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   The best of the best in Alabama High   
  School Football over the past 100 seasons.





2024 Football Coaching Changes


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New Hires: Eleven
Best Hire: Jere Adcock, Whitesburg Christian
Hardest to Replace: Tyler Vann, Sylvania
Best Job: Sylvania
Toughest Job: Brindlee Mountain
Most Interesting:  Several interesting off season hires are scattered around 3A this year. Young and first time head coaches will be the theme as we approach the 2024 football season.  Tanner Nelson and Sylvania and Levi Estes at Hanceville will be a couple to keep an eye on the next few seasons as they try to work their magic as first time head coaches.

     Jere Adcock at Whitesburg will bring a world of knowledge and experience to the young football program.
 
 
 2024 Coaching Changes 

     
    Last year 3A had the most coaching changes and this season they are tied with 5A for the fewest with eleven.  Eight of the new coaching hires were head coaches last season so there will be a group of young coaches making their head coaching debut in 2024..

     All-in-all Class 3A seems to have made several great hires that will prove to change the landscape we have grown accustomed to the past decade or so.  Time will tell if all the changes pan out for the schools.


 Team  2023 Season  2024 Season

Brindlee Mountain (0-10)Joshua BaileyJake Pittman
Clements (5-5)Michael ParkerBrick Pugh
Dadeville (4-5)Roger McDonaldChad McKelvey
Dallas County (0-10)Douglas LaisterDarryl Watts
Elkmont (4-6)Chris Bunio8/StaffJoel Schrenk
Hanceville (4-6)Ryan BrewerLevi Estes
Holly Pond (2-8)Coleman MasonWill McDaniel
J.B. Pennington (8-3)Caleb MilesJordan Cantrell
Sheffield (3-7)Brian DickersonJohnny Wright
Sumter Central (4-5)Scottie JonesGary Sturdivant
Sylvania (10-3)Tyler VannTanner Nelson
Whitesburg Christian (2-8)Jimmy NaveJere Adcock



 
 Most Victories 
 
    Class 3A includes some of the winningest coaches with three over the 200 win mark and fourteen topping the 100 win milestone.  Both are tops for any classification. They are led by Paul Benefield at Fyffe, Steve Smith at Piedmont and Brent Hubbert at T.R. Miller.

    The next two on our list made moves during the off season with Johnny Wright returning to Sheffield a place where he was the head football coach back in 1987.  Jere Adcock after retiring from Decatur last year takes over at Whitesburg Christian and will try to build that football program.

    The region with the most coaching wins and experience is Region 8.  Their coaches have won a combined 717 football games in their respective careers.  They are followed closely by Region 6 with a combined 693 wins under their belt.


Paul Benefield Fyffe 351 56
Steve Smith Westbrook Christian 288 86
Brent Hubbert T.R. Miller 229 58
Johnny Wright Sheffield 191 124
Jere Adcock Whitesburg Christian 187 120
Jeff Smith Walter Wellborn 177 120
Scott Martin Glencoe 172 154
Pat Prestridge Randolph County 168 89
Doug Vickery Jr. Flomaton 150 116
Ernie Willingham Collinsville 150 97
David McKinney Winfield 145 55
Brian Seymore Trinity 136 68
Adam Fossett B.B. Comer 107 77
Jonathan Miller Piedmont 105 39



 
 Most Playoff Victories 
 
   The 68 playoff victories by Paul Benefield rank third all-time in the state behind Terry Curtis and Danny Horn.  In thirty-two seasons as a head coach all but two of his teams qualified for the playoff.  That is simply a tremendous statement to the great head football coach he is today.

     Steve Smith, fourth, and Brent Hubbert, eighth, are both in the top ten for active coaches with the most playoff victories in all classification.


Paul Benefield Fyffe 68 23
Steve Smith Westbrook Christian 62 22
Brent Hubbert T.R. Miller 45 19
Pat Prestridge Randolph County 24 13
Darrell Higgins Mars Hill 19 5
Jere Adcock Whitesburg Christian 16 21
Doug Vickery Jr. Flomaton 15 13
Jonathan Miller Piedmont 15 11
Johnny Wright Sheffield 14 11
Jeff Smith Walter Wellborn 14 19
David McKinney Winfield 14 16
Adam Fossett B.B. Comer 14 11
   * only in-state wins counted



 
 Longest Tenure at Current School 
 
   Ten head football coaches in 3A have been at their current school more than ten seasons.  That is the most of any classification.  Class 3A has the longest average tenure of all the classifications at 5.3 years.  Paul Benefield with 27 years at Fyffe lead the pack over Doug Vickery Jr. and Pat Prestridge.

    Ten active coaches have spent at least ten years as the head football coach at their current schools in 3A.

 
28 - Paul Benefield, Fyffe
19 - Doug Vickery Jr., Flomaton
19 - Pat Prestridge, Randolph County
16 - Ernie Willingham, Collinsville
16 - Jeff Smith, Walter Wellborn
14 - Rod Isaac, Midfield
14 - Johnny Wright, Sheffield
12 - Daryl Davis, Thorsby
12 - David McKinney, Winfield
12 - Josh Cox, Wicksburg
9 - Jeff Mason, Lauderdale County
9 - Darrell Higgins, Mars Hill
8 - Stephen Robinson, Vinemont
 



 
 Coaching Turnover 2000-2024 
 
   The lack of success in most football programs often leads to a change in the head coach.  These schools have had the most head coaching changes over the past 24 years.  There are no surprises on this list.  Few teams here would be considered a consistent winning football program.

16 Dallas County  
13 Greensboro  
12 Carbon Hill  
12 Wilcox Central  
11 Monroe County  
11 Cottage Hill Christian  
11 Elkmont  
11 Holly Pond  
10 Hanceville  
9 Alabama Christian  
9 Excel  
9 Ohatchee  
9 Clements  
9 Glenwood School  
9 Hale County  
9 Slocomb  
9 Sumter Central  





David Parker
  AHSFHS.org
  dparker@ahsfhs.org





Great Moments in Alabama High School Football History

From 1947 until his retirement in 1992 Glenn Daniel's teams won 302 games at Pine Hill and Luverne. He was the winningest coach in state history until 2010.