Five-time state champion Cedar Grove announces hiring of new head coach Rich Freeman

One of the most successful high school football programs of the last decade in the state of Georgia has found its next leader as Cedar Grove has hired Rich Freeman to become the 13th head coach in program history.

Freeman has a multitude of experience in coaching as he was most recently the head coach of Morehouse College, a historic HBCU in Atlanta for 16 seasons from 2007 until 2022.

The former Morehouse College head coach has experience at almost all levels of the sport including NCAA Division I and II as well as the NAIA.

His variety of experiences in coaching come from a hand-full of colleges in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee such as Tennessee State University, Alabama State University, Miles College, Concordia College-Selma and Lane College, serving at each school as the head coach.

Freeman, an Atlanta-native, played his high school football at Crim High School where he played his way into earning an all-state honorable mention as a linebacker. After graduating from high school, Freeman continued his football career at Tennessee State University in Nashville, where he was a starter on the Tigers defense for three seasons. Freeman became a team captain during his senior season where he received honorable mention honors from the Ohio Valley Conference.

His experience in playing linebacker during his high school and collegiate playing days helped him develop a defensive-mind as a head coach while also coaching a handful of position groups along the way such as linebackers, defensive linemen, defensive backs, as well as the special teams.

Morehouse Colleges former head coach brought the program some success during his 16-year tenure. In 2010, Freemans Maroon Tigers were selected to compete in the NCAA Division II Playoffs for the first time in school history, having an 8-3 record during the historic season.

While having plenty of experience in the college ranks, Freeman hasnt had experience coaching at the high school level until now. The former HBCU head coach now gets his first opportunity with a program that has won five state championships over the last 10 seasons.

Cedar Grove last won a state championship in 2023 under John Adams and has won state championships with three separate head coaches in the last decade.

Last year under former head coach Roderick Moore, the Saints had their first losing season since 2020 under Miguel Patrick. The 2024 Cedar Grove team under Moore accumulated a 3-7 record and still managed to make the postseason.

The Saints were eliminated in the first round of the Class 3A state championships by Harlem, losing 27-13. It marked the first time that Cedar Grove had been eliminated from the playoffs in the first round since the 2012 season under Ray Bonner where the Saints were defeated by Buford.

Freeman will look to bring the Cedar Grove football program back to prominence as the Saints have recorded double-digit win seasons in eight of the last 10 years and will attempt to do the same in 2025.