Grapevine-Colleyville ISD announced Friday the hiring of East Texas Baptist University offensive coordinator Ryan Smith as the new head football coach at Grapevine High School. Smith replaces Bob DeBesse, who retired following the conclusion of the 2024 season.

Smith brings experience at both the college and high school levels and is recognized as an innovative offensive mind. He plans to transition Grapevine back to a spread offense after the team ran the flexbone in 2024.

Before his one season as offensive coordinator at ETBU, Smith served as offensive coordinator at Midlothian Heritage during the 2022 season. He is perhaps best known for a four-year stint as head coach at NAIA Southwestern Assemblies of God University (now Nelson University) from 2018 to 2021. During his tenure, Smith led SAGU to its first-ever back-to-back winning seasons in 2020 and 2021. His 2021 offense averaged over 40 points per game.

Smith also has head coaching experience at the high school level. He led Newton High School in Newton, Mississippi, to a 13-9 overall record during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Additionally, he has worked as an assistant coach in Texas at Palmer and Irving Nimitz and at three high schools in Mississippi.

Smith faces a rebuilding challenge at Grapevine, as the Mustangs are coming off a 0-10 season. The team competes in one of the state’s toughest districts, District 3-5A Division II.