Allow me to straighten some things out. First things first, applying and interviewing for a new head coaching job does not mean that you necessarily want the job, it means you want more information on the job and are considering the possibility. That’s exactly what Trey Perry has done the last two seasons, on both occasions he decided on his own accord to not pursue the opportunities for different reasons.
He is not “desperately trying to get out of Mt. Juliet”.. He is keeping his options open because of all the uncertainty around the new schools, which opens after next season. He could still be at Mt. Juliet for years to come after it opens, he may be somewhere else.
Let’s move on to this notion of him needing to take Grah and Abner with him or else be exposed.. Curia Grah is, in my opinion, the best strength coach in the state of Tennessee. He is pivotal to Mt. Juliet’s success, and I would be shocked if he did not go with Perry to any job that he may take. Mt. Juliet is home for Grah, true, but Grah’s relationship with Perry is stronger than his bond to his high school.
As for Abner, he calls the defensive plays but that doesn’t mean that this is his defense. This is the same defense that Perry had implemented when he was DC under his father. This is the same defense he was running in his first few years as head coach, before Abner, when he was yelling the opposing plays to his players before the play and they still couldn’t stop it.
The difference isn’t Abner, it’s that Mt. Juliet went through a down period in talent and now has players capable of making defensive checks on the field. They do as much of the play calling as Abner does. I’m not taking anything away from Abner, I love the guy and think he’s a great defensive mind. But this is Trey Perry’s defense and Trey Perry’s football team. Plain and simple.
Now, one last thing, if you think Reggie Grimes was underutilized because some guys at 247 and Rivals recognized he was a combine freak athlete and ranked him a top 50 “player” in the country then I suggest you turn on some tape and their team and tell me who they should have taken carries away from to give them to Grimes? Grimes was at best, the 7th best option running the ball for Mt. Juliet. He has excellent straight line speed and little else as a runner. He will never touch the ball on offense in college. This staff tried him at wing back, they tried him at fullback, they tried to find an area on offense where he could help them. It wasn’t to be. And that’s all I’m going to say on that.
Grimes can be a really great defensive football player in college, but the outsiders saying that he was underutilized on offense while knowing absolutely nothing about Mt. Juliet football is completely tired. Go to the stadium and watch the games.