FIREMAN'S COACHING HIRE GRADES
Acadiana Renaissance
Out: New Program
In: Travis BlaizeGrade: B
ARCA gets a coach to start their program who has experience as a head coach, which is ideal. Blaize is a good, young coach who was doing the best he could with what he had at Westminster and could have some success with talent.
A.J. Ellender
Out: Jesse Turner
In: John HaslitGrade: B+
Haslit finally gets his chance as head coach after a long tenure at Ellender. He'll have an uphill climb but there has been some talent to come through there in recent memory and the potential is there. Excitement about a longtime assistant getting his shot helps with morale and bodes well for the upcoming season.
Ascension Christian
Out: Josh Puryear
In: Rohan DaveyGrade: B+
This is a hire that will create a lot of excitement around the program with the hire of the former LSU quarterback. No head coaching experience that I know of drops this grade some because it is a high risk, high reward hire paired with ACH having zero history of success in football outside of one 7-3 season a few years ago when they weren't playing in a district.
Avoyelles
Out: Andy Boone
In: Jacob CarruthGrade: A
It is always tough to be the guy after the guy. Carruth will have some big shoes to fill after Boone brought Avoyelles to new heights after almost 15 years with the program. Carruth is a young coach that finally brought some interest and excitement to a dead cat football program in North Central. They only went 3-7 but that is a small miracle for that program after a 40+ game losing streak that saw some pretty good offense. Mustangs will take a step back in 2023 but they return an all-state RB.
Barbe
Out: Mike Cutrera
In: Skeet OwensGrade: B+
Cutrera retired pretty suddenly and without expectation and in comes the Owens, the Bucs offensive coordinator. The Barbe community seems to like the hire of the former McNeese receiver and long time assistant so that says something. Barbe is the worst they have been in years so they can't get much worse.
Bastrop
Out: Cedric Sherrod
In: Tank WashingtonGrade: B+
This once proud program moved from the 4A cellar to the 3A cellar and has struggled for a while now. Washington had some success at Carroll before he was booted in favor of the current coach. No where to go but up when you are on the floor.
BTW (SH)
Out: Tony Reliford
In: Gary CooperGrade: B+
Cooper comes over from a Huntington team that has been fairly successful recently and had some good offense, which is good because Cooper was an offensive coach so ideally he can bring some of that offensive success over to an awful BTW team.
Bossier
Out: Deaumonte Johnson
In: Gary SmithGrade: A-
I believe this is the first head coaching gig for Smith but he had some pretty good defenses at Haughton, where they made the semis just a couple of years ago. Another cellar-dweller program with nowhere to go but up.
Bunkie
Out: Nick Pujol
In: Jimmie HillmanGrade: B
Hillman had an extremely rough year in his first and only season as head coach at Marksville after spending seven as an assistant. Marksville was a very young team and he was the guy replacing THE guy. Still a young coach with a lot of potential if given the right situation. Bunkie snatches the coach from an archrival so bonus points to them for that. Definitely some talent for the Panthers so success could come quickly.
Catholic (BR)
Out: David Simoneaux
In: Hudson FullerGrade: A+
When you are supposed to be one of the premier programs in the state and you lose your coach to what a lot of people would consider an inferior program is a bad look, but money talks and it isn't whispering either. But boy they got a good one with Fuller. A former Bear DC who revived West Feliciana and helped make them a contender again.
Catholic (NI)
Out: Scott Wattigny
In: Matt DesormeauxGrade: B-
Still trying to recreate the success they had under Indest and the success AES had a few years ago with hiring the other Desormeaux. Wattigny struggled to get CHSNI back to a contender and I'm not impressed here, seems a little uninspired for what is supposed to be a top tier program. Good pedigree from Desormeaux nets some bonus points
Cedar Creek
Out: Matt Middleton
In: William ParkersonGrade: D
A worse love story than Twilight closes another chapter as Middleton bolts Creek for a college job for the second time in as many years. They follow that up with a totally uninspired hire. Parkerson has history at Creek but flopped in his only head coaching gig, which was over ten years ago.
Central (BR)
Out: Sid Edwards
In: David SimoneauxGrade: A+
A lot of people were not happy with how Central ended the Sid Edwards era, a highly respected and successful coach. But they pulled out their pocketbooks big time and snatched Simoneaux from Catholic High and even poached an assistant from Louisiana Tech to be a coordinator. Central is going all out to try to compete in one of the toughest districts in the state, whatever the cost literally and figuratively.
Church Point
Out: J.C. Arceneaux
In: Rob PoolGrade: B
The most successful coach in program history resigns and, based on what he said on social media, it was not mutual or a pleasant divorce. This is a bad omen but Pool is a long time assistant who has some head coaching experience.
