Why Brad Waggoner left Gatlinburg-Pittman football to coach Blountstown in Florida

Brad Waggoner loves the feel of coaching football in small towns. 

He enjoyed the closeness of the community at Gatlinburg-Pittman and now will be seeking that somewhere else. 

Brad Waggoner resigned as coach on Wednesday and will be the new football coach and athletic director at Blountstown High School in Florida, he told Knox News. 

“It was a privilege to be the head coach here, to be able to walk the same sidelines as coach (Benny) Hammonds, he’s in the hall of fame,” Waggoner said. “This will always be his program here and I'm just thankful that I've had the opportunity to coach some great kids and we've been able to have some success.

“That’s what I’ll miss most, I'm gonna miss these coaches and I’m a miss these players.”

Waggoner was hired by Gatlinburg-Pittman in April 2021 and led the program to a 29-9 overall record in three seasons. 

Before he became the Highlanders' coach, he was the defensive coordinator at South Pittsburg in 2020. He was also at Trousdale County in 2017 and 2018 as the head coach. He led the team to a Class 2A state runner-up finish in his final year.

Waggoner also has experience coaching outside of Tennessee as he was the coach at Elbert County High School in Georgia for a season in 2019.

Gatlinburg-Pittman won Region 1-3A and finished 11-2 in 2023. It lost 31-7 in the state quarterfinals to Alcoa, nine-time defending state champions. 

Gatlinburg-Pittman football will graduate a few of of its star players: linebacker Whittman Whaley, who is a Wake Forrest signee, wide receiver Carlos Orr, who is an Illinois signee and quarterback Brady Hammonds, who is a Virginia Military Institute signee. 

When Waggoner was asked if the turnover of a few standout players and the potential of rebuilding had any impact on his decision, he said it didn’t. 

“I had no idea that Blountstown would come open this year,” Waggoner said. “That job didn't open up (until) about three weeks ago and things just kind of moved fast. We got a team coming here at GP that got a chance to win the region again. People are gonna be surprised by the team we got coming back.”

Waggoner said his move was largely based on how well Blountstown fit. 

“I’ve had my eye on that job down there in Florida for a couple years,” Waggoner said. “It's one of those small towns where football is really big and … it’s in the panhandle, and it's just been an area I've always looked at. It’s just an opportunity that came up and was too good to pass up.”

Blountstown went 8-4 and lost in the state semifinals last season.

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Waggoner said Gatlinburg-Pittman is a great place and that he’s glad to have been able to build the bonds with the players.

“They’re great kids, and I fully expect them to continue the success," Waggoner said. "I look forward to following them from afar."

Toyloy Brown III is a Knox News sports reporter. Email toyloy.brown@knoxnews.com. On X, formerly known as Twitter, @TJ3rd_.