Inside the coaching carousel: See where Northeast Florida's new coaches are moving in 2023
In high school football in 2023, it's the coaches that fans can't tell without a scorecard.
Northeast Florida's coaching carousel accelerated to a dizzying pace during the offseason, with nearly 20 new coaches installed in high school football positions entering the fall.
Among those stepping aside were two of the region's longest-tenured coaches in Chuck Dickinson, in charge at Keystone Heights since 1999, and Darrell Sutherland, the head coach at Bartram Trail since the St. Johns County school opened in 2000.
So who's new on the sidelines as Jacksonville gets set for the 2023 kickoff? Learn more about the new coaches here.
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Atlantic Coast
Old coach: Mike Montemayor.
New coach: Step Durham.
What you need to know: An original Stingray returns home. Durham was a part of Atlantic Coast's earliest years, graduating in 2014 and earning the program's first-ever Times-Union Super 11 selection on his way to the Georgia Tech secondary and a brief stop in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs. He's aiming to turn around a winless Atlantic Coast team, moving across from Wolfson after a 5-5 campaign in his head coaching debut.
Bartram Trail
Old coach: Darrell Sutherland.
New coach: Cory Johns.
What you need to know: After Sutherland's 23-year tenure built Bartram Trail from the ground up into a perennial gridiron challenger and a virtual factory for future college quarterbacks, it's the turn of Johns to take command after arriving from across the peninsula at Nature Coast Tech. The Bears will be among the area's most-watched teams this year, eyeing a deep run in Florida High School Athletic Association Class 4S with a lineup that includes UCF-committed quarterback Riley Trujillo.
Christ's Church
Old coach: Koreen Burch.
New coach: Justin Sirmon.
What you need to know: The Eagles are shifting into the independent ranks after a 2-8 second in 2022 that included bruising contests against Trinity Christian and University Christian. Former UC athletic director Justin Sirmon takes over for his first head football coaching role on a team that must replace several transferred starters.
Columbia
Old coach: Demetric Jackson.
New coach: Brian Allen.
What you need to know: It's welcome-back time for Allen, a Columbia alumnus who won an NCAA title at Florida State in 1999 and played on a Panthers team that played in Super Bowl XXXVIII. His first coaching tenure at Columbia, from 2011 to 2020, was among the most successful decades in Tiger history: Allen went 86-33 over 10 seasons and qualified for the FHSAA playoffs in every year.
Englewood
Old coach: Zach Harbison.
New coach: Kevin Johnson.
What you need to know: Will three-sport success translate to coaching victories on the football field? Johnson excelled in football, basketball and baseball at the turn of the millennium at Englewood, including a state baseball championship in 1999. The Rams will be counting on some of that magic to return on the gridiron; they haven't finished with a winning record since 2006.
Fleming Island
Old coach: Damenyum Springs.
New coach: Chad Parker.
What you need to know: Parker, a longtime assistant to Darrell Sutherland at Bartram Trail, moves across the St. Johns River to lead a Fleming Island squad that's always well-stocked with talent. The Golden Eagles have finished at least .500 for 17 consecutive years. Parker's old and new schools will face off in the middle of the season in a punishing district that also includes Creekside, Oakleaf and Gainesville Buchholz.
Fort White
Old coach: Lee Dorsett.
New coach: Demetric Jackson.
What you need to know: New coaching hires don't come any more familiar. Jackson not only coached at Fort White from 2007 to 2020, winning 90 games in the process, but served as mayor of the Columbia County town during the mid-2010s. A national champion at safety on Steve Spurrier's 1996 national champion Gators, Jackson returns to Fort White after two seasons at Columbia, including a state semifinal visit last fall.
Hilliard
Old coach: Waylon Cox.
New coach: Daniel Thomas.
What you need to know: No one in Hilliard history can quite match the playing resume of Thomas. He starred at running back with the Red Flashes, then signed with Kansas State and ultimately received a second-round selection in the 2011 NFL Draft, playing four years for the Miami Dolphins. Developing stability will be a key: Hilliard is on its third coach in 18 months despite four consecutive seasons with seven or more victories.
