Class 6A Blog: Kevin Whitley named new Westlake head football coach

The Westlake Lions announced the hiring of Kevin Whitley to serve as head football coach on Friday—replacing Morris Mitchell after his two-year stint. Whitley has an extensive coaching resume that includes stops at Redan and North Springs as an assistant coach before taking over the head coaching position at North Springs (2001-02), Creekside (2003-08) and Stockbridge (2019-21). At Stockbridge, Whitley achieved a 99-28 overall record with five region titles over 10 years, four of which were in a row from 2014-2017. Stockbridge had never won a playoff game prior to his arrival. At Creekside, Whitley posted a 52-16 overall record with 10 all-state players, including Georgia High School Football Hall of Famer Eric Berry.

Whitley went to his alma mater Georgia Southern in 2019 and served on the staff the next six seasons—including 2021 when he led the Eagles as an interim head coach. With experience as a head coach in high school and college, Whitley returned to the high school sidelines in 2024 at Northgate High School. While at Northgate, Whitley took a 2-8 team in 2024 and turned it into an 8-3 squad in 2025 that produced the team’s best record since 2016.

Westlake is coming off a 4-7 record in 2025 and will compete in Region 2-7A next season with Northgate, Douglas County, East Coweta, Paulding County and Carrollton. Whitley’s son Avery will be a senior on the Lions next season and he finished 2025 with 15 receptions for 165 yards and two touchdowns while playing wide receiver.