Mansfield ISD made it official on Wednesday naming Dallas Skyline head coach Jacody Coleman as the next head football coach at Mansfield Timberview. He'll replace Robert DeSanto who stepped down in February after two seasons.

“I am really excited to get started with Timberview and Mansfield ISD,” Coleman said. “When I first came to the area I knew all the big names, but playing against Mansfield schools I liked the area, I liked the coaches I had interactions with and thought it would be a great district to work in.”

Coleman, a native of Beaumont, was a star at West Brook High and played collegiately at Iowa where he was a team captain.

He’s spent the past three seasons as the head coach at Dallas Skyline where he’s turned the Raiders completely around. In 2022 - his first season - he took over a team at rock bottom fresh off a 1-9 season and just 18 kids in offseason for a 6A program.

Things looked bleak for Skyline getting aligned into 11-6A, aka “The District of Doom”, with powers Duncanville, DeSoto, Waxahachie and Cedar Hill. But after an 0-10 debut in 2022, Coleman and his team made steady improvement in 2023 and 2024. In 2023, Skyline posted a 2-8 mark but played several close games that could have gone either way.

The following season was again aligned into 11-6A with the addition of powerful Lancaster and this time the Raiders finished 4-6, knocking on the door of the playoffs. The highlight of 2024 was a dominant 31-0 win over Crowley who was a regional semifinalist at the 6A-Division II level.

“It has been a tough few days," he said. "I haven’t slept all that well with so many things running through your head. Thinking about the opportunity Dallas ISD and Skyline gave me and the kids who worked so hard, I’m forever grateful they gave me a chance and I think being at Skyline has prepared me for this opportunity. I think I left Skyline better than I found it and I think that is really what any Coach wants to do."

Prior to coming to the DFW area, Coleman began his coaching career at Houston powerhouse Humble Atascocita in 2011 under his high school coach Craig Stump. Coleman served as linebacker coach and special teams coordinator before being promoted to defensive coordinator, a role he served in for six seasons.  

Coach Coleman takes over a team that in 2022 was a regional finalist, but fell to 6-5 in 2024.

“My goal at Timberview is to build a consistent winner and eventually compete for state titles," he said. "I want people to talk about Timberview like they talk about SOC (South Oak Cliff), Argyle, Lovejoy, teams like that.

“The interview process Mansfield ISD conducted was first-class, efficient and transparent. I had  a great idea on the nuts and bolts of what they were looking for and how they wanted the campus culture to be developed. I had a great vibe with Dr. Neal (Timberview principal), Coach Womack (Mansfield ISD athletic director) and Coach Nicholson (Mansfield ISD assistant athletic director), I felt like it was a great fit, by the end we were finishing each others sentences, this felt like the place for me.”

Coleman, who plans on starting at Timberview the first week of April, says he’s got plenty to do once he starts.

“The biggest thing, I’ve got to build relationships with all the stakeholders, players, administration, teachers, custodians, all the students," he said. "I want to give the kids my vision and philosophy and we’ll go from there and get to work."