7 New Coach Hires to Watch in 2026
Every year a new school year rolls around in August and with it comes a new football season. A new football season brings new hopes, dreams, and aspirations for a State Championship.
Oftentimes the media talks almost exclusively about which players are going to help their schools reach those dreams of a State Championship. All of this is well and good. High School football is about the kids, however without their coaches none of this would happen. These men make many sacrifices in order to give high schoolers the opportunity to compete under the lights every week. As a former coach, I want to highlight these men. Highlight their accomplishments, and their decision making. To try and take the reader into the minds of these men who are often unfairly criticised in their own communities. Hopefully, I can provide a window into this world and make the coaching fraternity proud.
​With the new football season here that means there are many programs throughout the state that have a new man at the helm. With a new coach there is often a renewed sense of optimism. An old coach once told me that there are a lot of good mechanics (coaches) but not enough good garages (jobs). According to the AHSFHS (shoutout David Parker) there are 111 new head coaches in the state of Alabama. I have gone classification by classification and I am here to present to you what I think are the best marriages between a good mechanic (coach) and a good garage (job).
6A: Bryan Moore (Foley): In a move that shocked a lot of people around the state, Coach Bryan Moore made the move from Opelika High School to Foley High School. Coach Moore was an Opelika man. His first job out of college was with legendary Coach Spence McCracken at Opelika. He spent his formative years at Opelika before taking his first head coaching job at Eufuala. After a few stops in between Coach Moore returned home in 2024 taking the Opelika job. Many people including myself believed that Coach Moore would remain at Opelika until retirement. He turned the Bulldogs program around leading them to a 7A state title game last year, which they would ultimately lose to the Thompson Warriors. With a head coaching record of 105-28, Foley believed that Coach Moore was the guy to return them to relevance and they made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Coach Moore has put together an excellent staff bringing his OC from Opelika, J.D. Adkins. As well as hiring former head coaches like former East Limestone head coach Will Johnson. With a wide open region 1 in the south and a track record of winning, watch out for Coach Moore, and his Foley Lions this season.
5A: Darrell LeBeaux (Huffman): This one is a bit of a hear me out. There’s no denying that Huffman football has been a bit of a laughing stock in the state as of recently. In 2023, they played 10 games and didn’t score a single point. They went 3-27 in the last three years. However, enter former Hoover OC and Pleasant Grove HC, Darrell LeBeaux. Coach LeBeaux takes over after a year as Chip English’s OC at Hoover. LeBeaux was extremely successful at Pleasant Grove going 75-16 in just 7 years as the head coach including three straight appearances in the State Championship game. Coach Lebeaux knows what it takes to navigate being a head coach at schools around Birmingham. If he can keep kids at Huffman, and motivate kids to play football at a very basketball centric school. I believe we could see the rise of another Birmingham City School that is very competitive much like Parker. This might not have an immediate payoff but keep your eyes on Coach LeBeaux and the Huffman football program.
4A: Greg Patterson (Dora): When I had heard Coach Patterson had stepped down at Hueytown I was shocked. Coach Patterson in his seven seasons as the Golden Gophers head coach made the playoffs every year, and had played in a state title game. I was shocked to hear he was leaving that job voluntarily. Coachhad some reasons for leaving, including a lot of school politics stuff I won’t get into. I thought he’d take a break as a head coach, get on a good staff somewhere and enjoy not dealing with all the junk that comes with being a head coach. A couple months later he pops up taking the Dora job. I think it’s a great fit for one simple reason, Dora is historically a pretty good program, and Coach Patterson is a winner. Usually when that happens winning results. This is a textbook example of a good mechanic finding a good garage. In a 4A region that is pretty wide open I believe that Coach Patterson will have great success at Dora.
3A: Jake Helveston (Oneonta): The coaching community in Alabama was shocked with Oneonta fired Phil Phillips after going 5-5 in 2025. Even though Coach Phillips had played for a state title in 2021, going 7-13 in the last two years was not good enough for Oneonta. Stepping into the large expectations is former Clay-Chalkville DC, Jake Helveston. Coach Helveston led one of the best defensive units in the state. Only giving up 10.1 points per game in 2024, winning a state title in 2025. This is another instance of a good mechanic finding a good garage. Coach Helveston will have all the resources he needs to win at Oneonta and he knows how to do it from his time at Clay Chalkville. Combine this with a great QB in Sam Garrison, Oneonta could be a sleeper in 3A this year.
2A: Josh Thacker (Southside Selma): Coach Thacker takes over a program from another guy who very well could have made this list in Charles Moody. Coach Moody headed just down the road to Selma where he took a couple of his Southside Selma standouts. However, Southside has never been short of athletes with Duke and Erick Smith and Cedrick Simmons recently being Southside Panthers. Coach Thacker has plenty of experience with seven years of head coaching experience in the AISA at both Pickens and Morgan Academy, and years as an assistant with big programs like Prattville, Demopolis, Pike Road. Coach Thacker is a great fit with his offensive acumen which he showed at Pike Road plus his experience in the AISA running smaller programs. Couple this up with the athletes he will have at Southside, I don’t think they’ll be slowing down at all.
1A: Drew Luker (Sweetwater): Maybe I’m being really lazy with this one. But c’mon, that last name means Sweet Water Football. Luker, unlike many in this profession, is not a product of nepotism. He didn’t just follow his daddy around and wait to be a head coach he went in and earned it. Starting his career at Demopolis and then cutting his teeth on both sides of the Battle of Murder Creek rivalry. He then got his shot as a head coach at McKenzie posting a respectable record of 14-7 with two playoff appearances in two years. He then returned home to Sweet Water as an assistant in 2022 and now has become the head coach. He knows what it takes to win there and he will get it done.
Private: Jacob Ozment (Lee-Scott Academy): This summer to the surprise of a lot of people, Lee-Scott head coach Buster Daniel retired from coaching and took a job at the AHSAA as the director of private schools. He was able to do this because the successor was already on campus. In steps, Jacob Ozment. He was named the interim head coach for this season because of the late nature of Daniel’s retirement. He has been the DC at LSA since 2022, and in that time his defenses have been some of the tops in the state regardless of classification. Ozment, unlike many young coaches in the private school ranks, is not looking to jump to the larger public schools. He is intertwined in the community and builds great relationships with his players. Ozment may be in a bit of an uphill climb this year. With the new classification, Lee-Scott is the smallest school in the Private AA division and will have to face the likes of Briarwood, and Madison Academy in their region. That coupled with crazy travel for away games, and a very young football team, Ozment and the Warriors will probably take their lumps this year. However, look for Ozment to get this job on a permanent basis this off season and for him to have a lot of success at Lee-Scott.
