Pius was 174-72 with eight region titles and made its first state finals appearance (2012) since 1968. The win improvement of 5.8 per year over 20 seasons is the third most for a coach this century with at least 10 seasons at his school. In 2003, St. Pius ended a 21-game losing streak to Marist in the Fish Bowl rivalry and played its archrival 5-5 over its Catholic school and DeKalb County rival over Standard’s final 12 seasons.

13. Bob Sphire, North Gwinnett (2006-16): North Gwinnett had never won a region title in its 41 seasons until it hired Sphire in 2006. The program’s record for the previous 11 seasons was 58-58. In Sphire’s 11 seasons, the Bulldogs were 110-28 with five region titles in and two runner-up finishes (2007, 2013) in the highest class. Sphire didn’t bring the spread offense to Georgia, but he was the first to use to sustained ultra success in the highest class. Sphire developed an all-state quarterback in seven of his 11 seasons at North Gwinnett.

12. Darren Myles, Carver-Atlanta (2005-current): No coach on this list took over a worse football program than Myles with Carver in 2005. An underfunded inner-city Atlanta program, Carver was 32-162 over the previous 20 seasons and 0-8 in 2004. In 20 seasons since, the Panthers are 139-82 with three appearances in state semifinals, one in the finals. Myles’ first four-year senior class went 11-1 and won the school’s first region title since 1986. Unlike many who achieve such turnarounds, Myles didn’t use Carver as a steppingstone. He ranks fifth among head coaches at their schools the longest. He was the Atlanta Falcons’ Coach of the Year for his impact on his school and community in 2024.

Credit: David Tulis

Credit: David Tulis

11. Greg Vandagriff, Prince Avenue Christian (2016-25): Prince Avenue had won 55 games the previous five seasons when it hired the former Woodward Academy offensive coordinator in 2016, but what happened over the next nine years was next-level excellence. The Wolverines were 107-16 and won state titles in 2020, 2022 and 2023. Vandagriff’s legacy also can be found in the program’s mastery of the forward pass. Prince Avenue’s Aaron Philo and Brock Vandagriff combined for four of the state’s best passing seasons, each throwing for more than 4,000 yards.

10. Lee Shaw, Rabun County (2012-18): Shaw, hired in 2012 after building the Flowery Branch program from scratch to state relevance, was 70-17 in seven seasons at a program that was 18-62 the previous seven seasons. Rabun County was Shaw’s alma mater and he was familiar with the history — only one region title or 10-win season (both in 1998) until Shaw got the job. Shaw won five straight region titles and had four straight 10-win seasons. Shaw’s winning-percentage improvement from .805 to .225 from his tenure to the previous one is the largest among those on this list.

9. Kevin Whitley, Stockbridge (2009-18): The most improved program from the century’s first decade to the second was Stockbridge — from a 24-76 record to 105-23. Hired in 2009, Whitley was the person most responsible. His teams won five region titles through 2018. Each of his final seven teams won 11 games or more, made three semifinals and never bowed out before the quarterfinals. Stockbridge was the first Henry County public school in history to win consistently. Whitley had been Creekside’s head coach during the Eric Berry days. He left Stockbridge for alma mater Georgia Southern and returned to high schools last season at Northgate.

8. Tim McFarlin, Blessed Trinity (2011-20): The previous coach, Ricky Turner, who started the football program in 2001, stepped down to focus on athletic directing and he made Tim McFarlin his new coach — effectively getting McFarlin out of retirement. McFarlin had won a state title in 2006 at Roswell. Blessed Trinity was 50-46 under Turner, pretty respectable for a startup venture, but McFarlin’s 10 seasons were state powerful. His record was 112-20-1 with three state titles (2017-19) and six region championships. McFarlin’s first state championship team ended Cartersville’s 41-game winning streak in Trevor Lawrence’s final game.

7. Rush Propst, Colquitt County (2008-18): Hired in 2008, not long past his run as America’s most famous high school football coach from the MTV series “Two-A-Days,” Propst turned Colquitt County into Georgia’s premier program for a decade. The Packers made the state semifinals nine times over a 10-year stretch, an unprecedented run of consistency in the highest classification. Propst won state titles in 2014 and 2015, the last one a High School Football America national title. It had been 20 years since the Packers were state champions. Propst’s 11-year record was 119-35 compared to Colquitt’s 72-52 mark over the previous 11 seasons. Propst’s tenure ended in controversy when he was forced out in 2018 over misconduct charges asserted by his principal that Propst denied. Propst made a comeback at Valdosta but was dismissed again after the GHSA levied forfeits for recruiting violations. His days at Hoover also brought controversy.

