It's too big a leap. There are certainly guys here in Kentucky that could coach college football and I'd love to see them get a shot, but KHSAA to the ACC is a bridge too far.

High school to D3 isn't unheard of. But in this day and age, I doubt there are many (if any at all) high school coaches that are prepared and ready to jump right into a D1 head coaching job. Too many skills and nuances that need to be developed in order to be successful and things you don't have to deal with as a high school coach that become critical as the head of a big college program. You'd be setting someone up for failure.

No chance...

 

Not even a certain assistant coach down in the land where the heavenly scent of sour mash washes through the air on football Friday nights? :sssh:

Not even a certain assistant coach down in the land where the heavenly scent of sour mash washes through the air on football Friday nights? :sssh:

Chuck Smith could certainly be an FCS head coach or lower because he has now spent some time learning the ropes in the college ranks but still not a Louisville NO CHANCE

Not division 1 but Campbellsville hired Paducah Tilghmans coach a few years ago.

 

If you are going the D III route, you can stay at Campbellsville and remember Ron Finley went from Russell County to there.

Campbellsville has hired 3 High School coaches as head coach.

Chuck Smith could certainly be an FCS head coach or lower because he has now spent some time learning the ropes in the college ranks but still not a Louisville NO CHANCE

 

Relax, man. Just having a little fun.

Not division 1 but Campbellsville hired Paducah Tilghmans coach a few years ago.

 

Head coach before that was straight from the HS ranks, too…Mark Peach. Coached at Campbellsville two years and had a very good two years.

Campbellsville has hired 3 High School coaches as head coach.

 

Right you are. Coach Finley was there for so long that, him being a HS coach just almost seemed forgotten.

As far as going from HS to the D1 level, I'm not sure…not from head coach to head coach; just b/c of all of the logistics (NCAA rules mainly).

 

If you can communicate and develop relationships, you can do so…if you can teach, you can teach…if you can scheme, you can scheme.

 

Granted, he didn't go from being a HS HC to a D1 coordinator out of the gate, but people forget that Tony Franklin was 1-9 as his las & only year as a HS HC at Mercer County in 1996…a year later, Mumme hires him as UK's RB coach…a year later (after Leach heads to Oklahoma as their HC before he became the HC at Tex Tech) he is the Offensive Coordinator at UK (and, I believe voted as either the Top Coordinator in all of NCAA or the SEC…one of the two.)

 

Matter of fact, Tony addresses this topic at the end of his book, "4th and Life To Go", talking about high school football coaches in our state who have everything it takes to be high level college coaches (just a matter of knowing people in high places). Some of the ones he mentioned were Mike Holcomb, Sam Harp, Marty Jaggers, Bob Sphire, etc. amongst others. He listed several, but those are a few that I remember.