6 things USJ's next coach inherits
A conversation with University School of Jackson athletic director Jody Evans answered a few questions about the school’s pending search for its new football coach.
That search officially began Wednesday afternoon when the school announced Rusty Bradley was leaving USJ for Knoxville Grace after a tenure of one season.
A few questions to be answered include the following: When will the search for the new coach begin? Is there a goal date for the hire of the next coach? Were you aware of Bradley’s impending exit? How extensive will this search be?
Those answers are “the opening will be posted on a few job boards Thursday,” “the beginning of May would be the ideal time to make a hire, but we will find the right coach even if that means it will take longer,” “yes,” and “we’re posting on multiple state coaching job boards including the TSSAA’s, and we’ll see what opportunities arise.”
Rusty Bradley did confirm via text message his father, offensive line coach Mark Bradley, will return to Knoxville with him.
But what will USJ’s next coach inherit when he gets on campus? Here are six things the new coach has waiting on him.
New facilities in the field house: Bradley wasn’t at USJ for long (Jan. 25, 2016-March 29, 2017), but he did get some stuff accomplished, mainly with facility upgrades in the field house. The equipment is more organized. There are washers and driers for uniforms in the fieldhouse. The locker room now looks more like a place for the players to hang out with gaming systems and flat screen televisions hanging from the ceiling.
Nick Stamper: Possibly the most important change USJ has made to its athletic program in recent years was hiring Stamper as its strength and conditioning coach for all teams and as a teacher in strength training classes. While most teams have a coach whose duties include directing the players’ offseason training schedule, having someone knowledgeable with Stamper’s experience can give the Bruins a chance to compete against bigger teams past teams haven’t enjoyed as much.
Possibly the best quarterback-receiver combination returning in West Tennessee: Ryan Miller led USJ in receiving yards last season as a junior and was among the statistical leaders in the region. Jacob Buie was also a junior and passed for nearly 4,000 yards. Having both back will give the new coach a good foundation to build on offensively.
NOTE: Athletic director Jody Evans said he doesn’t plan to limit his coaching search to one specific philosophy on either side of the ball, but he did say being able to pass the ball in high school helps you win a lot of games and having a balanced offense as much as possible only gives a team multiple weapons to be successful offensively.
One of the best kickers in the state: Charles Campbell has been one of the best kickers in West Tennessee the past two years, and his ability to kick long-range field goals is a weapon the Bruins can use in a tight defensive game like the one they won at Briarcrest Christian in October. Campbell’s leg is strong and accurate.
High expectations: This can be good and bad. Most programs who have high expectations have the personnel to possibly meet those expectations. Sometimes teams don’t have the necessary personnel. USJ lost a good bit of talent to graduation at the end of last season, but there’s talent to compete with the right coach and right plan. The next coach will be the third in three seasons for USJ. Unlike most programs in similar situations, USJ has been to two straight state semifinal appearances. After being close to being back in Cookeville two years in a row, players and fans who’ve followed or played on those teams hope to see it happen again in 2017.
Tough district: Every season since 2009, USJ has battled St. George’s for the top two in their district in Division II-A West region. Runner-up finishes meant playing at home in the first round of the playoffs (and for a few years a district championship meant a first-round bye). With Division II football alignment changing to a three-class system as part of the TSSAA’s realignment this year, finishing top two won’t be as easy this year. ECS and Harding Academy are perennial powers for private schools in Memphis. FACS beat USJ last year. Lausanne and Northpoint Christian are the teams who eliminated USJ in the semifinals the past two seasons. St. George’s has beaten USJ more times than losing to the Bruins in recent years (including the 2011 state championship game). This district is going to be tough.
USJ’s next coach will have plenty to work with when he’s hired and gets on campus. He’ll have some tough obstacles to overcome as well.
Reach Brandon Shields at bjshields@jacksonsun.com or at 425-9751. Follow him on Twitter @JSEditorBrandon.