The Bradwell Institute Tigers football team did not have to wait very long to find its new head coach after Kyle Adkins stepped down from the position in January. The school board announced that Deshon Brock had been named the new head coach at their monthly meeting on Tuesday, February 9.
Brock comes back to Hinesville from Mitchell County High School in Camilla. He spent four years with the Eagles, leading the team to the playoffs every year and making two trips to the A Public Quarterfinals, both times in seasons in which the team won 10 games and won the Region 1-A championship.
He is familiar with this area as Brock spent over a decade at Long County High School in Ludowici as an assistant football coach and head basketball coach. In his time with the Blue Tide, Brock won over 100 games and two region championships as the basketball coach. He is excited about getting the chance to come back to his “home away from home” and be closer to his family.
“Hinesville is my adopted area,” Brock said. “After my dad retired from the military, we settled down in Hinesville. Even while at Mitchell County, I came home quite often and spent time with my family. They were a key decision in taking the job at Bradwell.”
During his tenure at Mitchell County, Brock amassed a record of 33-11 and made the playoffs every season. In his first year, the team went undefeated in region play and won the region title before making it to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs. He also won two Coach of the Year awards in his time with the Eagles.
Coming to Bradwell means making the jump from A to AAAAAA and arguably much tougher competition. Brock said his non-region opponents at Mitchell County have prepared him for the likes of Glynn Academy, Brunswick, and 6A powerhouse Richmond Hill.
“Whenever we could, we played against the best at Mitchell County,” he explained. “In our non-conference, we played quality opponents like Brooks County. Playing quality opponents was important at Mitchell and it will be important at Bradwell.”
Brock emphatically stated his goals for the Tigers, who went 0-7-1 in the 2020 season and missed the playoffs after making them in 2018 and 2019.
“I’m not coming in to lose. I’m coming in to win right now,” he said. “It won’t happen overnight and it might not happen year one, but I expect to win. I expect success.”
Brock talked about what it will take to turn the Tigers into a team to be dealt with in AAAAAA and he said the “buy in” is the most important thing.
“If we get the buy in, it’s over. If we get the players to buy in, the community to buy in, it’s over. Any program can have success and the buy in is going to be important. We are going to have success.”
The Tigers return a class of at least 16 seniors for the 2021 season and Brock explained that he is excited to get to know the players, but being from the area he knows that he should have some good players to choose from .
“There are pieces that I know can be helpful and there are some high caliber players,” Brock said. “I know Hinesville has athletes. Some have already contacted me and they are excited and ready to get to work.