Former Deltona assistant, Syracuse fullback Tombe Thomas named Atlantic football coach
Atlantic found its football coach Friday morning, 10 days before the Florida High School Athletic Association's first allowable date for non-contact spring practices.
Former Deltona offensive coordinator Tombe Juma-Kose Thomas will take over the Sharks, who captured a district championship this past fall and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Last month, Jerrime "Squatty" Bell — Atlantic's coach for the previous three seasons — resigned and accepted the same position at his alma mater, FHSAA Class 3S state champion Mainland.
"We knew right away that he is our guy," Jason Watson, Atlantic's principal, said.
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Born in South Sudan, Thomas, 35, moved to the U.S. at age 9 and settled in San Diego. He played fullback for two seasons at Syracuse under former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone, following a two-year stint at San Diego Mesa College.
Thomas began his coaching career in Kentucky, elevating to the head coach position at Louisville Moore in 2019. He earned District 3 Coach of the Year honors by guiding the Mustangs to an 8-3 record and reaching the third round of Kentucky's Class 4A playoffs.
In 2020, he followed longtime friend Jeff Smothers to Deltona and became the Wolves' offensive coordinator. The Wolves averaged 40.1 points per game in his final year as playcaller, a 7-3 campaign in 2022.
"I've been waiting for this. It's been a long time coming," Thomas said. "It's been something Jeff and I spoke heavily on, and something I have been looking forward to ever since leading Louisville Moore to a regional championship appearance."
Smothers, defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at Toombs County (Ga.), added: "I love it, man. I'm excited for him. He works his tail off and is great at building relationships with kids."
Thomas' first challenge will be rebuilding a depleted roster. Many of the Sharks' top expected returners — headlined by Volusia-Flagler All-Area defensive back Kwasie Kwaku Jr. and offensive lineman Caleb Geathers — have publicly stated intentions to transfer, following Bell over to Mainland.
Thomas counted more than 30 students in attendance when he met the Sharks in the weight room Friday morning.
"The ultimate plan is to continue on the success that Squatty had, and God willing, surpass it and bring unprecedented success to the school," Thomas said.
Offensively, Thomas wants the Sharks to mix in spread and pro-style concepts while also having a "Tank" package, a variation of the flexbone for short-yardage situations. Atlantic forged a single-wing identity under Bell, based upon his experience as an assistant at Treasure Coast.
More than one-third of the Volusia-Flagler area's football programs will have a new coach in 2024. Greg Miller (Pine Ridge), Allen Johnson (Trinity Christian) and Lawrence Garner II (Halifax) were previously hired, and Seabreeze is expected to fill its vacancy early next week.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: High school football: Atlantic names Syracuse alum Tombe Thomas coach
