Johnny T. White, Douglas County head coach
Today’s interviewee is Douglas County coach Johnny T. White, whose team will play North Gwinnett on Saturday night in the final game of the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic. Douglas County is ranked No. 3 in Class 6A. North Gwinnett is No. 6. Douglas County has reached the state semifinals the past two seasons and returns most of the weaponry from its 2024 team that lost to eventual champion Grayson 35-28 in the playoffs.
1. With several blue-chip recruits now seniors, lots of people are talking about Douglas County as a serious contender to win its first state title since 1964. How are you managing all the hype? “This is definitely the most pressure we’ve had in terms of teams that I’ve coached. We had some pressure last year, but we still had a lot of juniors then, so there’s definitely more now. My message has been to forget the pressure and enjoy the moment. I’m going to enjoy this season whether it ends up like we like it or not. Most teams would love to have the pressure and notoriety of the games we play. [In addition to North Gwinnett, Douglas County will be playing Hughes, Buford and Carrollton in the regular season.] So I’m not looking down the road. We’re going to take it week by week and enjoy it.”
2. Almost all of your offensive starters are back, but you have a new quarterback, Mike Johnson, who is committed to Utah. What does he bring to the table? “He’s got a very good skill set. He throws the ball well. He’s very athletic. He’s a cerebral guy and a big film-study guy and knows exactly what’s going on. He and our quarterback coach Corky Gordon spend time together all the time. It’s exciting that he’s here. It helps him that the whole line is back, so he’s in a good space there. Both running backs are in their third year, which is big. Our offensive line knows that if they block the way they’re supposed to block they have guys behind them that will make them look really good.”
3. Your wide receivers Devin Carter and Aaron Gregory are the highest-rated pair of senior teammates at their position this century. How would you compare their styles? “From a football aspect, their styles are similar. From a leadership standpoint, their styles are a lot different. Devin is a much more vocal leader. He’s the leader of our football team. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that. Aaron is more of a ‘let me show you’ player. He’s more hands on. What I like about both is that it’s never a negative connotation about either of them. It’s always pick me up, never put me down. Both are going to be special at the next level.” [Carter is committed to Florida State. Gregory is committed to Texas A&M.]
4. Since 2023, when you won Douglas County’s first region title in 21 years, this is shaping up to be the best three-year run in school history. What did you and your staff do since you were hired in 2016 to put this program on this stage? “Promote the program. When we got here, guys were at Douglas County because they couldn’t find any other place to go. A lot of kids at other schools started off at Douglas County, and a lot of them were on state-championship-type teams [elsewhere]. So what we’ve done is keep the guys we have and make it an attractive place to be.”
How did you accomplish that? “Results. We’ve been on a run lately, but we’ve consistently won and done a good job of getting these kids in school. Aaron and Devin would be going to A&M and FSU, so no disrespect to them, but I’m not concerned about them. The big schools will take care of themselves. But I’m concerned about Tusculum and Fort Valley State and Berry and Shorter, finding homes for those players. I’ve never gotten somebody a scholarship, but I will do everything in my power to expose these kids. When the players saw Douglas County as a place where players are going to school [college football], it became a place to stay.”
