Some schools lost their coaches to other jobs late and some schools waited until May or June to get the right man. But all schools are trying to get their head coaches on board and assistants hired as the beginning of preseason practice approaches in the next six weeks.
Andro Williams has taken the head job at Danville, moving from one end of the state to the other. He moves north after four seasons at W.S. Neal and before that, 10 years as head coach at Linden. His record stands at 124-49. Danville principal Marty Chambers says that the program needs a shot in the arm and "we believe that Coach Williams is the man that can provide that."
Heath Childers has been hired as the new coach at Red Bay, leaving the job at Shelby County after eight seasons. Before taking on the head coaching role at Shelby County, Childers served one year as the offensive coordinator at Lincoln High School and six years as offensive coordinator at Shelby County. “My first goal is to win,” Childers said. “I want to build on and continue the winning tradition here at Red Bay. I also want to develop a personal relationship with my players, assistant coaches and the community. Having a good working relationship with those three groups is extremely important to any head coach.”
Alabama Christian has hired defensive coordinator Michael Summers as their new head football coach. He has spent the last 17 years coaching there in a variety of roles, but served as the defensive coordinator the last 10 years. He is a Alabama Christian graduate. “I believe this job is what I was put on this earth to do,” Summers said, “I grew into a young man as a student-athlete on ACA’s football team. No one loves and believes in our students more than I do, and I am thrilled to build on the foundation that has been laid by my fellow ACA Head Coaches.”
North Jackson tabbed one of their assistants as well, naming Joe Hollis as their new head coach. Coach Hollis has been on the North Jackson staff since 2014 when he came to Stevenson to join Mark Rose's staff. “We’re super excited, it’s an awesome fit,” said Hollis. “We’re going to lay the foundation of a program that we’re gonna build off of each and every year. Any time the North Jackson Chiefs have a spear on their helmet when they get out there on the football field we’re gonna try to win the football game.”
John Therrell is the new leader of the Jemison football program. He comes to the Panthers after one year as an assistant at McAdory. Before that he spent seven years working in college football as an assistant at Murray State and also coached at Jacksonville State, Sacramento State and West Georgia. He is excited about his first head coaching job. “This is going to be a great opportunity,” Therrell said. “I’ve heard a lot about this community, how tight-knit they are. That drew me to the fact that I could come in and help these kids be successful, not only on the field, but also off. I’m really excited about their optimism about the football program and their expectations.”
Matt Plunkett is the new coach at Brewer High School. Coach Plunkett has spent the last two seasons at Locust Fork. Before that he served one season at Cullman and worked five years as head man in Gardendale where he had a record of 37-22. The Patriots have had one winning season in the last 21 years. “I’m attracted to challenges,” Plunkett said. “There’s a lot of jobs out there where, as long as you don’t screw things up, you can be successful – but I like jobs where kids are the underdog.”
Seth Williams is the new head coach at Falkville, where he has been on the staff since 2018. The Blue Devils have won 26 games in those three seasons. A graduate of Athens State, Ward served as baseball coach at Falkville. He came to the Blue Devil program after working as an assistant at West End.