Comeaux
Out: Eric Holden
In: Marquis NewsomeGrade: B-
Spartans stay on staff by hiring their DC who is also an alum and played college football so plenty of points to be had there. Comeaux has been bad for a while so maybe a committed alum is what they need to escape the cellar. Only head coaching experience was a lackluster three year term at West St. Mary, but no one can win there so no points against him for that.
Covenant Christian
Out: Cullen Matherne
In: Jesse TurnerGrade: C+
Pulling the head coach from a much larger school in your area is something but it was a coach that did not win with some talent at Ellender. Covenant seems to still be trying to find the right fit and there is a lot of potential in that program.
DeQuincy
Out: Matt Dufresne
In: Tate WoodardGrade: B+
Dufresne era started with loads of excitement but ends in a fizzle. Tigers stay in-house with hiring their OC. The offense there was the only good thing about them in recent years so that is a good omen, along with Woodard being an alum.
Eleanor McMain
Out: Shan Williams
In: Brandon WaltersGrade: A+
Great hire for a long-time struggling program. Walters has a great pedigree from his time as head coach at West St. John, a program that he led to a state championship and has struggled a lot since his departure. This has got to be one of the toughest jobs in New Orleans but Walters seems like the right man for the job.
Fontainebleau
Out: Chris Blocker
In: Johnny KavanaughGrade: A-
One of the more surprising hires of the cycle as Kavanaugh leaves Caddo Parish for the northshore. A big step from playing Lakeside and Loyola to playing St. Paul's and Mandeville. Fontainebleau has struggled, despite some talent, for a while now and this is a good hire for them. Kavanaugh did well with some top talent and had a consistently good program at North Caddo.
Franklinton
Out: Guy Lecompte
In: Nick SaltaformaggioGrade: A
Franklinton tried the retread with Lecompte and will attempt another retread with Salt. He won a title at East Jefferson, which is more impressive with each passing season, and brought Hahnville back to that position but failed to improve his alma mater at all during his tenure at Holy Cross. Franklinton is another once proud program looking to get back to contention. They looked much better in 2022 so Salt may have something to work with right away.
Glen Oaks
Out: Sean Beauchamp
In: Anthony JohnsonGrade: B+
Bringing in an assistant from a successful program is always a good move. Especially if you are as bad as Glen Oaks has been. Nowhere to go but up
Glenbrook
Out: David Feaster
In: Reagan SmithGrade: A-
I think this is a really good hire for Glenbrook after losing both of their last two coaches to LCU. Smith was the OC for some good offenses at North Caddo and is very well respected. Glenbrook probably takes a step back due to losses to graduation and losing their QB to transfer but Smith will get them back going soon.
Grant
Out: Dillon Barrett
In: Jarvous FeltonGrade: B+
Losing Barrett is tough but they should be able to maintain some consistency by promoting Felton from DC. He will continue to build on the bedrock laid by Hallman and Barrett and keep Grant respectable. Points for being already on staff and being an alum, he is Cougar football to the core. The Grant community is excited for his opportunity.
Hamilton Christian
Out: Ragan McDaniel
In: Dexter WashingtonGrade: D-
McDaniel bolts after one awful year and Dexter is back by default after basically no one was interested in this job. Last time Dexter was HC, Hamilton was pretty good and ran up the score on a lot of people so expect a lot of teams to get their revenge this year. Program is in a poor state in general. The grade is less of a judgement on Dexter, who won district titles the last time he ran this program in between full time coaches, and more of a judgement of the program
Holy Cross
Out: Nick Saltaformaggio
In: Scott WattignyGrade: C-
Wattigny had some success at Hannan but was not able to replicate that at Catholic-NI. A very successful alum couldn't win here so that doesn't bode well for Wattigny. Though, I maintain that if they played in 3A where they belong instead of playing up to 5A to be cannon fodder for Karr and Curtis and Rummel they would be much more successful. Hire was uninspired in general
Holy Savior Menard
Out: Justin Charles
In: David PerkinsGrade: C-
Speaking of uninspired hires.
Houma Christian
Out: Butch Theriot
In: Jamar CelestineGrade: B
Celestine seems very energetic and excited to be the head coach here. Not too much information for me on this one so not much input.
Istrouma
Out: Jeremy Gladney
In: Sid EdwardsGrade: A+
Slam dunk hire for Istrouma, who is still trying to gain their footing after being revived a few years ago. Edwards' resume speaks for itself, great hire.
Jennings
Out: Rusty Phelps
In: Bret FuselierGrade: A-
Bret had a lot of success at Kinder, but the last two season were the worst Kinder had been in over a decade and the fanbase started to turn on him. Moving up to 3A did not help their situation. Another situation of being the guy replacing THE guy. Jennings will have to go to Kinder in Week 6 and that will be interesting to say the least.
