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.

Monahans: The more things change in Monahans, the more they stay the same as a new coach comes in but brings the same Wing-T offense with him, that Loboes fans have come to expect. After the retirement of Mickey Owens in the winter, Monahans was one of the more sought after jobs in West Texas and they landed a big fish in former Amarillo head coach Mel Maxfield. Maxfield is a Wing-T disciple from his days at Forney, Burleson and Amarillo, so aside from adjusting to a new staff things will be relatively intact for what looks to be a very young Monahans squad. 1-4A Division II doesn’t appear to be loaded with state powers like the past two seasons, but expect six of the district’s seven teams to be in the playoff mix late in the year.

Farmersville: It’ll be an interesting off-season for Farmersville who moved up to Class 4A after UIL Realignment and saw their head coach Sammy Burnett depart for the head coaching job at his hometown Brownwood. Farmersville ISD landed one of the brightest young coaches in the state in Brandon Hankins, who oversaw one of the state’s more remarkable turnarounds at Kemp, leading the Yellow Jackets to the 3A semi-finals in 2017. FHS is just a couple of seasons removed from a sensational 11-2 campaign and with six starters back on both sides of the ball led by QB Michael Bagwill and RB Jacquez Simpson combined with some promising young talent the Farmers will be a team worth watching.

Giddings: After a solid four year run at White Settlement Brewer, Wade Griffin returns to the part of the state where had the most success as a head coach taking over at Giddings. Griffin, who before his tenure at Brewer was part of a tremendous story at nearby Elgin where he turned the Wildcats into a formidable foe in the Austin area at the 5A level including a 12-1 run in 2013. He’ll try to replicate that success at Giddings, which from all indications has the pieces in place to be a contender year in and year out in Class 4A Division II. Griffin likes to run a diverse offense utilizing spread and pistol concepts with an emphasis on power running game and well-timed deep shots down the field and a lot of responsibility will be on the QB to make the right reads, so if Coach Griffin’s signal caller can progress, the Buffaloes should compete with Bellville for the district title and have a chance to earn a playoff win or two in year one.

Port Isabel: The proud Port Isabel program took a tumble last year in their only season under Jaime Infante going from 9-2 in 2016 to 2-7 and missing the playoffs a year ago. In a departure from what many though would happen, PIISD went outside the box to bring in former Lubbock head coach Jason Strunk who has brought new excitement and energy out to the coast. Long known as a Slot-T power rushing attack, the move to the spread offense didn’t fit well at Port Isabel in year one, so expect Strunk to go back to an emphasis on the running game for the Tarpons, he may just continue to do it out of spread formations. A healthy QB in Cesar Aguilera should help Port Isabel be more explosive on offense and the addition of Mac Strunk who was a starter at Class 5A Lubbock High gives PIHS another speedy playmaker on both sides of the ball. Expect Port Isabel to be improved on defense as well with six returning starters.