In any realignment year the number of coaching changes in Texas High School Football takes a leap and this off-season was no different as a total of 221 UIL schools from Class 6A down to Class 2A will have new coaches in the 2018 season.

Who are the teams with new leaders on the sidelines we are keeping the closest eye on when things kick off on August 30? The storylines are varied and numerous across the state and each program has different challenges ahead, but the beauty of Texas High School Football is there’s always something interesting going on in our great state! 

Is there a team or new head coach we left out that we should look at? Let us know matt.stepp@texasfootball.com.

Sundown: Sundown is without question one of the favorites in Class 2A Division I after a strong 10-2 season and returning eight starters on both sides of the ball. The Roughnecks welcome in a new coach and they didn’t have to look far as SISD looked to district rival Hale Center for their next head coach as Adam Cummings arrives to try and lead the ‘Necks to a regional title. Cummings turned Hale Center into a competitive team most seasons and had the Owls in the playoff discussion most years, the bar in Sundown is a little higher. Especially considering the Roughnecks have a player like QB Christian Huey who returning for his senior campaign after accounting for 39 touchdowns and over 3,200 yards of offense. 

Italy: After a surprise run to the state semifinals a few years back, Italy has stumble back to becoming a middle of the road team in recent years. After the departure of head coach David Weaver in early June, Italy ISD landed quite the hire bringing in Craig Horn to lead the program. Horn, who led Tenaha to a state title game in 2017, resigned in the off-season to get closer to home and Italy certainly fits the bill considering Horn has coached at nearby Hubbard (his alma mater) and Itasca and has an outstanding career record of 101-30. The Gladiators will be right in the playoff mix in their new district as Bosqueville looks to be the favorite, but after that it’s a wide open race in District 8-2A Division I.

Alto: One of the premier small school programs in East Texas has a familiar name in charge of brining the glory back as Ricky Joe Meeks, son of legendary East Texas sideline boss Dickey Meeks comes over from an assistant gig at Tatum to take his first shot at being a head coach. Meeks is bringing plenty of energy, a wide open offense and plenty of pedigree to the table for a team and program that he thinks is in position to take a big step forward in 2018. The ‘Jackets return eleven total starters from a playoff team a year ago, keep an eye on two way star RB/DE Fred Thacker and RB Vi’Darious High, both are poised for breakout seasons and that could mean big things for Alto.

Weimar: We’ve known for about a year that Weimar would be under new leadership in 2018 as shortly before the start of the 2017 season David Huseman announced his retirement and 2017 would be his final season on the sideline. Weimar moved quickly after the holiday break to bring in former Texas City assistant coach Ryan McIver to lead the program and with almost a full off-season under his belt he thinks his team can take a step forward.  Although the Wildcats only return half of their starters from a 4-7 squad a year ago, several younger players got significant time thus resulting in a veteran squad of 28 letterman returning. Expect Weimar to take a step forward in 2018 and although they may not compete for a district title behind Shiner, they could be in the mix for that district runner up spot in 15-2A Division I.