Daily Dive: Johns Creek parts ways with coach Jim Rowell after scoreless 2025 campaign

Johns Creek and head coach Jim Rowell have parted ways after nearly three seasons.

In those three seasons, Rowell and the Gladiators went 1-28 and are currently on a 26-game losing streak. The 2025 season has been one of the toughest in state history. Sitting at 0-9, the team has been outscored 482-0 in those nine games, with its closest contest being a 42-0 loss to Centennial.

Rowell was Cambridge’s defensive coordinator in 2023 before taking the Johns Creek job. He should land on his feet and will secure another coordinator position . The fall of the program cannot be laid solely at his feet. Though the decline culminated under Coach Rowell, it began in 2023 when Coach Drew Connell took over. In that season, the Gladiators fell from a 9-4 record and a quarterfinals appearance in 2022 to 2-8.

Johns Creek should not be considered a job to avoid in the upcoming coaching carousel. North Fulton is home to several high-end programs such as Milton and Roswell, and the Gladiators themselves have a strong history. Opening in 2009, Johns Creek quickly became a playoff regular, winning region titles in 2016, 2018, and 2019. However, the departure of Matt Helmerich in 2023 marked a major shift in the program. A poor hire in Connell left the team in a difficult position from which Rowell was unable to recover.

This, however, is not a death sentence for the program. Many powerhouse programs, including Gainesville, Parkview, and Clarke Central, have made coaching hires that didn’t work out over the past decade but were able to bounce back. The fate of Johns Creek’s program now lies in the hands of its administration. A strong administrative team can make or break a program, and will determine the caliber of head coach the Gladiators attract next.

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