Josh Roberts has announced he is stepping down as the head football coach at Signal Mountain High School after seven seasons. Roberts said he met with administrators on Tuesday morning, and players later that day to inform them of his decision.
"To be honest, the administration and I talked and felt it was just time for a change, both for me and for the program," Roberts said. "This was a mutual decision. No hard feelings. I've been there for a while and this was just one of those modern football deals where it's probably the best move for both, so we came to an agreement.
"The hard part was talking to the kids. Those are the relationships you miss the most."
Roberts, a former Soddy Daisy High quarterback, has worked at the school for 10 years and was the Eagles offensive coordinator before taking over as head coach. During his time with the program, Signal Mountain reached the playoffs five times but did miss the postseason each of the past two years. He leaves with an overall record of 30-45.
In the two seasons prior to Roberts taking over the program, the Eagles won just three of their 20 games, but he guided them to the playoffs in his first year, followed by a six-win seasons.
Injuries and bad breaks plagued the Eagles over the past two seasons as seven of their 14 losses came by eight points or fewer, including four by five points or less during the 2022 season.
"I'm going to leave my options open to seek other opportunities," Roberts added. "Either as a head coach or assistant, I'm not sure yet but I just want to coach football."
Roberts is the second head football coach in Hamilton County to step down since the regular season ended, following Soddy Daisy's Carter Cardwell, who resigned earlier this month.
"I had the pleasure of working with Coach Roberts for six of his 10 years and he is just an absolutely amazing guy who has done a lot for our program and our school," Signal Mountain principal Michael Carson said. "We appreciate him for that and wish him well in whatever he decides to do in the future.
"For us, the position is now open so we will begin the process of searching for our new head football coach. We do not have a timetable for when that decision will be made, but we do intend to name an interim coach from within the staff to oversee things during the process."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com.