Gilmer High School Head Football Coach Search Update

Featured Stories, Team FYN Sports

It is well known that Gilmer High School head coach, Wesley Tankersley, recently resigned from his position as head coach of the Bobcats’ football team. FYN recently sat down with Gilmer High School principal, Eric McFee, and Athletic Director, Mike Putman, to discuss the hiring process and to discover its details.While the official search can not begin until Tankersley offers his “teaching” resignation, Tankersley is currently a social studies teacher at GHS, they can receive resumes for any position at any time, and they have received “more than 20,” according to McFee.

The fact that Tankersley taught social studies will not narrow the scope of candidates to those who specialize in that field, the “master schedule” can be manipulated to accommodate the specialty of the replacement.

Both men emphasized and reiterated that the search will center on a

“teacher that coaches football”

due to

“the education of the students”

being the

“number one priority.”

The search will be conducted by an as yet to be named/formed committee consisting of McFee, Putman, interim coach Jeff Thurman, community members (including several parents of players), school staff etc.

The group being put together is

“eclectic”

purposefully in order to get a broad spectrum on

“what is the ideal candidate for Gilmer High School,”

said McFee.

McFee pointed out that having a number of different people with different ideas and opinions about a position as high profile as a school’s football coach would be beneficial to finding the best person for the job.

While the committee is being formed, the resumes that have come in and are coming in have not been perused, said McFee,

“I haven’t looked at any of them.”

The reason being, so that when the committee is finalized and meets, will be the first time anyone sees the potential candidates.

Once “the top two or three candidates” are identified, eventually a recommendation will be made to the Board of Education, and depending on board approval, a hire will be made.

The process is not expected to take more than several weeks after Tankersley’s teaching position becomes officially open. Interim coach, Thurman, has maintained the Bobcats’ offseason program. There will not be a spring game again this year as the school is in the second contract year of two scrimmage games instead.

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