Rhoades resigns from GMC Prep after one season

Published 2:42 pm Tuesday, December 12, 2023

Bobby Rhoades has resigned as GMC Prep head football coach following just one season at the school.

He confirmed the news in a phone call with The Union-Recorder Tuesday afternoon.

“I’m going to pursue some other opportunities,” Rhoades said.

Asked where he was in that pursuit of other opportunities, the football coach replied, “I’m not where I would feel comfortable discussing that right now.”

The Bulldogs were 3-7 overall, 2-3 in region play in Rhoades’ lone year at the helm. The team was coming off three of its better seasons in program history under Rhoades’ predecessor, Lee Coleman, who left after the 2022 campaign to coach in his hometown of Gainesville. A three-year playoff streak ended in 2023 when GMC Prep lost to Glascock County for the first time since 2008, then didn’t get the needed help in the final week of the regular season to earn a state tournament berth. The Bulldogs were tied for third in the region, but tiebreakers pushed them out of the playoff picture.

“I thought we were in a tough rebuilding situation,” Rhoades said in reflecting on the season. “It would be hard to argue that this team wasn’t a lot better at the end of the season than they were at the beginning. I was proud of the kids winning two of their last three games. We played a great game against a very good Hancock team that was in the playoffs. Our youth and inexperience caught up to us, and we had some pretty significant injuries that took their toll. But I was proud of the progress that we made. I definitely felt a lot better about where we were at the end than where we were at the beginning.”

Following Coleman’s departure last year, Rhoades’ hiring was announced by the school in February. His first day was March 1. He came to town after having been offensive coordinator at northwest Georgia’s Pepperell High School for six years.

Now GMC Prep will choose a new head football coach for a second consecutive year, and with a new athletic director as Rusty Courson steps in for Andrew Grodecki, whose family is relocating to North Carolina. GMC Director of Communications Jobie Shields said the school is evaluating all options, and will make a decision about the next head coach sometime after the new year. 

Whoever steps into the head coaching role will likely have more rebuilding to do as GMC Prep is losing some of its best players to graduation. Region 5-A Division 2 Athlete of the Year Johnathan Roach, a RB/WR/DB, and multi-time All-Region honoree Jessie Washington III, a RB/LB, have played their final downs for the Bulldogs.

Asked if the outlook for the future played a part in his decision, Rhoades said, “In coaching, fit is very important. It just wasn’t a great fit.”