Mariner names Brian Staats as new head football coach, replacing Josh Nicholson
Prior to Monday's first spring football practice at Mariner High School, Josh Nicholson informed the assembled players he was stepping down as head coach of the Tritons.
Minutes later, Brian Staats, a coaching lifer with more than 35 years of experience at both the high school and collegiate levels, introduced himself as the program's new leader.
Both coaches shared the same message.
"We told them it's all about them," said the 61-year-old Staats. "It doesn't matter who's standing up here in front of them. If they buy in and take ownership, good things will happen."
During his four-year tenure as head coach, Nicholson led Mariner to an 18-19 overall record, highlighted by an 8-3 mark in 2023 which saw the program claim its first district championship since 1997. In February, he told Tritons athletic director Steve Larsen he was making a career change and would be leaving both his coaching and teaching positions at the end of the year.
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"It was definitely not an easy decision," said Nicholson, who will be remaining in the area while working in the software industry. "I told Steve I'll do everything to help make sure we get the right person and to do it in a way that's the best for the kids and the program.
Larsen said he initially spoke with a couple of former Southwest Florida head football coaches but those conversations ultimately didn't lead anywhere. Then he learned Staats, who spent last season as an assistant coach at South Lake High School in Groveland, was interested in the position.
"In our conversations, it wasn't about Xs and Os, it was about can you lead kids and can you communicate your vision and obviously, the answer is yes," Larsen said.
Meanwhile, Nicholson committed to stay with the team through the spring to help with the transition to Staats.
"It's a very unique situation; I've never been a part of something like this where it's a nice smooth handoff," Nicholson said. "And that was my goal and I appreciate Coach Staats and Steve for working with me on that. My coaching staff, the kids, everybody's on board."
A native of northeast Ohio, Staats was the head football coach at seven high schools in the state, winning three Columbus City League Championships at both Mifflin and Northland. At Bedford, he helped mentor future NFL offensive lineman Rodger Saffold III. Prior to relocating to Florida and South Lake High in 2023, Staats was an assistant at a collection of small colleges, including Alderson Broaddus University in West Virginia, Capitol University in Ohio and Thiel College in Pennsylvania, his alma mater.
Mariner graduated a productive group of 15 seniors that accounted for 81% of its touchdowns and 77% of its total yards last season. With a number of newcomers set to move into starting positions for the Tritons, Staats said he's looking forward to continuing to build on the team's success.
"Our goal is to win the district again," he said. "They got a taste of getting something started and I think they want to continue to see it through. As long as you can keep developing those younger guys to fill in, you can sustain some success for quite a while."
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Mariner High School football coach Brian Staats replaces Josh Nicholson
