Class 2A Blog: Football coaching carousel chaos ... yet again
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(Photo - Daniel Varnado for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Appling County is once again set to be the center of a major coaching search, as Tucker Pruitt is expected to take the Camden County job, leaving a premier program in Appling County looking for its third coach in three seasons.
Appling County parted ways with coach Jordan Mullis after the Pirates were forced to forfeit every win from the 2024 season after playing an ineligible player. Pruitt had spent the previous eight seasons at Fitzgerald, where he went 87-27. During that time, he made three finals appearances and won the 2021 Class 2A championship. His departure caused Fitzgerald to hire former Stephens County head coach Wesley Tankersley, and Stephens County had to scramble to hire a coach already on staff in Thomas Flowers.
In his one season as the head coach at Appling County, Pruitt went 8-4 and advanced to the second round of the playoffs, along with winning the Region 3-2A championship. That success was even more impressive given the drama surrounding his hiring and his late arrival to the program.
Camden County is one of the most high-profile jobs in the state. The Wildcats are only three years removed from a semifinals appearance. The program was one of the premier programs of the 2000s. From 2001 to 2013, the Wildcats won 13 straight region titles and three championships, one in 2003 and back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009. However, since 2013, the team has not won a region title and has advanced past the first round only three times.
The question now is where Appling County turns next, and whether it will cause chaos like it did last year. Appling County, while still seeking its first state championship, will be a highly sought-after job. Since 2019, the Pirates have reached the second round or better every season, made three semifinals appearances, and won three region titles.
In addition to Appling County, Cook has already seen its coach, Byron Slack, leave to take the Brunswick head coaching position. The question now is whether two major 2A jobs being open will create the same level of chaos seen last spring.
