The high school football coaching carousel in the Fredericksburg area has picked up steam with the departures of three head coaches since the end of the season.
On Monday, news broke that George Coghill was resigning as James Monroe’s head coach after six seasons at the helm. Stafford and King George are also seeking a new coach, as is Hartwood — Stafford County’s sixth high school, which will open next fall.
James Monroe Athletic Director Kenton Griffin released a statement thanking Coghill for his service and declaring that the Yellow Jackets are seeking a leader who will return them to their glory days.
“Hired in 2020, [Coghill] navigated the program through COVID and produced four postseason appearances during his time as head coach,” JM athletic director Kenton Griffin said in a press release regarding Coghill’s departure. “Coach Coghill is a selfless leader who demonstrated the qualities of a positive role model for our student athletes. His hard work and dedication to the program was second to none.”
Coghill’s roots at JM run deep. He led the Yellow Jackets to back-to-back state championships and a 20-game winning streak as a player in 1986 and ‘87. After excelling at the collegiate level for Wake Forest and earning all-Atlantic Coast Conference and All-American honors, he went on to earn two Super Bowl rings as a member of the Denver Broncos to end the 1997 and ‘98 seasons.
Coghill later served as an assistant coach at JM for a total of 10 years in three different stints, working under Virginia High School League Hall of Fame head coach Rich Serbay, who he’d played for at JM decades earlier. When Serbay was dismissed in February 2020 after 35 years in charge, Coghill was Griffin hired Coghill to replace him after he took over as AD that spring.
The Yellow Jackets brought the 75-year-old Serbay back to JM as a volunteer assistant coach prior to the 2025 season.
Serbay spoke very highly of his former protege during an interview in August.
“George is an outstanding young coach and he’s been good to me as a player, assistant coach and a friend,” he said. “I think he’s done a very good job, and I’m going to do my best to help him get even better.”
The Jackets started this past season off by winning five of their first seven games, including victories over Battlefield District foes Eastern View, King George and Chancellor. However, they dropped their final four contests to finish 5-6, including a 48-12 home loss to Brentsville in the first round of the Region 3B playoffs.
Overall, JM went 20-41 during Coghill’s tenure.
“I will begin the search immediately for a new head football coach, and I am confident in the ability to bring to James Monroe an outstanding leader, teacher, and coach, who fits our culture and community and who embraces the excellence that is the standard here at JM,” Griffin said in his press release.
Just up the road from JM, Stafford is also now in the market for a new head coach. Last Friday, L.C. Bird in Chesterfield County announced Gerard Johnson as the new head coach. Johnson is departing Stafford after just one season at the helm.
Johnson, a Petersburg native, was a standout player for Meadowbrook High, Old Dominion University and Norfolk State University before playing professionally overseas in Europe. He first came to the area as Caroline’s head coach in 2022, where he led the Cavaliers to a 9-13 record and a playoff berth over the course of two years before leaving for an assistant coaching position at Roanoke College. After a season there, he returned to the region as Stafford’s new man in charge last April.
The Indians limped to a 3-7 mark under Johnson in 2025, but they aren’t far removed from success, having gone 9-2 and earned a share of the Commonwealth District title just one year ago.
“We thank Coach Johnson’s family for letting us have him for the time we did,” Stafford Indians Football’s X account posted last Friday. “He has not only made an impact on the program, but the school community as well. We wish Coach Johnson the best of luck in all future endeavors.”
Johnson previously served as an assistant coach at L.C. Bird for four seasons.
The other head coaching vacancy in the area is at King George, where Josh Wallace is out after just one year in charge.
After winning five straight Battlefield District championships and a Region 4B title from 2020-24, the Foxes fell on hard times this fall, going 0-10. They were shut out four times and allowed nearly 44 points per game.
Wallace, who previously coached at Petersburg, Buckingham, and Fluvanna, was hired last spring to replace Vern Lunsford, who took the head coaching job at Spotsylvania after compiling a 59-21 record in seven seasons at King George.
The Foxes’ 10 losses in 2025 were more than they had combined in the five previous years (seven).
In other high school football news, Kenaz Sullivan, who helped North Stafford’s football team reach its first state championship game in 21 years this fall, won’t be returning to the Wolverines for his senior season.
Sullivan opted to transfer to The St. James Academy, a private school in Springfield. He announced the move in a post on his X account on Saturday.
“First I want to say thank you North Stafford for everything you’ve done for me it’s been a great 3 years. But after some talks with my family and close ones I’ve decided to take my talents and transfer to The St James Academy!!!,” Sullivan wrote.
Sullivan was a Class 6 first-team all-state selection at both wide receiver and defensive back this season. He caught 32 passes for 808 yards and seven touchdowns. He rushed for 200 yards and four scores on 23 carries on offense. Defensively, he tallied 85 tackles, 11 pass breakups, 10 tackles for loss and five interceptions. He is a consensus three-star prospect with 32 major college scholarship offers.
Sullivan missed both of North’s state playoff contests after he suffered a broken leg in the Region 6B title game against Woodbridge.
Wolverines head coach Marquez Hall said earlier this month that Sullivan is expected to make a full recovery from the injury.
