The offseason following the 2024 high school football season was set to be a quiet one in regards to head coaching changes — especially since more than 15 area programs had coaching turnover the prior year.
But, no.
The coaching carousel turned just as fast and all the same.
Here are the 18 new head football coaches in the 5Star Preps coverage area and a little bit about them …
BEARDEN
Brad Taylor takes over at his alma mater for a second time. He replaces Josh Jones, who is now an assistant coach at Knoxville Catholic. Taylor coached Bearden from 2007-13 and Karns from 2016-22.
CAMPBELL COUNTY
Taylor Ownbey took over for Mark Pemberton as head coach in mid-April. Pemberton coached the Cougars for just the 2024 season and left for a job in Kentucky, one from which he has already resigned. Ownbey, who hails from Georgia, was Campbell County’s defensive coordinator in 2024.
CLAIBORNE
Dalton Lee, a former Claiborne Bulldog quarterback (2011-14), took over as head football coach at his alma mater in mid-December 2024.
CLINTON
Jake Dawson, one of the area’s youngest head coaches, got the nod as Clinton’s new head coach in early December of 2024. He will be 25 years old later this month. He replaces Jason Hamock, who agreed to lead the Dragons as an interim head coach for the 2024 season after Darell Keith’s contract was not renewed.
COCKE COUNTY
Daniel Dudley takes over for Scotty Dykes at Cocke County. Dykes, a former Cocke County star in his high school days, stepped down after coaching the team from 2019-2024. Dudley, a 2000 Sevier County graduate, was an assistant coach for Dykes since 2019.
GREENBACK
Richie Wilhite, a longtime and successful defensive coordinator in the area, got hired at Greenback in January, as he looks to resurrect a once proud championship program.
HARRIMAN
This was a big one, as Travis Tapp — who coached the Blue Devils since 2003 — stepped down in late January 2025. He was the program’s all-time winningest coach. Former Oak Ridge star and former Austin-East head coach Kwayu Graham took over for Tapp on April 1.
LAKEWAY CHRISTIAN
If there’s an athletics department known for splash hires, it’s likely Lakeway. And they made significant ripples in mid-February with the hiring of Halls native Greg Vandagriff, who had won three state titles in the Georgia high school football ranks. He replaced Thad Wells, who coached the Lions from 2022-24.
LENOIR CITY
The Panthers didn’t expect to have to go through a coaching change following the 2024 season. But when Scott Cummings left his coaching post to be athletics director at Halls, Lenoir City tabbed Billy Coleman as Cummings’ successor. Coleman hailed from the midstate area and had been defensive coordinator at Stewarts Creek in 2024.
McMINN CENTRAL
Matt Moody left McMinn Central in January to be head football coach at Ooltewah. Roughly a month later, McMinn Central introduced former Fulton and Midway offensive coordinator J.T. Ostrowski as its new head coach.
MIDWAY
Ron Treadway returned to Midway in the spring as Justin O’Toole stepped away from coaching. Treadway coached Midway from 2019-22 and won 18 games in that three-season span.
PIGEON FORGE
No surprise that the Tigers had to find a new coach. Scott Meadows announced early in the 2024 season that he’d be retiring. Pigeon Forge promoted assistant coach Heath Woods to the head spot. Woods, a veteran head coach in the area, had been an assistant under Meadows at Pigeon Forge since 2022. Woods is known for his head-coaching stints at Carter and Northview.
SEQUOYAH
Sequoyah hired Brett King in early 2025 as its new head football coach. King is a former multi-sport standout at Sequoyah, where he starred at quarterback for the Chiefs.
SEYMOUR
The Eagles got one of the more impressive hires of the offseason in Tullahoma long-time offensive coordinator Caleb Olive, who — along with his father and Tullahoma head coach John Oliver — helped that program win its first state title in 2021. Caleb Olive took over at Seymour in late January for Patrick Clark.
SUNBRIGHT
Brad Stephens leads the Tigers program now, having recently replaced Drake Miklas at the helm. Stephens is most known for his long time as defensive coordinator at Scott High.
THE KING’S ACADEMY
TKA and longtime head coach/AD Jonathan Sellers unexpectedly parted ways in late June 2025. TKA announced on June 25 that Phillip Troutman would be acting head coach. He has recently served in assistant coaching roles with Northview football, TKA football and TKA girls basketball.
UNION COUNTY
Iowa native Joe Davis, who spent last season as a defensive coordinator at Union County, got promoted to head coach in mid-February. He replaces Noah Malicoat.
WEST
In the story of the sumner, Knox County Schools imparted change on the West football program. Barron Chandler, a longtime assistant under Lamar Brown, was announced as the team’s new coach in mid-June. He takes over for Brown, who led West to 5A state titles in 2022 and 2023.
Article written by Jesse Smithey/5Star Preps To read more on area high school sports or to see photo galleries, videos, stat leaders, etc… visit 5StarPreps.com — and use promo code New2025 for 30% off your first year or month subscription.