J.S. Clark
New Program
In: Ross AkpenGrade: A+
Clark is starting their football program after finding success in basketball and track in Class B. Their first head coach is the OC behind some high flying Madison Prep offenses. Great hire
Kinder
Out: Bret Fuselier
In: Justin ReedGrade: B
Kinder replaces their most successful coach since Johnny Buck, but lost him to a district rival which is a bad look for them. They replace him with a revered former Kinder football star who was already on staff so bonus points there. No head coaching experience scales this back to a B grade. Reed will need some time as Kinder is back in mid-2000s form the last couple of years.
Lafayette Christian
Out: Trev Faulk
In: Hunter LandryGrade: A
When Faulk resigned, top priority was maintaining the success they have been having and promoting the OC that ran one of the top offenses in the state is a stellar move. No head coaching experience keeps this from an A+
LaGrange
Out: Marrico Wilson
In: Idaibi OgbangaGrade: C+
Points for being an alum but no head coaching experience and his only stop at a mildly successful program was during his stint at Peabody. Was the OC at Southwood last year which is not a bragging point. LaGrange has been awful and alumni are always more invested in the program so nowhere to go but up (yes it's cliche but ima keep saying it).
Lakeview
Out: Brandon Helms
In: Andy BooneGrade: A+
Helms was laying some good groundwork for this program but health issues forced him into retirement. Home run hire getting Boone. Lakeview has committed to their athletics in recent years which included turfing the football field. Plenty of talent around, if Boone can get them off the basketball court for a couple of months a year. Lakeview will be competitive quickly.
Live Oak
Out: Blane Westmoreland
In: Hutch GonzalezGrade: A+
Gonzalez seemed to be building something good at Mandeville before he was booted in favor of Jones. Also had some success at St. Thomas Aquinas. Good hire for a program that has always been little brother. Talent does come through here and with Hutch as head coach they could be competitive again pretty soon.
Madison Parish
Out: Milton Green
In: Levi WashingtonGrade: B
Madison seems to be on the coaching carousel every year. Not much to say about this one, Washington is an alum and coached here before so points for that. Expectations here are lower than most tornado shelters
Magnolia Charter
Out: Toriano Williams
In: Anthony Johnson
Grade: C-
I have found literally zero information about this guy or his qualifications or experience so no points given here. Maybe he'll be good but this is a tough gig
Many
Out: Jess Curtis
In: Dillon BarrettGrade: B-
Most don't but I like this hire. Barrett should be able to do pretty well with the talent pool and support at his disposal. The guy replacing THE guy again. I could coach Many to at least the semis with the talent they seem have year in and year out. Wasn't the splash that many expected for this program so points deducted for that.
Marksville
Out: Jimmie Hillman
In: Josh HarperGrade: A
The Hillman era was painful and short-lived and not much of that was his fault. Lost their head coach to an archrival so that hurts. Harper is a Marksville alum who was about as successful as someone can be at Sacred Heart.
Natchitoches Central
Out: James Wilkerson
In: Jess CurtisGrade: A
Canning Wilkerson was astonishing until the news came out about Jess. Slam dunk hire that doesn't need much explanation. Applying for the West Monroe job created concerns in Natchitoches Parish that he may already be looking for an exit or will leave at the first better opportunity instead of trying to build so that bumps the grade down from an A+
North Central
Out: Jacob Carruth
In: Byron PorterGrade: A+
Carruth was building some excitement in the program and winning three games was amazing for North Central. Bringing in Porter, who was a finalist for the D2 equivalent of the Broyles Award at Bentley College along with his son who was also a college coach is a miraculous hire for North Central.
North Vermilion
Out: Brett Blakey
In: Joe HeintzGrade: B+
Heintz spent the better part of two decades at a consistent Teurlings program before his one year stint at Pine Prairie. North Vermilion is usually a decent team and Heintz may be able to elevate them to the next level of competitiveness.
Northside
Out: John Simmons
In: Jacarde CarterGrade: A+
Bringing in a state championship winning coach is a coup for Northside. Carter will be looking to prove himself after the debacle of his firing from LCA.
Oberlin
Out: Durell Peloquin
In: Richard ClarkGrade: A
Peloquin retires after a strong tenure with the Tigers. In comes Clark, who ran a pretty good offense at Bunkie, his alma mater. Prior to that he won a school record five games at Pine Prairie as head coach. FIVE WINS AT PINE PRAIRIE. Now that's a miracle and Oberlin faithful should be excited
Opelousas Catholic
Out: Thomas David
In: Cullen MatherneGrade: C+
Not a very inspiring hire for OC. Not much input here.