Jackson
Old coach: Christopher Foy.
New coach: Darryl Bartley.
What you need to know: Jackson removed the interim tag from Bartley at the end of May, after he helped direct the Tigers through spring practice. This will be his first high school head coaching job on the First Coast, but he has collegiate experience directing the line for Virginia University of Lynchburg and Edward Waters University.
Keystone Heights
Old coach: Chuck Dickinson.
New coach: Steve Reynolds.
What you need to know: For the first time since 1998, Keystone football will have a different head coach following the 24-season, 118-win tenure of Dickinson, who remains at the school as athletic director. Moving up now is Reynolds, who has prior head coaching experience at Bradford and Oakleaf and may add some new looks to what has been Northeast Florida's most ground-heavy offense.
Menendez
Old coach: Matt Potak.
New coach: Anthony Rivers.
What you need to know: Can Rivers halt the revolving door at Menendez? The Falcons have won at least five games in 10 consecutive seasons, but they've shuffled through seven coaches in fewer than six years, including one who directed two games and another (Ben White, who resigned abruptly this winter) who never got onto the field. Rivers, the former defensive coordinator at Ponte Vedra, played college football at Bluefield and spent a stint in Germany with the Cologne Crocodiles.
NFEI
Old coach: Rodney DuBose.
New coach: Jamaal Fudge.
What you need to know: A big name in football on Jacksonville's Westside takes command. An ace defensive back at White at the turn of the millennium, Fudge played college football at Clemson before lining up for portions of four NFL seasons with the hometown Jaguars and the Atlanta Falcons. He takes over for DuBose, who moved to Oakleaf as athletic director.
Oakleaf
Old coach: Marcus Miller.
New coach: Christopher Foy.
What you need to know: After three years of working miracles on Main Street, what will Foy accomplish at Oakleaf? At Jackson, Foy breathed life into what had been a struggling Tigers program (nine straight losing seasons, 10-57 record in the previous seven years), with three straight playoff berths and a district title in 2022. The Knights will be a team to watch in a tough District 3-4S.
Parker
Old coach: Char-ron Dorsey.
New coach: Mike Holloway.
What you need to know: The most recent of the many Duval County coaching changes. Holloway, formerly in charge of the Braves' defense, took over for Dorsey at the end of June after five seasons. He brings extensive experience from track and field side as well as a record of success with his defensive units in both middle and high school.
St. Joseph
Old coach: Tom Dickerson.
New coach: Cash Forbrich.
What you need to know: A 2016 graduate of St. Augustine, where he lined up at center on the last of Joey Wiles' Yellow Jackets squads, Forbrich enters the season as the youngest coach on the First Coast. He takes over a Flashes program now five years removed from its last winning season, a 9-1 effort in 2018.
Tocoi Creek
Old coach: Mike Kolakowski.
New coach: Zach Harbison.
What you need to know: Kolakowski retired at season's end to close his head coaching career after more than four decades in the sport across multiple states, and Harbison moved southward from Englewood to take his place. This could be a team to watch: Harbison helped lift the Rams from years of struggle to the edge of playoff contention, and at Tocoi Creek, he takes over a program in one of Northeast Florida's fastest-growing areas. They're making the big jump into District 4-4S.
West Nassau
Old coach: Rickey Armstrong.
New coach: Gunnar Cox.
What you need to know: Former Yulee linebacker Cox takes over for former Warriors quarterback Armstrong, who had earned All-State honors in the 1980s and coached West Nassau for eight years. Cox, who helped Yulee reach an FHSAA semifinal in 2012, emphasizes a hard-working mentality for the Warriors as they line up for District 5-2S action.
Wolfson
Old coach: Step Durham.
New coach: Jermaine Wilson.
What you need to know: Wolfson turned to veteran assistant coach Wilson, part of the Mandarin staff that won the Class 8A championship in 2018, to continue building from the short but generally successful tenure of Durham, who moved to Atlantic Coast. Developing overall team athleticism is one focus for Wilson, a former state long jump champion in his home state of South Carolina.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: High school football: Northeast Florida coaching changes for 2023
