Georgia high school football coaching changes: Brunswick job opens up

Grady Garrett will not return as Brunswick's football coach next season despite a strong four years leading the program. 

Garrett, who led the Pirates to a 36-10 record in his four seasons, ended his time in Brunswick on a rougher note. Brunswick's 2025 season ended with a third quarter fight in the second round of the playoffs that cancelled the game. 

The Gainesville-Brunswick fight made national headlines as the GHSA suspended 80 total players. Brunswick also suffered a one-year postseason ban and a $5,000 fine.

RELATED: GHSA sanctions Brunswick with postseason ban after fight with Gainesville

Garrett led Brunswick to consecutive region championships the last two seasons. Brunswick promoted Garrett from offensive coordinator to his first head coaching job before the 2022 season.

FULL STORY HERE.

Hart County is in the market for a new head coach after Cory Dickerson took a new role with the school, according to Benjamin London of The Hartwell Sun.

Hart County was 17-25 under Dickerson’s leadership in four seasons. The Bulldogs went 3-8 in 2025.

Dickerson will remain as the school’s athletic director and step into an assistant principal role, too.

Hart County has not won a playoff game since 2019.

Former Georgia quarterback Quincy Carter was hired Monday as head football coach at Heritage of Conyers.

Heritage athletic director Dorian Powell Harris announced the news. 

FULL STORY HERE.

North Springs and Mundy's Mill have both found their new head coaches. 

North Springs hired Walter Vaughn, who has coaching experience in the Georgia high school ranks and at the collegiate level.

Vaughn played for Southeastern Louisiana from 2005 to 2009 before starting his coaching career at Alcovy. He has since worked as an assistant coach for Eastern Kentucky, Highlands Community College,  Colorado State and Murray State. 

Vaughn will coach roughly an hour away from his hometown of Griffin.

Mundy's Mill hired Antonio Andrews, who has plenty of Georgia high school head coaching experience. Andrews led Griffin to a combined 28-8 record in three seasons.

He led the Bears to the quarterfinals in 2016, his first season. He left in 2019 and took over at Woodland-Stockbridge, but he only lasted one year there. 

This is Andrews' first head coaching job since the 1-9 season at Woodland. He is inheriting a program that went 0-10 the last two seasons after an 8-3 finish to 2023. 

Andrews is Mundy's Mill's third new coach in the last three seasons.

Brad Stephens has parted ways with Chapel Hill after five years leading the program. 

Stephens' departure follows back-to-back 1-9 seasons. The Panthers went winless in region play the last two seasons. 

Chapel Hill was 15-36 under Stephens. The best season came in 2023, when the Panthers went 8-3 with a first-round playoff exit. 

Chapel Hill hired Stephens away from South Atlanta after five years. Stephens led South Atlanta to its first region championship and its first state playoff win in program history. 

RELATED: Brad Stephens calls Chapel Hill a 'career move,' explains leaving South Atlanta

Chapel Hill has one playoff win since the program was established in 2000. The Panthers have never won a region title.

Villa Rica coach Austin Barron has reportedly stepped down to take the defensive coordinator role at Bremen, according to Gradick Sports.

Barron took his first head coaching job with Villa Rica three years ago. He led the Wildcats to a 6-6 record this season and the program's first playoff win since 2021. 

Villa Rica pulled off a 24-14 road upset of 10-point favorite Northgate in the first round of the playoffs. 

Barron replaced his father, Tim Barron, as Villa Rica's head coach in 2023. 

Lanier County hired Marcus Gowan away from Gordon Central, according to the Gordon Gazette. 

Gowan partially took the job because it's closer to his family in South Georgia, per the report. He led the Warriors to a 7-4 season in his first and only year at Gordon Central. 

It was Gordon Central's first winning season since 2012. 

Gowan was the assistant head coach and co-offensive coordinator at Valdosta before taking his first head coaching job before the season. Gowan also coached the offensive line at Valdosta, and throughout his career, over 30 offensive lineman he coached signed to play college football.

Lanier County went 3-18 in two seasons under David Dean. The Bulldogs have one playoff win in their 29-year history.

Bryan Love will not return for an eighth season as Wheeler's head football coach. 

Love, who was hired in 2019, went 26-47 in seven seasons. The Wildcats went 3-7 this year and missed the playoffs.

Love led Wheeler to four playoff appearances, but the Wildcats advanced past the first round. 

Wheeler hired Love after two seasons at Woodland-Stockbridge, one year at Lamar County and three seasons coaching Westlake. Love's best season came at Westlake in 2015, when he led the Lions to a 10-3 season with a region championship and a quarterfinals appearance. 

Riverdale announced it has promoted Marcus McKinney to head football coach. 

McKinney was an assistant under former Riverdale coach David "Deuce" Roberson, who went 3-27 in three years as the Raiders' head coach. Riverdale went 2-8 last season and was winless in region play. 

The school announced the hire on social media Wednesday. 

"Coach Max has been a dedicated member of the Riverdale community for 16 years, pouring passion, leadership and heart into our athletes," the release said. We're excited for this next chapter."

McKinney is also listed as Riverdale's JV basketball coach on the school's website. 

Lanier County's head coaching position is open. David Dean and the school have parted ways. 

The coaching change follows a 3-18 record in two seasons under Dean. The Bulldogs were eliminated from the playoffs with a 55-33 loss at Schley County on Friday night. 

Dean was hired at Lanier County in 2024, months after he resigned as head coach at West Georgia in 2024. Dean had a 127-47 record as a Division II head coach after winning two national titles at Valdosta State.