Former Brainerd football coach Stanley JacksonFormer Brainerd High School head football coach Stanley Jackson has been hired as an assistant at Boyd-Buchanan. Jackson guided Brainerd to the second round of the Class 4A playoffs in 2011 but was relieved of his duties after last year's 1-9 finish.
Jackson, who was an assistant at Howard before taking over the Brainerd program, will continue teaching at Brainerd.
"We're very excited to have Coach Jackson join our staff," Boyd-Buchanan coach Grant Reynolds said. "He will be assisting with our offensive and defensive line and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience."
CCS hires LFO's Morrell
Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe assistant coach Tommy Morrell has been hired as the defensive coordinator at Chattanooga Christian. Morrell, an LFO assistant coach for eight years and a former player at the school, said the decision was a tough one.
"I have reached a point in my career where I need to grow as a coach," he said. "I am very thankful to the staff and administration at LFO for their support. Life is about learning, and sometimes you learn the greatest lessons from the most unique situations. Chattanooga Christian offers me a chance to grow."
Barker going to Vandy
Sequatchie County center, long-snapper and class valedictorian Gaither Barker is headed to Vanderbilt this summer.
"He is what they call a 'recruited walk-on,'" Indians football assistant Curt Jones said. "The plan is for him to go in and start summer school and begin working out when they bring in all the scholarship kids. I think he can go up there and compete to be in the top two on the depth chart."
A three-year starter, Barker has attended numerous Rubio clinics that are designed for special-teams players. He decided on Vanderbilt over Duke, which made a similar "recruited walk-on" offer.
The 6-foot-2, 255-pounder currently has a 4.0 grade point average with a 31 on the ACT.
Phillips stands out
Former Signal Mountain all-state quarterback and current University of Kentucky freshman Reese Phillips completed 10 of 12 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown in last Saturday's spring game. Phillips is expected to redshirt this season.