Top hires from off-season

The 10 Coaching hires that caught my eye this off-season (in no particular order)

Jamaal Stewart ( Centennial): Not sure alot of people expected Centennial to hit a home run in their search for a Head Coach, but that's exactly what they did in hiring Stewart. He comes by way of East Nashville where he took them to heights they've never gone before finishing runner-up each of the last 2 seasons. 

He takes over a Centennial team that had a nice bounce back season, going 8-3 and making the playoffs for the first time in 5 seasons. They will move down to 5A , competing in District 6, which features tough programs like Page and Nolensville

Matt Kriesky (Blackman): it always seemed inevitable that Kriesky would make his way back to Rutherford County, a place that he spent alot of his years as an assistant.  Kriesky had an up and down tenure at Centennial (which has never been an easy job), but he will bring a toughness and stability that Blackman has sorely lacked in recent years. 

It could get rocky in Year 1 for Kriesky & Blackman. The Blaze graduated alot of talent on the offensive side of the ball and the defense has been a liability.  Region 3-6A has also gotten better top to bottom in recent years. Despite that, this feels like a natural fit and if things work our, Blackman has their leader for the next 10-15 years

Chris Smith ( Bartlett): Smith comes by way of Haywood, where he was able to keep the momentum of his predecessor, going 48-8 in his 4 seasons at Haywood. Smith was also responsible for a quick turnaround at Germantown,  winning 23 game in his last 2 seasons there. 

He inherits a Bartlett program  much like Haywood that just needs to maintain that momentum and get to the next step. The Panthers have made the semifinals twice in the last 3 years 

Josh Puckett ( Haywood): Smith's successor at Haywood, Puckett already has a state championship to his name from his successful tenure at Lake County. He takes over a Haywood team that should still be really good, and we'll find out early how good they are with a matchup against Oakland in Week 3.

Long term, it's hard to top having a coach already on staff that has won a title as a Head Coach. Haywood should be in good hands going forward

Michael Stroup (Gallatin): One of the true powerhouse in the 70s,80s and early 90s under Calvin Short, Gallatin has struggled to back there. The hiring of Michael Stroup may change that. 

Stroup has a track record of his team's getting better every season, first at Scotts Hill then at USJ, going 40-12 in his last 4 seasons with 2 silver balls. Stroup will no doubt bring toughness and accountability.  I wouldn't expect miracles right,  but Stroup's track record suggests it won't take long for Gallatin to become successful again

Ben Kuhn ( Wilson Central ) : The first of the 1st time HC's on the list,  Kuhn has cut his teeth at various places before coming to WC from Green Hill, where he served as offensive coordinator. 

WC has always been decent most years, but has never been able to string good seasons together. I feel like WC under Kuhn has the potential to do that

Derek Rang ( Oak Ridge): Rang has a bit of a reputation as a nomad with OR being his 5th stop as a HC. That said, the guy knows how to win having been to the quarterfinals at least once in all his previous stops.

Oak Ridge is much like Gallatin, a state powerhouse in the days of the 3 class system.  Unlike Gallatin, OR has had some great seasons in the last couple of decades but to end a title drought that dates back to their last state championship in 1991. 

Not many public school jobs in this state are as attractive as Oak Ridge, I anticipate that Rang's nomad days are over with and expect for him to have great success at OR.

Jacob Gill ( Brentwood Academy): I confess to not knowing a great deal about Gill outside of being from out of state, but he's made big waves without even coaching a game yet with the talent BA has amassed by way of transfer in the last few days. 

Gill inherits a program with a legit 5 star QB in George McIntyre. With the kind or talent BA has accumulated,  they're well positioned to win their first title since 2018

Damien Harris ( East Nashville): East Nashville didn't have to go far to find it'd next coaching, hiring longtime Pearl Cohn assistant Damien Harris to replace Jamaal Stewart. 

This hire seems like a natural fit on so many levels. East Nashville will run a offense very similar to what they did under Stewart and Harris is very familiar with the kids as PC and EN have one of the biggest rivalries in the area. There might be a little bit of a learning curve, but long term I feel like this was a very solid hire for East Nashville

Chandler Tygard (Cleveland): Rarely in this state has a coach been given the kind of power Tygard has been given at Cleveland, being named Head of Football Operations for the city of Cleveland. It always helps when you have your feeder programs move in unison with the Varsity program, even better when you can call all the shots like Tygard will. It's a job that more closely resembles college rather than High School.

One thing is for certain, they won't be boring. Tygard's teams at Blackman never lacked for scoring points, putting a bunch of stress on opposing defenses. The same can't be said for the defense at Blackman, but Tygard inherits a Cleveland team that was very solid defensively.

No doubt Cleveland will be able to rack up the wins under Tygard, he can scheme up an offense as well anyone. That said, their path to Chattanooga is blocked by state juggernaut Maryville and how Cleveland does in the postseason will be ultimately how Tygard's tenure is judged

Did I leave someone out? Leave a comment and let me know who

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