JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jamie Rodgers didn’t stay on the head coaching market for long.
Just days after leaving Bradford High, Rodgers was announced as the new head coach at Baker County on Friday morning. It’s the second time for Rodgers as the head coach of the Wildcats, his alma mater.
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Rodgers left Suwannee for Baker County in 2016 and led the Wildcats to a 29-9 record in his three seasons there. That included a 13-2 record in 2017 that ended with a loss to powerhouse Plantation American Heritage in the Class 5A championship game.
Baker County announced the hiring on its Facebook page.
Just two days earlier (and one day after Rodgers left Bradford), the Baker County Wildcat Football Booster Club thanked head coach Brock Canday in a post on Facebook for his time coaching the program. Canaday spent just one year at Baker County, and led the Wildcats to a 4-7 record and spot in the state playoffs. They lost to eventual state champion Raines in the opening round (43-7).
Notable football coaching changes
| School | Former coach | New coach |
|---|---|---|
| Baker County | Brock Canday | Jamie Rodgers |
| Bradford | Jamie Rodgers | TBA |
| Brunswick | Garrett Grady | Byron Slack |
| Camden County | Travis Roland/Jon Lindsey | TBA |
| Hilliard | Matt Yancey | Will Dyal |
| Keystone Heights | Steve Reynolds | Cameron Porch |
| Menendez | Anthony Rivers | Will Sansell |
| Ridgeview | Merlin Smith | Jason Smith |
| Sandalwood | Brad Kessel | Malik Reaves |
| Union County | Lamar Waters (interim) | Robby Pruitt |
Rodgers has been a head coach at four high schools (Baker County, Bradford, Cook, Ga. and Suwannee) and won wherever he’s been. Like the Wildcats, whom Rodgers led to a 13-2 season and the Class 5A state runner-up spot in 2016, he also guided Suwannee to the state semifinals in his second season there in 2014.
Rodgers was honored for his 100th career win on Nov. 3, 2023 against Suwannee.
Rodgers left Baker County for three seasons to coach at Cook where he went 15-19. He returned to Florida in 2022 to take over at Bradford and built the Tornadoes into a powerhouse almost immediately. Bradford’s defense was one of the state’s best under Rodgers, and he led the team to the Class 2S state championship game in 2023. He has more than 120 wins in his coaching career.
Brunswick hires head coach
Byron Slack is the new head football coach at Brunswick.
That hire was finalized Thursday after a vote from the Glynn County Board of Education. Slack comes to Brunswick from Cook High School where made four consecutive playoff appearances (2022-25). According to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association, Slack has a 32-25 career record. His best season came in 2023 at Cook where he went 11-3 and went to the Class 2A state semifinals.
Slack replaces Garrett Grady, who stepped down last month after four seasons and a 36-10 record.