BREAKING: Grayson's Santavious Bryant expected to take Gainesville job

According to sources, and first reported by 'Fired Football Coaches of Georgia' via X, Grayson head coach Santavious Bryant is expected to be the next head coach at Gainesville High School following the news of Josh Niblett’s resignation yesterday.

Bryant is a former Gainesville assistant who was on staff for the team’s 2022 state finals run, where he served as the team’s defensive backs coach. In his three seasons as the head coach at Grayson, he amassed a 37-5 record, along with three region titles and a 2024 7A state championship.

Bryant is taking over a 12-3 Gainesville team that made the 5A finals in 2025, the team’s second finals appearance under coach Niblett. In four years under Niblett, the Red Elephants went 45-9 and won two region titles in 2022 and 2023.

The Gainesville program is one of the most storied in the state, having the third-most wins in state history, trailing only Valdosta and LaGrange. The 21st century has been very successful for the Red Elephants, with the team making four finals appearances, winning the 2012 5A state title, and capturing 10 region titles.

Grayson now enters the coaching carousel looking for a new head coach. The Rams have been one of the state’s premier programs since the school opened in 2000. Since then, they have won four championships under four different coaches. The team has reached the quarterfinals or better every year since 2018.

The final question will be how many players from both schools leave following the change in leadership. In the modern world of high school football, player transferring is a given; the question is how many players both new coaching staffs will be able to retain.

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