6. Robby Pruitt, Fitzgerald (2000-11): Fitzgerald has averaged 10.6 wins this century compared to 5.1 the previous quarter century. The only other long-standing programs that made better long-lasting improvement were Calhoun and Buford, which hired their master builders (Hal Lamb and Dexter Wood) in the 1990s. Fitzgerald had gone 9-41 over the previous five seasons when it hired Pruitt, who was already in the Florida High School Association Hall of Fame for his seven state titles in that state. Pruitt went 13-2 (from 4-6 the previous year) in his opening act at Fitzgerald and was 120-21-1 during his Fitzgerald tenure. Fitzgerald ranks fourth this century among GHSA schools with 264 victories behind Buford, Calhoun and Marist. Pruitt was long gone by 2021 when Fitzgerald won its first state title since 1948. But the coach that year was Pruitt’s son, Tucker, who was Robby Pruitt’s starting quarterback at Fitzgerald in 2001 and 2002.

5. Dell McGee, Carver-Columbus (2005-12): No Columbus school since integration had maintained perennial state-power status when Carver hired McGee in 2005. Carver had not won a playoff game since 1987. Carver would go 3-7 in McGee’s first season, then take off — posting seven straight 10-win seasons while claiming the 2007 Class 3A championship. McGee’s 85 wins over the final seven seasons ranked fourth in the state over that span. His eight-year record was 88-19. Carver was 31-58 the previous eight seasons. Largely because of McGee’s influence, Carver ranks eighth in GHSA victories (198) since 2006. McGee, now Georgia State’s head coach, also was among the first highly successful high school coaches who began getting opportunities at the college level. He left Carver for alma mater Auburn as an analyst. He was Georgia’s running backs coach for eight seasons through two national titles before getting the Georgia State job in 2024.

4. Danny Britt, Benedictine (2011-current): Coming off a 1-9 season and without a playoff victory since 1996, Benedictine hired Danny Britt in 2011. Britt had been head coach at another Savannah school, Calvary Day, years earlier and was Calvary’s defensive coordinator when he accepted the Benedictine job. Britt has led Benedictine to four state titles (2014, 2016, 2021, 2022) and rewrote the narrative about Savannah-area football, which hadn’t won a state championship since 1969. Britt’s 14-season record is 153-34. Benedictine, which has fielded football teams for more than 100 years, was 90-64 over the previous 14 seasons. Britt’s championships have been won in 4A and 3A.

3. Dean Fabrizio, Lee County (2009-current): When Lee County hired former DeLand, Florida, head coach Fabrizio in 2009, the football program’s all-time record was 119-256 with two playoff victories. Only 25 GHSA programs had lost more games than Lee County since 1971, when the school opened. The team Fabrizio inherited had just gone 0-10. Fabrizio’s 16-year record is 146-50 with two state titles (2017, 2018), seven region titles and seven advances to the quarterfinals or better, all in the highest or second-highest classification.

2. Jonathan Gess, Eagle’s Landing Christian (2007-21): At age 27, Gess could’ve been called a complete unknown in Georgia high school football when ELCA hired him off First Presbyterian’s staff in 2007. Two years earlier, he was an Air Force officer stationed at Robins Air Force Base, coaching part time and with no long-term football plans. He’d been underestimated before as a walk-on center at The Citadel, where he became a three-year starter. Gess inherited an ELCA team that had gone 10-2. He scrapped the wing-T for the spread and went 6-5. It took a minute, but then Gess would win six state championships and a record five straight titles from 2015 to 2019. Gess’ ELCA record was 160-39. Under Gess, ELCA ushered GHSA football into a new era of small private-school super powers with perennial big-time recruits. Gess’ 2017 team won by an average score of 52-5 and outscored its four playoff opponents 205-3. Former ELCA players could be found at Georgia, Auburn, Notre Dame, Clemson and Florida State. Gess left in 2022 for Hebron Christian and won that school’s first state title in 2024. Gess is back in his home state this season as coach at Southside Christian of Simpsonville, South Carolina.

Credit: Jason Getz/jgetz@ajc.com

Credit: Jason Getz/jgetz@ajc.com

1. Jeff Herron, Camden County (2000-12): Camden County in 2000 was not football relevant on a state level and not easily found on a map for those not living near the Georgia coast. Hired from Oconee County, where he’d just won the Class 3A title, Herron put Camden in the semifinals in his third season and went on to win three state titles (2003, 2008, 2009) in an era when the highest classification was still mostly about developing homegrown talent. He fashioned a 154-18 record in 13 seasons. He had only 14 major Division I signees during that run. (He had six in his only season at Grayson, where he won another state title in 2016.) Herron returned to Camden in 2021 for a final three-year run. He brought back his wing-T offense, convinced his old-school approached still worked at the big-school level. It did, as Camden reached the 2023 Class 7A semifinals. With that, Herron retired. In 2010, head coaches in an AJC poll voted Herron the best active high school coach in the game. He is the only coach in GHSA history to win state titles at three schools. He was inducted into three halls of fame this year, including the Camden County Athletics Hall of Fame in April. Camden County’s 2000 hire put a football program and a county on the map in a way that perhaps no other did this century.

Credit: Stephen Morton/Special

Credit: Stephen Morton/Special