Cannon County hires Matt Daniel as head football coach

Cannon County High School has brought in a former football staff member to take over the Lions program.

Matt Daniel, who was an assistant coach at Cannon County from 2004-2007, was announced as the team's head football coach at a press conference Thursday morning.

"This is a dream come true," said Daniel, a Cannon County alum. "Ten years ago when I left Cannon County, it was a dream to come back and live and work in the community again."

He takes over for T.J. Daniel, who was the Lions' coach from 2013-17 but resigned in December after allegations of misconduct to players. Matt Daniel and T.J. Daniel are cousins.

Cannon County athletic director Matt Cagle said Matt Daniel easily fit all the requirements the school, and Cannon County director of schools William Curtis, were looking for in a coach and teacher.

"(Curtis) said we needed to look for somebody who was 75 percent character and integrity and 25 percent football coach," Cagle said. "That was the main focus for me and (Cannon County principal Mike) Mr. Jones. We knew that he was somebody who was great in the classroom - he has high credentials as a teacher. We knew if he could handle business in the classroom, it would easily carry over to the football field.

"We looked at those factors, and then the football coach (aspect) came in. I knew what type of guy he was. Everything that Mr. Curtis laid out for us, all of those boxes, Matt Daniel checked every one."

Matt Daniel was an assistant under Doug Nickerson and then Chad Barger at Cannon County before taking a similar roles in Georgia in 2008. He coached at Heritage High School for seven years, including a stint as offensive coordinator.

He coached the offensive line at Villa Rica (Ga.) in 2015-16 before going to Union Grove (Ga.) in 2017. He was most recently offensive line coach and offensive coordinator there.

"When I first started coaching (in Georgia), I thought I would always come back, but that started getting less and less every year I was there," Matt Daniel said. "I got a call (from Cagle). Then, all of those feelings all came back."

Matt Daniel was a 1998 graduate of Cannon County, where he played football, and a 2003 MTSU graduate. 

"(Being a local guy) had something to do with it," Cagle said. "Since he played football here and came back and taught here, he knows the community and the people. It was a factor. It wasn't THE factor, but it helped."'

Cannon County went 0-10 last season after a 2-8 campaign in 2016.

"We have to get the players to compete...hold them accountable," Matt Daniel said. "Once that happens, the bigger things will take care of themselves."

After his football resignation, T.J. Daniel retained his history teaching position at Cannon County but was suspended for five days in early March after a video surfaced showing him flipping students around in class. He resigned from teaching at the school a day later.

Matt Daniel will finish the school year in Georgia before taking over the Lions, but he will take advantage of time off to make appearances during the spring and keep things afloat.

He also isn't concerned about taking over a program vacated by his cousin on unconventional terms.

"There's T.J., then there's myself," he said. "We're cousins and have known each other all our lives. But I'm only focused on the future (at Cannon County)."

Reach Cecil Joyce at cjoyce@dnj.com or 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Cecil_Joyce.