Gilmer County assistant coach Tommy Hamric was approved Monday night to be the next head football coach for the Titans. (Photo provided)
GLENVILLE – The Gilmer County High School football program will be competing in the “new look” Class A field with a first-year head coach.
On Monday evening, the Gilmer County Board of Education approved 1999 Titan graduate Tommy Hamric to guide the program.
“Absolutely,” Hamric said of being excited to lead his alma mater. “We’ve had a few flex practices, about 10 days worth. We’ve been in the weight room and going down to the field and doing some conditioning, just myself and a couple other assistant coaches who were on the staff last year. Even though we didn’t have a head coach at the time we needed to get the ball rolling and get to work.”
A year ago, the Titans finished 6-4 under then head man Ben Hall, but came up just short of reaching the single-A postseason. Hamric, Larry Gwinn, Austin Ratliff and James Huffman were assistant coaches in 2023.
“Larry’s been working with the O-line and D-line. I’m recommending him to replace me,” Hamric said of Gwinn hopefully being one of his two paid assistant coaches. “I’ve been a paid assistant for the last six years. He’s still going to be the O-line coach and offensive coordinator.
“The other assistant coach (Ratliff), if he returns, he’ll be the defensive coordinator. If not, I already have somebody else in mind to move up. He wants to, but he’s not sure if he’s able to right now. Just playing it by ear.”
Hamric, who played baseball and football at Gilmer County before attending Glenville State for two years, works as a compressor station operator for Eastern Gas Transmission and Storage,
“I won’t miss any football for my job,” admitted Hamric, who served as the co-offensive coordinator and was the quarterbacks, running backs and defensive backs coach in 2023.
“I’ll take some vacation on game night and away games. They are going to work with me. We’ll make it work. Me and coach Gwinn will work well together on the offensive side play-calling. Get the ball and move it down the field.”
The new GCHS head coach noted “we’re going to go back to a little more spread offense. We are still going to continue with the stick-I as well. We are going to be very versatile offensively and defensively. Before week one we are going to figure out what works best for us and go with that and throw some kinks in there to keep the other teams guessing.
“I plan on Larry being the offensive coordinator and I’ll help on the offense and defense both. I’ll have a defensive coordinator as well, either Austin Ratliff or someone else, but I’m going to let my assistants have a little more of a role. They worked with their specialty the most when we do individual drills and stuff like that.
“I’m still going to be the DB coach and running backs, quarterbacks coach and probably receiver coach as well.”
Hamric said he had started spring ball his freshman season for baseball, but the head coach left at Glenville State and he eventually ended up having to get a job.
Despite some key losses to graduation, Hamric has high hopes for the program.
“We’re going to be a young team this year. We do have some upperclassmen returning,” admitted Hamric, who said the Titans dressed 22 in their final game last fall. “We got three good running backs, receivers returning and a good O-lineman senior returning.
“All four of those played a big role on offense and defense and we’ll expect the same out of them this year, and we got a good group of freshmen coming in. We got some big boys coming in from the eighth grade moving up. I think getting those boys plus what we got returning, I think we’ll be pretty solid and that will open up our passing game and running game.”
Throughout the years, Gilmer County has constantly battled the numbers game and this season is likely going to be similar.
“I hope we can get close to 25. That would be ideal,” Hamric said. “Of course, in Gilmer County we’ve always struggled getting numbers. We sit around the 16 to 20 range.
“Hopefully, we can hit the 25 mark. I’ve been reaching out to some kids this morning and hopefully come Monday when we get rolling with helmet fittings and stuff next week we will have a good turnout.”
Gilmer County opens its season at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 30 versus Calhoun County in Mt. Zion.