Tyler PalmateerNashville Tennessean
The Nashville area was spinning from the TSSAA football coaching carousel this past offseason, resulting in big-time hires at prominent programs.
Three key coaching changes set things in motion.
In early November, Lipscomb Academy and Pro Football Hall of Famer Kevin Mawae parted ways a week after the team received a two-year postseason ban from the TSSAA for a recruiting violation. Weeks later, first-year Brentwood Academy football coach Jacob Gill resigned after the Eagles went 2-10. It was the worst season in BA’s history, which includes 14 state titles.Then in December, former Ensworth coach Roc Batten resigned after five seasons.
The BA, Ensworth and Lipscomb Academy openings were highly attractive to local candidates, with the programs having combined for 23 TSSAA football state titles.
But there were other coaching changes not related to those moves. Here’s a look at the 10 best Nashville area high school football coaching hires ranked.
1. Bobby Bentley, Battle Ground Academy
Why chosen: Bentley, who arrived after former BGA coach Jonas Rodriguez resigned, gets the nod because he built a powerhouse program at James F. Byrnes High School in South Carolina, winning four consecutive titles from 2002-05. No other hire has that high school head coaching resume. Bentley also coached in college football for 10 years, including assistant jobs at South Carolina and Auburn. BGA hired him away from Central Florida.
2. Paul Wade, Brentwood Academy
Why chosen: Brentwood Academy needed an experienced hand after its historic down season. Wade has been around the Nashville private school scene for years, winning four state titles as a head coach, three with Davidson Academy and one with Donelson Christian Academy. He was also an associate head coach at Ensworth during its streak of four TSSAA state titles from 2010-13.
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3. Jamie Graham, Lipscomb Academy
Why chosen: Graham, a former Whites Creek and Vanderbilt football and basketball star, knows Nashville high school athletics and has deep connections here. He understands Lipscomb’s culture having been an assistant under former coach Trent Dilfer, who led the school to back-to-back DII-AA titles in 2021 and 2022. Graham, 35, was hired away from Dilfer’s staff at UAB, where he was an assistant.
4. Tim Hasselbeck, Ensworth
Why chosen: Hasselbeck was the splashiest hire. He had notable NFL stints as quarterback for Washington (2003-04) and the New York Giants (2005-06) and went on to become an ESPN analyst. His wife Elisabeth once was co-host for "The View" and "Fox and Friends.” Hasselbeck’s only unknown is that he hasn’t coached at this level before. NFL success doesn’t always translate to high school.
5. Tyler Turner, Goodpasture
Why chosen: The Cougars did well by snagging Turner. He led Goodpasture to a 9-3 record in 2020 and DII-AA state semifinal appearance in his only season as coach. The Cougars went 3-8 last year under Greg Cotten, who resigned in November. Turner has a solid 78-28 record as a head coach.
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6. Arcentae Broome, Antioch
Why chosen: Broome has experience and a winning pedigree, making him a perfect fit to take over Antioch’s program rebuild. Former coach Devin Arnold began the Bears’ revival by helping them break a 22-game losing streak and reach the 6A playoffs for the first time since 2016 last season. He left to join Lipscomb Academy as an assistant. Broome had previously gone 15-18 in three seasons at Overton, including two playoff berths. The 1993 Stratford graduate notably coached Maplewood for 11 seasons, reaching the Class 4A state semifinals in 2018.
7. Michael Booker, West Creek
Why chosen: West Creek made a great hire in Booker coming off its best season since 2010. Booker, a former first-round NFL Draft pick and Titans cornerback, was part of two national championships as a player at Nebraska in 1994 and 1995. But he has more than just pro football experience. He coached high school football for six seasons in Texas, which is fertile ground for up-and-coming coaches. Booker replaced Rob Gallowitz, who resigned.
8. Justin Palmer, Forrest
Why chosen: Palmer, who was hired in December after the school fired Eli Stephenson, will install a spread offense that could translate to success quickly. Palmer went 33-14 at Shelbyville from 2016-19 and led the Eagles to the 2019 Class 5A quarterfinals. Shelbyville quarterback Grayson Tramel set the TSSAA regular-season single-game record with 606 yards passing against Summit in 2017. His 3,492 passing yards that year rank 10th in TSSAA regular-season history.
More: Pearl-Cohn, East Nashville showed MNPS football can win. Here's the blueprint for success
9. Kyle Gregory, Trousdale County
Why chosen: Gregory has been around Middle Tennessee for years as a player and coach. He was elevated from offensive coordinator to coach when Blake Satterfield resigned. Gregory was an assistant at Westmoreland in 2018 and for Macon County in 2019 before returning to Trousdale in 2020. Gregory was a four-year starter for the Yellow Jackets (2007-2010) and was named all state in 2010. He was a two-time all region lineman in 2009 and 2010. He played under Clint Satterfield in 2007 and for three seasons under current Oakland coach Kevin Creasy, winning back-to-back Class 2A state championships in 2008 and 2009.
10. CJ Scott, Glencliff
Why chosen: Glencliff isn’t known for winning, having snapped a 37-game losing streak last season under Phillip Stevenson, who resigned in November. But the Colts did great with this hire, bringing back one of the program’s legends. Scott helped lead Glencliff to the 5A state championship game as a player, winning Class 5A Mr. Football in 1999. He played college football at Tulsa. Among his first hires was CJ Johnson, a star teammate of Scott's on Glencliff's '99 team and Tennessee State's all-time leading receiver, as offensive coordinator.
Reach sports writer Tyler Palmateer at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, formerly Twitter, @tpalmateer83.
