Usually, the “Silly Season” term is associated with NASCAR – when drivers play musical chairs and go from ride to ride figuring out their 2017 rides.
I don’t know when I started it, but I now use the same term involving all the high school football coaching changes around the state. Somewhere around 18 percent of teams experience that transition on a yearly basis – shockingly, in the 400-plus teams, around 60 coaches get shifted in one form or fashion.
This year gave us a few big ones. First up, Camden County is on the board with the moving of Welton Coffey to athletics director, creating the opening in Kingsland. Another that probably garnered national attention was the Buford Wolves job on the board as Jess Simpson moves on to the Georgia State staff as D-line coach.
A lot of BIG names, I’m sure, were lobbying to fill the Simpson spot, and there are a lot of dominoes that will fall around the state as Roswell’s John Ford goes home to Gwinnett County.
Starting, now, with the Roswell and Jefferson jobs.
So, Dear Reader, here’s this month’s question: What’s the biggest vacancy on the board, and who do you want to fill in the spot for your favorite team?
Answer on social media via the In the Game Facebook or Twitter pages. Or you could always give the TV show something to talk about (via email) with your answers as well. So, HAVE AT IT!
The one replacement that has been an interesting point of focus in “Silly Season” so far is the hiring of ex-head coach at Valdosta and Peach County (among others) and (most recently) former co-offensive coordinator at Georgia Southern, Rance Gillespie, to Hart County, replacing William Devane.
We all know that 1-9 is unacceptable for any fan base or program, and in Hartwell it was the Bulldogs’ worst season since 1990. Now, Gillespie comes in to turn around an offense that was shut out three times last season and scored less than twenty points in nine of their 10 games in 2016.
And when I ran in to him at the state championships, we have a bit of a running joke. First thing I do is check his wrist to see how fast his watch is running. Usually it was 10 minutes at the beginning of the year and twice that by the end of the season. It kept him moving forward at the pace required as you get later and later in the season.
I can’t do that anymore. His wife got him one of those Apple watches, so he’s stuck being on time right now instead of really early. My guess is he gets one of those old school watches and replaces it soon.
At my last bit of math, 31 schools have had vacancies that needed to be filled, and there are some big schools still out there looking for their 2017 seasons with Brunswick and Bradwell Institute still a part of the mix as we all got to change over our calendars.
Play it safe, everyone. I’ll see you soon.
Fast Break
In the Game Magazine / South Georgia / February-March 2017
Written by: Jon Nelson
The Silly Season: The Coaching Changes in High School Football
