Santavious Bryant details decision to return to Gainesville football

“So for me, it’s a full circle moment of, man, I was a part of the foundation to building this. Now I’m a part of continuing to build it and grow it.”

It wasn’t long ago that Bryant was an assistant coach at Gainesville. As defensive passing game coordinator, he helped former coach Josh Niblett take Gainesville from a middling program to a state championship game in 2022.

Then 6A powerhouse Grayson hired Bryant to be its head coach in 2023. He led the Rams to a 37-5 record in three seasons and won the 2024 state championship and three straight region titles.

The Rams were ranked No. 1 in several national polls for most of the 2025 season before suffering an elimination loss at Carrollton in the state quarterfinals.

Bryant was preparing to lead Grayson again in 2026 when Niblett announced his resignation and Gainesville athletic director Adam Lindsey called to offer the job.

“I had no clue that it was coming,” Bryant said. “Obviously, me and coach Lindsey, we talk, but about other things, you know what I’m saying? It hadn’t been about the job, so I’m thinking it’s just a normal conversation that we’re having.”

Bryant had to make a quick decision between Grayson and Gainesville — two state championship contenders with talented rosters and a history of success.

Bryant decided to build on the foundation he helped establish four years ago.

“Something that drove me when making this decision to come back was I already had a bunch of support and love from this community, and they did those things when I was in a different place,” Bryant said. “What does that look like when I’m here?

“That drove me, and also just a chance to be able to get back and continue to impact this community and impact these kids was something that I know was a deciding factor for me.”

Bryant is likely to see a significant pay raise at Gainesville. His base salary at Grayson this year was $74,871, while Gainesville’s base salary for Niblett was $168,029.

Bryant addressed his new team for the first time Thursday morning, aiming to impress before he even spoke a word.

Gainesville’s new head coach showed up to his first team meeting in a full tuxedo, a black bow tie, and red and black Nike shoes.

“To see him walk in the room, and the kids just light up immediately and get to hear him talk,” Lindsey said. “They’re hanging on every word that he says. Every single kid walked up to him, shook his hand, dapped him up before they left, so the kids are excited.”

Bryant said he laid out the kind of culture he wants to set at Gainesville and how he plans to build on Niblett’s success. He also acknowledged the challenges Gainesville faced last season, likely referencing the team’s on-field brawl at Brunswick in the playoffs that led to roughly 40 player suspensions, a legal battle and rescheduling postseason games.

“I got to see them do some things last season and go through some adversity and saw a bunch of guys that were just resilient and kept fighting and stuck together,” Bryant said.

Bryant also enjoyed catching up with former players he coached at Gainesville back in 2022. Some of the freshmen he coached that season will make up his first senior class.

“It’s wild because a lot of kids that were in eighth grade and that type of deal when I was here, to now come watch them, I’m like, man, they’ve grown 5 inches, got a beard, a mustache, those things,” Bryant said. “And you still see that child face, you know what I’m saying? The little child that you knew when they were, when you were here.

“Now seeing them grown up, this is crazy. I’m really watching kids grow, so it’s been good.”

Bryant said he believes he’s grown a lot as a coach since his previous stint with the Red Elephants. At 28, Bryant was one of the youngest head coaches in Georgia when he took the Grayson job in 2023. He had never been a head coach — or a coordinator — before.

“I’m forever grateful for Grayson to provide me that opportunity to get that platform to learn and grow, because they didn’t have to take a chance on me, and they did, and it worked out for both of us,” Bryant said. “So I’ve learned and grown a bunch just in my everyday process of how I do things on a daily basis.

“Obviously, when you become a head coach, you’re so much more than just a position coach as far as one group. Now I’m impacting the kids, the adults, the community. My impact is so much greater, and I have to learn how to navigate those things and be able to make sure that I’m doing it in the right way that’s gonna lead us to success.”

Bryant has barely moved into his new office, and he already has a heavy workload ahead. He’ll spend the next few weeks settling in, building new relationships and constructing his coaching staff.

For all the newness surrounding the early stages of the Bryant era, Gainesville’s new head coach said he feels right at home.

“Making a decision to come back was something that was tough, and I had to do a lot of praying about it and get to the bottom of it,” Bryant said. “But when I got on campus today, I was like, ‘Yeah, this is the place I still love, man.’

“So it’s definitely been a full circle moment for me.”