Portland selects assistant Hunter Hicks as football coach after Wes Inman's resignation

George Robinson
Nashville Tennessean

Portland High School has elevated assistant Hunter Hicks to take over as football coach after the resignation of Wes Inman.

Inman will become an assistant coach at Gallatin under Green Wave coach Michael Stroup, who was hired earlier this month.

Inman, a 1994 graduate of Gallatin, returns to his alma mater after two seasons as Portland's coach. His team finished 6-6 last fall but advanced to the Class 5A state playoffs. Portland's first-round win against Southwind was the first postseason victory for the program since 2004. The Panthers were 4-7 in his first season.

Inman spent four seasons at Portland, including two as an assistant, coaching the program's JV and freshman teams, and was an interim after the departure of Greg Cavanah midway through the 2020 season.

"I want to thank Coach Inman for serving as head coach," Portland principal David Woods said. "I wish him nothing but the best moving forward."

Hicks steps in with 20 years of coaching experience. The Portland graduate was a player when the Panthers captured the 2000 Class 3A state championship over Covington, led by former coach Roger Perry. Hicks was an assistant under Perry at Portland before spending six years as an offensive coordinator at Mt. Juliet and White House-Heritage. Prior to rejoining the Panthers, he was an assistant with the Portland East Middle School team.

"We are very fortunate to have such a great football mind in our school that can step in and take over as head coach," Woods said. "His work ethic and attention to detail is unmatched, and I have all the confidence in the world that he will continue to take our football program to the next level."