Georgia isn’t just home to some of the most talented high school football players; it is also home to some of the most passionate and energetic high school football coaches anywhere in the country.
These are the coaches who can catch the attention of fans sitting in the stands as much as any standout player on the field. We’ve all seen them on the sidelines, constantly in the ear of the officials, making the case for their players. These are the coaches you could hear in the locker room even with the doors closed.
Based on my years of watching and interacting with many head football coaches across the state and seeing them in action both behind the scenes and in front of the whole world, here are the coaches I think can leave you in awe by just watching them, regardless of their win totals (although most are winning coaches).
NOTE: Not all coaches on this list are current, active head coaches in Georgia.
1. Dean Fabrizio
Not too many coaches are more animated on the sidelines than Dean Fabrizio, the head coach of the Lee County Trojans.
Anyone that’s been on the sidelines knows that Fabrizio never stops talking to the side judge, always staying within shouting distance and reminding them of any missed holding calls.
He also doesn’t hold back with his assistant coaches, letting them know about a player mistake or a play call that maybe didn’t go as he had hoped.
He’ll certainly let players know if they have missed assignments or didn’t make plays they should have.
With Fabrizio it’s a controlled chaos. He seldom goes overboard and is one of the quickest coaches to heap praise when deserved.
Fabrizio also always leaves the sideline to check on an injured Lee County player or an injured opposing player who is close to the Lee County sideline.
The true measuring stick of Fabrizio’s passion was evident when he came in and took over a fledgling Lee County football program in 2009. He was the absolute right choice when Lee County went searching for a new coach to come in and revitalize their long-suffering football program.
That passion and energy helped transform Lee County into one of the state’s top high school football programs, with Fabrizio leading the Trojans to their first football state championship in 2017 and their second in 2018.
2. Jeff Herron
You don’t have the long-term success that Jeff Herron enjoyed throughout his storied 32-year career without a mix of being calm and collected with a heavy dose of passion for the game.
Herron retired from coaching following the 2023 season, ending his career with the Camden County Wildcats, where he spent two separate stints
He is as nice a gentleman as you will ever meet, with a measured confidence. You’ll not detect one bit of arrogance that sometimes comes with the job of a successful football coach.
Behind the southern gentleman display, however, lies a football coach with a killer mentality who could run players through four-a-day practices (forget two-a-days).
After all, you don’t have the success that Herron has enjoyed without a heavy dose of passion. Overall Herron won 334 games with a total of five state titles at eight different high schools.
Herron was recently inducted into the National High School Football Hall of Fame and the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
3. Josh Niblett
There’s a good chance that if you pay a visit to any of the Gainesville High School football team’s weightlifting sessions, you won’t simply find head coach Josh Niblett trying to motivate his players with words of encouragement. You’re likely to see Niblett right there pumping iron among his players.
That same enthusiastic approach with his team is also on display on the sidelines on Friday nights.
His messages of faith and hard work resonate through everything he does inside and outside the locker room and the stadium. He definitely practices what he preaches.
4. Jeremy Edwards
If I could only use one word to describe Houston County Bears head coach Jeremy Edwards, it would be “colorful.” He has a youthful exuberance that his players feed off of.
Edwards has been known to draw the ire of some officials and even opposing coaches with that enthusiastic nature he shows on the sidelines, but his players and fans love the energy he has brought to Houston County football since arriving in 2022.
And Edwards is having a blast.
“Oh, I’m living the dream here,” he said. “I have the best job in America. I have the best staff, and the best kids, and I love them all.”
Before coming to Houston County, Edwards was the offensive coordinator for a Warner Robins program that played in three straight state championship games from 2020 to 2022, winning the last two years in 2021 and 2022.
5. Adam Carter
Vikings fans seated in the reserved section on the Lowndes home side are not only treated to a close-up view of the Lowndes football program, but they also get to see and hear the Vikings’ animated head coach, Adam Carter. It’s from the opening whistle to the final snap.
How frisky is Carter on game nights? There is an assistant coach whose responsibilities include hanging on to Carter and pulling him back once he ventures too far out past the Lowndes sideline and onto the field.
6. Danny Britt
Benedictine head coach Danny Britt has been described as “fiery” by many who cover high school football across Georgia.
One particular memory of Britt’s style was captured during the 2016 state championship game when his Benedictine team defeated Fitzgerald for the GHSA state title at the former Georgia Dome. The stadium’s jumbotron showed several replays that captured Britt’s energy and emotional side, so much that he was featured in a story in the Savannah News following the game.
“I’ve always had that intensity,” Britt was quoted in the story.
One of his players, Wesley Kennedy, said, “Britt ran the Benedictine like a college program.”
Britt’s style has had an impact on his players, with the Cadets winning four state championships and numerous region titles.
7. Rocky Hidalgo
When I asked my coaching friends around the state about fellow coaches whom they would consider for my story, a certain name was provided more than once: Glynn Academy head football coach Rocky Hidalgo.
Hidalgo is known for his no-nonsense style, whether it’s over a dinner conversation or coaching high school football. He has a reputation for telling it like it is, which may not necessarily be what you want to hear.
“He is the ultimate competitor,” said John Wellborn, Glynn Academy baseball coach. “He is absolutely one of the most energetic and passionate football coaches in the state.
“During a game, if an official, player, or coach messes up, he’s going to let you know about it because he’s going to hold everyone to a higher standard, and he expects you to do your job.
“He certainly knows when to light a fire under someone, but also knows when to love them up.”
8. Niketa Battle
Current Banneker head football coach Niketa Battle has also spent time at Morrow, Mays, and Dutchtown, and his fiery style has been present at every school he’s coached at throughout the years.
One Georgia high football coach who has known Battle described the veteran Georgia high school coach as “super fiery, but in a good way. He’s a fierce advocate for his kids (players).” The anonymous coach said that Battle could be “colorful when it came to dealing with the referees, let’s just say.”
Battle led the Mays football program to three region titles and two quarterfinals appearances during his stint as head coach there, and he led Dutchtown to a region title and a semifinals appearance.
9. Maurice Freeman
While Maurice Freeman isn’t coaching high school football in Georgia any longer, I think it’s fair to say he’s one of the most animated and enthusiastic coaches to ever roam the sideline.
Known for his “Bring That Hammer” catch phrase that became a bit of a rallying cry for Freeman and the Brooks County High School program, Freeman could be seen carrying the actual sledge hammer into the locker room before games and onto the sidelines.
“Coach Freeman is very animated with his kids and officials if he thinks he’s not getting the calls,” said Ken Cofer, a former Cook High School football coach who coached against Freeman. “His actions with his kids is what gets his kids to play hard. They love him.”
Current Brooks County head coach Josh McFather said of Freeman: “He was awesome to work with. He did a great job of motivating his players and his staff.”
Freeman won two state championships at Brooks County.
10. Alan Rodemaker
All you have to do is hear Alan Rodemaker following a practice or a game to understand his passion for the sport.
“Coach Rodemaker was fiery at practice and passionate during the games,” said Trey Wetherington, a long-time Valdosta Wildcats fan and coach.
It was that passion and enthusiasm that energized Rodemaker’s 2016 Valdosta squad and brought the Wildcats their first football state championship in 18 years.
I recall hosting a weekly call-in radio show with Rodemaker talking Valdosta Wildcats football. There were many times when he was fresh off the practice field when he’d call in, and you could tell just how intense that day’s practice had been by Rodemaker’s passion-stricken vocal chords during our on-air conversation.
You could literally hear the passion in Rodemaker’s voice.
