I swear to all of you this column was written four or five times before I just decided to call it and write what we know... 

We always make the point that coaching turnover, on average, is between 15-20 percent on a year-to-year basis. So, if you use the number 425 as an approximate number of GHSA schools that have football programs, you’re talking about 65-85 vacancies we have to keep an eye on in the off-season... 

Coach Scott Roberts ahead of Swainsboro's championship game in 2022.

Coach Scott Roberts ahead of Swainsboro's championship game in 2022.

But, Faithful Reader, I honestly can’t remember this many dominoes falling this quickly a month after the season is over and the calendar has turned from 2025 to 2026. And the number of high-profile programs that had their names in the hat has been staggering- some of those openings are fixed while others are still open. 

Our friends at CoachGeorgia.com list 58 vacancies, so the percentage of turnover is lower than normal at present. But when you’re talking about the return of Jamey Dubose (Bainbridge), Brunswick getting Byron Slack from Cook (still open), Camden County looking for a replacement (which, technically, has been open twice this winter), Quincy Carter taking over at Heritage-Conyers, Irwin County having a new coach after only one season, and Scott Roberts leaving Swainsboro for Wayne County- that's a lot of heavy lifting. 

Jon Nelson interviews Coach Josh Niblett during Gainesville's semifinal game against Rome.

Jon Nelson interviews Coach Josh Niblett during Gainesville's semifinal game against Rome.

And that doesn’t even touch the first recent domino when Gainesville’s Josh Niblett resigned to reportedly go to the college ranks and Santavious Bryant moving over from Grayson (still open). Bryant has a bit of history on campus but for the Red Elephants to take a swing like this is no surprise. Expect the Rams to do the same...    

It also doesn’t include the last domino of Rome’s John Reid retiring at the end of the fiscal year.   

Coach Jim Dickerson ahead of Clinch County's 2018 championship game.

Coach Jim Dickerson ahead of Clinch County's 2018 championship game.

Jim Dickerson retired again at Clinch but Assistant Principal Rance Morgan takes over. Morgan is an alum of the school to continue that piece of Homerville trivia dating back to 1974 and Don Tison, Senior’s tenure. I can’t think of an immediate parallel, but you can’t deny the success rate of Tison, Barber, Dickerson, Tison, and Dickerson- 6 state titles, 19 region titles, 2 finals appearances, and 10 semifinals. 

It is both crazy and expected- the first part comes from the names of the schools and coaches involved, the second from the number of vacancies (although still below average). 

Which asks the question in the overall: Are we done...??? 

There will be a test later on...??? 

My question for you this time: Which hire (so far) will make the most impact in their new location...? Let us know below... 

Play it safe, everyone... I’ll be watching just like you are...