Ouachita Parish
Out: Todd Garvin
In: Benjy LewisGrade: B+
Benjy gets his shot with Ouachita after Garvin bolted for West Monroe. Sirmons is at Carroll now so its not clear how good Ouachita will be, but Garvin set the bar higher after improving Ouachita during his time there and beating West Monroe for the first time in my lifetime.
Pickering
Out: Jared Underwood
In: John DaughertyGrade: D+
Not a fan of this hire, especially considering Pickering had a chance to get Boone and didn't. Red Devils hold the longest on-the-field losing streak in Louisiana so the bar can't get set any lower.
Plaquemine
Out: Drey Trosclair
In: Donald WilliamsGrade: B
Well that was quick. Plaquemine is a program that should be competing for state titles. They stay in-house with Williams. Not enough information to have much input here.
Port Barre
Out: Craig Stevens
In: Brent AngelleGrade: C
Port Barre stays in-house, as they like to do, but after 20 years of stagnation is that the right move again?
Red River
Out: Jeff Harper
In: Byron KellerGrade: C+
Keller comes from Many, which is a good omen, but he flopped at both of his previous head coaching gigs and Red River looks to be heading into a down cycle.
Rosepine
Out: Brad Ducote
In: Troy GardnerGrade: A
An example of staying in-house being a good thing. Eagles promote Gardner to try to maintain the success they had under Ducote. Gardner was the OC for some superb Rosepine offenses the last few years.
Sacred Heart
Out: Josh Harper
In: Jacob AguillardGrade: B
Aguillard is an alum from Vidrine, USA so points there. Trojan faithful like this hire so I do too.
St. John
Out: Coby Minton
In: Bryan TroxclairGrade: A
Good hire for St. John, bringing in an assistant from one of the top programs in the state to a small 1A school is great to see.
St. Martin's
Out: Frank Gendusa
In: Kevin DizerGrade: A-
Dizer had some success as head coach at Riverside and was an assistant for the renaissance under Gendusa. They return one of the top running backs in the state which should make Dizer's life much easier, but they do lose key players at other positions. Can success be maintained with this program that was on the chopping block recently?
St. Thomas Aquinas
Out: Randell Legette
In: Shane MulhernGrade: B?
Out of state coach coming to Hammond to take over STA. No information about him since he is out of Mississippi. May be able to add to this later.
Sulphur
Out: Chris Towery
In: Cody GueringerGrade: B+
Good hire for the Tors. Gueringer was successful at Welsh and expectations shouldn't be that high. All the resources in the world and some talent roaming the halls.
Thibodaux
Out: Chris Dugas
In: Drey TrosclairGrade: A
Drey has been successful at every stop so far. Even though he was only at Plaquemine for one year, they did go 9-2 after stagnating for a couple of years prior. Thibodaux is a program that seems to always underachieve considering some of the talent they have had and Drey may be the guy to elevate the program.
Vidalia
Out: Mike Norris
In: Josh WestGrade: B
Not an alum but deep connections to the Vidalia community. Was around some good programs in Mississippi and had a lot of success as a junior high head coach there if that means anything.
Vinton
Out: Lark Hebert
In: Tyler LavergneGrade: A-
Could be a sneaky great hire. Got to spend a lot of time around Lavergne during his one-year stop in Elton and he oozes potential as a coach. He is a coach's son and it's apparent he has studied the game from a young age. Vinton will be back very soon, not in 2023, but soon.
Welsh
Out: Cody Gueringer
In: Ronnie CourvilleGrade: A-
Similar situation Lavergne at Vinton with both coaches being under 27 years old and in their first head coaching gigs. Courville has spent his entire short career with the Greyhounds and was the DC for some good Welsh defenses.
West Feliciana
Out: Hudson Fuller
In: Devin DucoteGrade: A
Worked once, so why not try it again? Saints hit a home run with Fuller and they go back to the well and hire another Catholic High coordinator to run their program. Ducote captained some great defenses at Catholic at DC and West Fel shouldn't miss a beat
West Jefferson
Out: Willie Brooks
In: DeCarlos HolmesGrade: A
Great pedigree here. Holmes is an Eddie Robinson disciple, playing for the legend in college. Won a NJCAA national title as an assistant at East Mississippi, won several state titles at Bastrop as an assistant and was DC on some good St. Aug teams in the 2010s. West Jeff has loads of potential and maybe Holmes can unlock that potential if he sticks around long enough.
West Monroe
Out: Jerry Arledge
In: Todd GarvinGrade: A
The best for last. He led Ouachita to a win over West Monroe, which is a miracle in it's own right. Was long past time for a change at HC at WM and they get Garvin to come home. Delhi Charter better watch out.
To Be DeterminedCatholic-PC, Central Private, East Jefferson, Green Oaks, North Caddo, Pine Prairie, Ville Platte, Westminster