T.L. Hanna High School has a new football coach, Jeff Herron, where he has posted numerous state championships.
Herron comes to Hanns from Grayson High School, which won the AAAAAAA state championship in Georgia, and finished as the seventh best team in the nation in the USA Today Poll fir 2016. His quarteback on that team was Chase Brice who enrolled iat Clemson University in January, after graduating early.
“I am excited for the opportunity to coach at T.L. Hanna High School; a school with great traditions and passionate fans,” Herron said. “T.L. Hanna is a premier program in South Carolina, and I am looking forward to the amazing facilities that are offered in Anderson Five.”
Herron's 84.6 percent career winning percentage is one of the highest in the country.
“Hiring someone the caliber of Coach Herron is not only a benefit for T.L. Hanna, but also the Anderson community," said Anderson School District Five Superintendent Tom Wilson. “I want to thank Principal Shawn Tobin and Athletic Director John Cann for their hard work in the coaching search, and want to welcome Coach Herron to the Anderson Five family.”
No details on salary, benefits or other assistant coaching hires were announced Tuesday.
"We are working on his contract now," said District Five Spokeman Kyle Newton. "I am certain there will be some new changes but that will be up to his discretion once he arrives."
Grayson went 14-1 in 2016 as it won the Class AAAAAAA state championship. Herron has been a head coach in Georgia since 1989, winning five state championships and amassing a 287-52 record with stops at Walton, Cedar Shoals, Wheeler, Oconee County, Camden County and Prince Avenue Christian in addition to Grayson.
“It’s a new and different challenge,” Herron said. “Certainly being in a different state is something I haven’t done before. Contrary to rumors and stuff, I wasn’t interested nor did I apply for any other jobs in Georgia. I was extremely happy here (at Grayson). We came back from Christmas and our kids were working in the weight room and I was extremely happy here and just felt like the administration and (athletic director Bryan) Mr. DeBerrry and (principal) Mr. (Dana) Pugh have been great and done everything I’ve asked them to do. I don’t think there’s a better place in Georgia to be.”
Herron said because the job at T.L. Hanna is out-of-state it appealed to him because it would allow him to go on retirement in Georgia and also still collect a full salary in South Carolina. It's also allows him to be closer to his family.
“That part was a no-brainer,” he said. “It’s also an hour-and-a-half closer to my father who is 87 years-old and lives by himself. It’s an hour-and-half closer to my youngest son (Tyson) who is playing at Carson-Newman and it’s on Lake Hartwell. The draw of hopefully living on the lake and coaching that was pretty good. They’ve got a superintendent there (Thomas Wilson) and a principal (Shawn Patrick Tobin) that both are retired Georgia educators. (Wilson) was the superintendent at Carrollton, at Buford, at Marietta, so he certainly knows what it takes to have a successful program and I was impressed with their commitment. Their facilities are unbelievable. With it being out of state and it being as good an opportunity as it is, I just felt like it was too good an opportunity to say no to.”
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