Collins returns to Perry, Respert back in the area
Hawkinsville found itself with a head coaching position late in the process when David Daniell stepped down in May. But the Red Devils got some familiarity with program by hiring Hawkinsville alum Will Conner in mid-June.
Connor graduated in 2001, and had been on the Red Devils' staff under Daniell and Cam Black, moving up from defensive coordinator.
Former Northside standout and Tennessee starter Jason Respert is back on the sidelines, returning to Middle Georgia.
Respert was dismissed by Douglas County in December after going 12-29 in four seasons in his first head coaching job. The Tigers had four straight non-winning seasons when he took over, and the program had to deal with the heat stroke death of player Zyrees Oliver in August 2014.
He's now the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at West Laurens, which went 8-4 last year and is breaking in a new quarterback.
Another former Northside and Tennessee player is on the sidelines, but he is making his coaching debut.
Greg Clark, a 2010 Northside graduate who played at Tennessee and finished at Jacksonville State, is at his high school alma mater, coaching the freshmen and helping out with the varsity defensive line for the Eagles.
George Collins is back in very familiar territory, but in a different job.
Collins resigned as head coach at Rutland last season, and he has joined the staff at Perry, where he was head coach from 1995-2000. He has was head coach at Houston County in 2007.
“Getting him to commit and come back here, it’s been (huge),” Perry head coach Carl Dixon said. “Coach Collins hired me to come to Perry, in 1996. He’ll ask me, ‘Coach, do you mind if I walk through the office?’ It’s funny. ‘Coach, this is your office.’ ”
Chris Kirksey spent a year as an assistant at Marion County after parting ways in December 2015 with Taylor County as head coach.
Marion County head coach Mike Swaney, a former assistant at Westside, announced his resignation in late April, and Kirskey was promoted in early May to take over a program that was 65-10 with a state title under Swaney.
Kirksey was 50-62-1 in 11 seasons with the Vikings, who were region foes of the Eagles for two seasons. They're both in Region 4-A, but in different subregions and aren't scheduled to play, although that could come in the region crossover late in the season.
Butler and Buena Vista are less than 30 miles apart.
The defensive line at Howard better be ready for a former potential WWE contestant. Hank Avery, a Tattnall Square grad who originally signed with Air Force but transferred to Mercer, is the Huskies' new defensive line coach.
Tommy Howell has moved as an assistant from Warner Robins to GMC as offensive coordinator. Howell has also been at Washington County, East Laurens and Dublin.