Former Georgia Southern star quarterback Greg Hill has been hired as the new head football coach at Bradwell.
According to Bradwell Principal Scott Carrier, the Liberty County Board of Education approved the hiring at this week’s meeting.
Hill, who led GSU to the 1999 national title and has been an assistant high-school coach for the past 10 years, most recently at Central High in Carrollton, knows the Tigers’ legacy well and plans to restore excellence in the program. Bradwell went 4-6 last season and hasn’t had a winning record since 2009, according to maxpreps.com.
“I just want to come in an embrace the tradition that has been at Bradwell,” Hill said during a phone interview with the Courier on Thursday morning. “They have a rich tradition of being a winning program in the past, and I want to bring back that tradition and instill a winning attitude in all walks of life into these guys.”
Tiger Touchdown Club President Craig Stafford said the booster club is looking forward to meeting Hill, his wife, Jennifer, and son, Dallas, in the near future.
“The Tiger Touchdown Club is very excited about coach Hill’s hiring,” Stafford said. “The fact that he was such an accomplished leader at Georgia Southern is indeed a great bonus for BI.”
Hill steps into the role less than a year after Adam Carter took over as the head coach to replace then-outgoing coach Jim Walsh. Carter, a former assistant coach at Camden, left Bradwell earlier this year to become the defensive coordinator at Reinhardt University.
Hill said the kids might go through a period of adjustment and uncertainty with a new coach, but he said he will be around for some time.
“I can assure them it will not be a one-year season for me,” he said. “I think this is something the kids will benefit from … they had to go through that adversity, and we all know when you play the game of football you are going to face some adversity and that will be one of my points I make to them … They’ve been through something, but they have the opportunity to keep moving ... we will face that adversity to overcome it.” Hill led the Eagles to a 1998 NCAA Division I-AA runner-up finish and the national championship in 1999. He was inducted into the Georgia Southern Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010.
After his playing days, Hill served as an assistant coach at Statesboro High for eight years, working with the receivers and the running backs. Hill was the offensive coordinator at Central High for the last two seasons.
He said his previous coaching experiences allowed him to gradually develop the skills to impact and mold young men into great football players and role models in life. Hill plans to implement a strong offensive philosophy stemming from his experiences on the field.
“Being that I was a quarterback, I feel confident in being able to bring in a system that is going to be aggressive and attacking in style of play,” he said. “It is going to be right-in-your-face type of football, and that is the attitude I want to bring in.”
Hill, who said his projected start date at Bradwell is March 18, is looking forward to meeting the current Tiger staff.
“I don’t have a specific date that I will be able to meet with personnel that is already there and in place at Bradwell,” he said. “But I will be looking for guys that are familiar and have a background in the ball-control offense I will use.”
He said arriving in mid-March will give him the opportunity to meet returning and new football prospects as well as prepare for spring conditioning.
“We have to get the ball rolling and get ready for spring conditioning … it is right around the corner,” he said.