Maloof’s retirement, Parkview’s hiring of Clack headline coaching changes in 6A

Number of hires: 13

Best hire: Adam Clack, Parkview

Hardest to replace: Keith Maloof, Norcross

Best job: Marietta

Toughest job: Berkmar

Most interesting: Adam Clack launched a dynasty in 2018 when he led Milton, a historically middling program, to a state championship with a 14-13 upset of No. 1-ranked Colquitt County. Clack’s five-season record was 54-12, but he surprisingly stepped down after the 2021 season without a job lined up. He took an analyst’s position at UNC-Charlotte and later worked in a European professional league and more recently as a metro Atlanta football trainer and consultant. Parkview hired Clack in January. Earlier that month, former Parkview coach Joe Sturdivant made his own surprising move when he left his alma mater to become an assistant coach at Black Hills State, a Division II school in South Dakota. Sturdivant hoped a drier climate would help his 8-year-old son, Bear, who has been diagnosed with PANS/PANDAS, a pediatric neuropsychiatric disorder.

Region 1

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Region 2

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Region 3

*Pebblebrook hired Tri-Cities coach Rodney Hackney to replace Michael Woolridge, who took Hackney’s former job at Tri-Cities. Hackney is a 21-year head coach. Pebblebrook will be his eighth school. His teams have won three region titles. Hackney led Tri-Cities to its first winning season, with a 6-4 record last season, since 2015. Pebblebrook was 8-13 in Woolridge’s two seasons and 6-5 in 2024. The unplanned head-coaching swap between Tri-Cities and Pebblebrook is the first of its kind in Georgia, according to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association.

Region 4

*Grovetown hired D.J. Mayo, head coach of Highland Community College in Kansas, to replace Cory Evans, who is now Harlem’s defensive ends coach. Mayo’s two-season record at Highland was 11-11. He had been Camden County’s offensive coordinator for two seasons prior and was head coach at Atlantic in Port Orange, Florida, for four seasons. A Daytona Beach, Florida, native, Mayo has been on staffs at four other Florida schools. Grovetown was 10-31 in Evans’ four seasons, 1-9 in 2024.

*Heritage of Conyers hired its football operations coordinator and assistant athletic director, Caleb Shaw, as interim coach to replace Rodney Cofield, who in April stepped down to become head coach at B.E.S.T. Academy. Shaw, 26, is a former Heritage and Valdosta State player who came to his alma mater in 2022 out of college. Heritage was 2-8 last season after being moved into the highest class for the first time since 1995.

Region 5

*Etowah hired Sprayberry coach Brett Vavra to replace Matt Kemper. Vavra came to Sprayberry, his alma mater, in 2017. His 2024 team finished 11-2, won the school’s first region title since 2018 and reached the quarterfinals for the first time since 1982. Vavra was Etowah’s defensive coordinator and track-and-field coach from 2012 to 2016. Etowah hasn’t had a winning season since 2015 and was 2-8 last season.

*Marietta hired Edgewater, Florida, coach Cameron Duke to replace Richard Morgan, who became head coach at Niceville, Florida. Duke’s record over eight seasons at Edgewater was 85-16. Two of his teams played in state championship games. Edgewater was 10-2 last season. Morgan led the Blue Devils for nine seasons and won the Class 7A championship in 2019. Marietta suffered losing seasons the past three years and finished 2-8 in 2024.

Region 6

*Alpharetta hired West Georgia defensive coordinator Brian Landis to replace Jason Kervin, who is now strength-and-conditioning coach at Pelham in Alabama. Landis was West Georgia’s defensive coordinator last season and a defensive assistant the previous four seasons at Georgia State. Landis was a high school head coach at Douglass of Lexington, Kentucky, from 2017 to 2019. He had a 35-5 record and finished 14-1 in 2018 while reaching Kentucky’s Class 5A final. Landis has been on staffs at Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky and alma mater Georgetown of Kentucky. Alpharetta was 20-33 in five seasons under Jason Kervin and 1-9 in 2024.

*South Forsyth hired University of South Florida director of internal scouting James Thomson to replace Troy Morris, who is now North Forsyth's offensive coordinator. Thomson, a Florida native, was a Georgia head coach at Tucker in 2021 and Northview from 2017 to 2020. Thomson left Tucker to become head coach at Winter Haven in Florida for the 2022 season. He’s also a former head coach in Florida at Gainesville (2011-12) and DeLand (2013-14). South Forsyth was 17-25 in four seasons under Morris and 2-8 in 2024.

Region 7

*Berkmar hired McDonough defensive coordinator Bre’nard Williams to replace Andrico Hines, who became head coach at Hughes. Williams, a Tift County graduate, played indoor football for two years after leaving Clark Atlanta and has coached on staffs at Thomasville, Mundy’s Mill, Methodist College and Alabama State before coming to McDonough in 2024. Berkmar was 5-14 in Hines’ two seasons and most recently had a winning season in 2007.

*Brookwood promoted defensive coordinator Chad Nighbert to replace Philip Jones, who became offensive line coach at Jackson County. Nighbert was Brookwood’s interim coach from the third game into the playoffs last season as Jones took time away for health reasons. Nighbert grew up in Germany and came to Georgia to play linebacker at Georgia Southern, where he became an All-America linebacker. He came to Brookwood last season after serving as defensive coordinator at Colquitt County. He has worked on staffs at Effingham County, Savannah, Southeast Bulloch, Screven County and Jones County. Brookwood was 7-4 last season and 70-44 in 10 seasons under Jones.

*Meadowcreek promoted assistant head coach Johnny Burdette to replace Todd Wofford, who retired from public schools and became assistant athletic director for college recruitment at Greater Atlanta Christian. Burdette has been with Meadowcreek since 2021 and was Touchdown Club of Gwinnett’s assistant coach of the year four times, twice with Meadowcreek (2021, 2022). He has been on staffs at Berkmar, Discovery, Newton and alma mater McNair. He was McNair’s coach in 2019 and 2022. Meadowcreek was 0-10 in 2024.

*Norcross promoted 24-year assistant Corey Richardson to replace Keith Maloof, who retired. Norcross was Richardson’s first high school job in 2001. The Blue Devils are 199-83 since then with two state titles. Richardson is best known for working with defensive linemen. He is a Stone Mountain and University of Georgia graduate. Maloof retired with a 232-103 record. The victory total ranked fifth among active coaches last season and 37th all-time in the GHSA.

*Parkview hired former Milton coach Adam Clack to replace Joe Sturdivant, who joined the staff of Black Hills State, a Division II school in South Dakota. Clack’s record at Milton from 2017 to 2021 was 54-12, and his 2018 team won the school’s first state championship. Clack left Milton to enter college coaching. His first job was at Charlotte as an analyst. He later worked in a European professional league and recently as a football trainer and consultant in metro Atlanta. Clack had a 20-12 record in three seasons (2014-16) at West Forsyth. Parkview was 3-7 last season.

Region 8

*Central Gwinnett hired Greene County coach Terrence Banks to replace Larry Harold, who became Irwin County's head coach. Banks led Class A Greene County to 10-2 and 8-3 finishes. Banks was Meadowcreek’s coach for the second half of the 2021 season. Banks also has been a head coach at Tri-Cities, Newton and Meadowcreek. Central Gwinnett was 12-18 in Harold’s three seasons and 4-6 in 2024.