Daily Dive: Coaching Carousel heats up as Heritage-Conyers makes a big hire while Hart Co. and Brunswick search

The coaching carousel is in full swing and is only getting crazier as the year comes to an end. There are already 36 teams that either already have or will have a new head coach by next season.

Over the past few days, major names and jobs have both opened up and been filled. Heritage-Conyers hired former Georgia star quarterback and second-round NFL draft pick Quincy Carter to be their new head coach. Carter will be the team’s fourth head coach in as many seasons. The team is 6-24 over that span and has struggled to win, not making the playoffs since 2019.

In other big news, both Brunswick and Hart County have come open. Brunswick’s head coach, Garrett Grady, stepped down after a fight that saw the team heavily fined, multiple players suspended, and the team receive a one-year postseason ban. Grady was 36-10 over four seasons at Brunswick and won three region titles. This leaves Brunswick in an even worse situation, very similar to, if not worse, than Valdosta following its 2020 scandal.

Hart County decided to part ways with four-year head coach Cory Dickerson after the Bulldogs failed to have a winning record for the fourth straight year. The team went 3-8 and once again struggled against good teams, going 1-7 against teams with winning records. The Bulldogs have a history of success, making the playoffs all but four years since 1992 and advancing past the second round nine times in that span.

Some major names to watch in this coaching cycle are Rush Propst, Bill Stewart, and Jamie Abrams. Propst announced that he would be interested in returning to south Georgia to coach, and with schools like Wayne County and Bainbridge open, he has ample opportunity. Stewart, the former North Gwinnett head coach, got back into high school coaching after three years with Georgia Tech, serving this year as the defensive coordinator at Rabun County. He should be a leading candidate for any job he applies for. Former Cedartown head coach and current Bowdon defensive coordinator Jamie Abrams will be a sought-after commodity on the coaching market this season. Holding a 65-19-1 record, he has been consistently great every season, winning no fewer than seven games and making it past the first round of the playoffs in five of his seven seasons.

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