Cannon County football seeking coach after Matt Daniel resigns

Cannon County is seeking a football coach after Matt Daniel, who spent the past six seasons at the helm, resigned recently.

Daniel, a former player at Cannon County, spent the past 23 seasons coaching (including an assistant with the Lions from 2004-07), including the last six as coach at his alma mater. Daniel, who said he wanted to "take a break" from coaching, will stay on at the school as a teacher.

"As a former player at Cannon, I saw first-hand what it was like to wear the maroon and gold, be a part of something bigger than myself," Daniel said. "I have never and will never forget those memories I made with my teammates. Additionally, I will never forget the memories made as a coach at Cannon, whether as an assistant or, more recently, as head coach.

After leaving his first coaching stint at Cannon County, Daniel spent several years coaching in Georgia before landing the head coaching job at Cannon County in 2018.

"(After 203 games) I look back at all the games I had the opportunity to coach and be a part of," Daniel said. "I have had the pleasure to coach awesome players in multiple states. I have had the pleasure to coach with some amazing coaches in those 23 years, and the current assistant coaches at Cannon County are no exception. The amount of time these gentlemen spend away from their families is tremendous so that the team can perform at its peak performance."

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Inheriting a program that was on a 16-game losing streak, Daniel had some success with the Lions, taking the team to the second round of the 2021 Class 3A state playoffs (finishing 7-5) and guiding Cannon County to the playoffs again in 2022 (finishing 4-7).

He was 17-36 in his six years, but that includes four victories that were turned into forfeit losses in his inaugural season of 2018. That team started 4-3 and finished 4-6 before self-reporting using an ineligible player the following April, turning it into an 0-10 season.

The Lions went 2-8 in 2023, failing to miss the playoffs for the first time in three years.