Sandalwood High School football coach Adam Geis steps down after 21 seasons
For the first time in more than two decades, Sandalwood is beginning the search for a new coach.
Sandalwood head football coach Adam Geis, whose tenure ranks among the longest in Duval County public high school history, stepped down after 21 seasons in charge of the Saints. Geis coached the Saints from 2002 to 2007 and then again from 2009 to 2023, second to only First Coast's Marty Lee in tenure and victories among active Duval County public school coaches.
The news was first reported by WJXT.
In a job posting with the Florida High School Athletic Association, Sandalwood said the school will continue to gather resumes through Dec. 22, with interviews expected to follow at the start of January. The school also listed vacancies in girls tennis and beach volleyball.
Sandalwood football slipped to 0-10 this fall, the program's first winless season in more than 50 years on the gridiron, following .500 campaigns in 2021 and 2022. Previously, however, Sandalwood under Geis consistently ranked among Jacksonville's postseason contenders for most of the past two decades.
First Coast Varsity Weekly: Providence basketball on a roll after Fortegra Invitational
Between 2003 and 2018, Sandalwood finished .500 or better in every season while under Geis, and qualified for FHSAA regionals in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2020.
The deepest postseason runs under Geis occurred in 2003, when Edgewater eliminated Sandalwood in the Region 1-6A final, and in 2006, when the Saints advanced to the Class 6A regional final before a 10-7 loss to Lake Brantley. Sandalwood also won two postseason games in 2020, when the FHSAA restructured the playoffs due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A former wide receiver, kick returner and baseball outfielder at Duke, Geis began his Jacksonville head coaching career in 2000 at Paxon, where he helped turn around a formerly-winless team into a 7-3 squad by his second year.
His Sandalwood tenure also included the rise of numerous nationally-rated recruits, including NFL draft picks Rusty Smith (Titans, 2010), Daryl Richardson (Rams, 2012), DeMarcus Walker (Broncos, 2017) and Ameer Speed (Patriots, 2023) as well as All-First Coast players of the year Maurice Wells (2003) and Jadon Canady (2020). The list of notable former Sandalwood players also includes still-active college prospects like University of Florida center Kingsley Eguakun, who declared for the 2024 NFL Draft last week.
With the departure of Geis, only five Northeast Florida schools have retained the same coach for the last 10 consecutive years: Lee at First Coast, Jamie Gamel at Cedar Creek Christian, Steve Brown at Paxon, Verlon Dorminey at Trinity Christian and David Penland III at University Christian.
The Jacksonville area's coaching carousel has been less active so far compared to 2022-23, although Harvest Community (David Boylston), TDH Academy (James Jarrell) and Charlton County in Georgia (Demario Jones, formerly at Tallahassee Godby) have all installed new head coaches. Jackson and Stanton also have Gateway Conference vacancies, as does Ridgeview in Clay County.
Notable tenures with one team in Duval County public school football
34 J.P. Small, Stanton, 1934-67*
27 Marty Lee, First Coast, 1997-present
21 Adam Geis, Sandalwood, 2002-07, 2009-23
20 Don Jarrett, Englewood, 1958-77
20 Joe Reynolds, Fletcher, 1990-2009
19 Freddie Stephens, Raines, 1978-96
17 Warren Kirkham, Lee, 1936-41, 1946-56
17 Corky Rogers, Lee, 1972-88
16 Dan Disch, White, 1988-2003
16 Barney Searcy, Landon, 1943-58
16 Jack Taylor, Fletcher, 1959-74
15 Ish Brant, Fletcher, 1942-56
15 Arthur Mallory, Ribault, 1991-2003, 2005-06
15 Fred Pickard, Parker, 1967-74, 1987-93
* Includes school's transition from Old Stanton to New Stanton.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Adam Geis: Sandalwood High School head football coach steps down
