John Adams resigns as Cedar Grove football head coach for position with Georgia State

After announcing his resignation from Cedar Grove on Sunday night, former Saints football head coach John Adams has accepted a role on the new Georgia State football staff as a defensive assistant coach, per 247Sports.
Adams announced his resignation on Sunday and thanked the Cedar Grove community for his time in the football program.


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John Adams (@hcbcg_jadams) March 4, 2024
I am more than grateful for having had the opportunity to work with a program that is leaving its mark on football in the state of Georgia, Adams said in his post on X Sunday night. My heart is heavy and I will cherish every last moment. It truly has been an honor and joy for me and my family. Im forever grateful to Cedar Grove High School, the football program and its community, Adams added.
Adams announced his resignation from the high school ranks on Sunday night, it was reported on Monday afternoon that Adams will be hired as a defensive assistant with the Georgia State Panthers football team.


Georgia State is expected to hire Georgia high school coach John Adams as a defensive assistant coach, a source tells @247sports.

Adams led Cedar Grove to Georgia state titles two of the last three seasons.https://t.co/dJORJ80Uo5 pic.twitter.com/MP0mffeLpW
Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) March 4, 2024
Former Georgia running backs coach, Dell McGee, was hired by Georgia State as the head football coach last week and is now filling out his staff by hiring one of the best minds in Georgia high school football as a defensive assistant.
Adams served as the head coach of the Cedar Grove football program for just three seasons and was hired before the 2021 season. Previously, he has served as Cedar Groves defensive backs coach since 2016 and remained in the role until his promotion to head coach five years later. In Cedar Grove's four state championship victories, Adams has been a part of each title, including winning back-to-back with the Saints from 2018-2019.
In his short time leading the Saints, Adams led the program to the Class 3A State Championship in every season as head coach. Under Adams, the Saints won two state championships (2021 and 2023) in three appearances, losing to Sandy Creek following a controversial last-second call in 2022 to prevent them from a three-peat. That call was the catalyst to the GHSA allowing instant replay in championship games.
In his three seasons at Cedar Grove, Adams led the Saints to an impressive 33-11 record at the helm of the program.
Before Cedar Grove, Adams was a coach on the Miller Grove and North Atlanta coaching staffs.
Adams attended Southwest Dekalb High School where he played under legendary Georgia high school football head coach, Buck Godfrey and continued his athletic and academic careers at the University of South Carolina where he was a member of their baseball program.