Longtime Jay staple Brian Watson hired as next Royals head football coach
The latest person selected to lead the Jay High School football program is certainly a familiar face to the community.
Brian Watson was introduced as the next Royals head football coach on Tuesday morning at the Jay High School Auditorium.
Hired shortly after Christmas, Watson now guides three programs at the school. He has been the Royals head softball coach for the past 17 years as well as the girls head basketball coach over the past four years.
Graduating from Jay in 1992, Watson's latest position marks a return to the football program. Stepping away from coaching the sport last year, he spent the previous 16 years as an assistant, 12 of which serving as the team's offensive coordinator.
"Taking a year off made me realize how much I missed it," Watson said. "Sometimes, you might need to step away from something to realize how much it's a part of you."
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The first time Brian Watson has been a head coach in football
In a coaching career that spans more than two decades, this is the first time Watson has been a head coach in football. That career began with stops Riverdale, Ga. and Jonesboro, Ga. before returning to Jay in 2005.
"He's graduated here. He has deep roots in the community," Jay principal Benjie West said. "He chose to come back home. He chose to raise his family in his home town. And we are very thankful and grateful to name Brian Watson as our head football coach."
Watson's hiring marks the second head football coaching position filled during the offseason in the Pensacola area.
Last month, Rhett Summerford left West Florida to take over the football program at Tate. The Jaguars head coaching position remains open, as does the same position at Pensacola High School after the Tigers parted ways with Cedric Smith.
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Watson was given the reigns after Jerad Dampson was fired following one season as Jay head coach.
The 2021 campaign was a trying season, on and off the field, for the Royals. The team endured the tragic loss of assistant coach Britt Shore, who passed away in September following a bout with COVID.
Jay posted a 1-9 record in 2021, dropping eight games by 25 points or more. The team allowed 377 points and finished with a -266 point differential, ranking last in both categories among Pensacola-area teams.
Injuries were the cause of much of the Royals' issues last season. With starters missing solid chunks of time, the team's lack of depth was exposed as younger players were thrusted into action.
Watson said the top obstacle moving forward is increasing the amount of kids coming out for football.
"We go through stretches here at Jay where our numbers aren't as good," he said. "Hopefully, we can get our numbers back up.
"Through the years, we've put good football teams out there, but sometimes we go through cycles. You're going to struggle when you're playing younger kids. We've got to keep our older kids out there."
Many football players were in attendance Tuesday morning during Watson's introduction. They were encouraged to lift in the weight room and participate in three sports throughout the year. Serving as a physical education teacher at Jay Elementary over the years, Watson believes his familiarity with the players will have its advantages.
"I've known 95 percent of them, so I have a working relationship with most of them. I think that's going to help, that they know me," Watson said. "And I've been coaching football with them, just not last year. So I hope that with my experience with them and being here with them for all these years, our numbers will get back up."
Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached at (850) 503-3828, on Twitter @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Brian Watson named head football coach at Jay High School
