Spring football has begun in the Orlando area, with notable coaching changes as long-time coaches Rodney Wells and Andy Johnson step down. Their departures reflect ongoing challenges in the local high school football landscape, including controversies over coaching salaries and player transfers.
(Chris Hays/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)
Spring football opened last week for most teams around the Orlando area and there were some familiar faces missing from the mix. Rodney Wells at Dr. Phillips High and Andy Johnson at Boone had become staples in the Central Florida high school football landscape, the elder statesmen and respected members of the area’s coaching fraternity.
Recent controversies — like coaching salaries and the horde of players transferring — had chased many coaches from their posts in recent years, but for Johnson and Wells, that was not the case.
Johnson resigned in January, saying it was “just time,” and left the door open that he may coach again. Wells, an assistant dean at Dr. Phillips, said his decision was based on his intention to focus on education administration.
Boone football coach Andy Johnson steps down, says ‘It’s just time’
The departures made for opportunity for a pair of first-time head coaches, which is the theme this year for new coaches around the area. There will be eight new coaches in the Orlando area for the upcoming season, and seven of them are taking head coaching positions for the first time.
For Caleb Walls, it was simple. He always looked up to Wells, his coach at Dr. Phillips when he was a young Panther (2013-16), and Walls just wanted to be like Wells. In February, Dr. Phillips made Walls the youngest head coach in Orange County at 27.
Walls joined new Mount Dora head coach Jacob Lobb and new Orange City University High coach Bailey Skelley, both also 27 at the time of their hiring, as the youngest coaches in the Orlando area.
The youngest coach ever hired locally was Zach Barrett, who was 25 when Orlando University High hired him in 2021. He coached for one season.
The other coaches hired to be head coaches for the first time among Orange County Public Schools are Charles Sprenkle at Boone and Ashton Watts at Wekiva.
Andy Johnson resigned because he felt it was 'just time' for a change.
Rodney Wells stepped down to focus on his role in education administration.
Coaching salaries and a high number of player transfers have contributed to instability among coaches.
Rodney Wells and Andy Johnson are notable coaches who have recently left their positions.
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Other first-time coaches hired in the Orlando area are Brandon Bristow at Legacy Charter School, Tanner Harris at Eustis and Bailey Skelley at Orange City University.
The veteran among those coaches hired this year is Jermel Jones, who takes over at Orangewood Christian after previous stints at The Master’s Academy and Lyman, as well as a private school in Tennessee.
Walls had already been on the DP coaching staff, so players are familiar with him, as well as new offensive coordinator Darryl “Ray Ray” Monroe, who played at DP and Olympia high schools. Monroe, a star linebacker at Washington State, coached quarterbacks last year.
Walls also has the luxury of a returning quarterback who took 50% of the snaps a year ago in sophomore Tien Williams, a promising youngster who knows the system.
“It’s fun. It comes with its ups and downs and there is a different side that I had never seen,” Walls said. “The kids make it easy, they’re all supportive and the coaches are supportive, so it’s awesome.”
Walls knows the DP tradition and wants to uphold expectations for a school that is always in the playoff mix, having missed the playoffs only once since Wells took over in 2011.
“We always talk about the standard. Wells set the standard, and we’re just gonna keep building,” Walls said of his former coach, who won the Class 7A state title in 2017. “We all know what the expectation is when we walk in this weight room and locker room and when we take the field.
“So, we know what we have to do and there is no pressure at all. It’s just another day at Dr. Phillips High School.”
Lobb came to Mount Dora from Oakton (Va.), where he served many roles, including offensive coordinator. He was looking to get out of northern Virginia due to the high cost of living and found the position at Mount Dora suitable to his needs. Before that he was at Linganore High in Frederick, Md.
“I’m excited to get going. We’ve been in spring ball and we’ve got about 65, almost 70 kids out there and we’re still missing a few who are wrapping up their spring sports seasons,” Lobb said. “We’ve got a very young team and a lot of young talent, and if they stay together and stay at this school for the next two to three years, they can really blow up.”
Skelley comes to Orange City from Mill Creek High in Hoschton, Ga., where he was an assistant for the past five seasons.
Spring football games begin on Wednesday of next week with two events. St. Cloud will host a three-team jamboree with South Lake and Viera, while Timber Creek will be at Poinciana.
Sprenkle, 31, a former UCF lineman who was previously on Johnson’s staff at Boone, has familiarity with the players, so the transition, like for Walls, has been somewhat seamless. He also returns veteran Charles Nassar as his defensive coordinator.
“It’s going pretty well. … the one thing that has stayed the same has been the excitement,” Sprenkle said. “These guys came out here Day 1 and were very excited to get back at it. We got into the nitty gritty of things, and they came back out hungry in Day 2.”
Boone loses some key players like third-year starting quarterback Sam Johnson, leading rusher Aaron Hardy, highly touted offensive lineman Rhys Woodrow and leading defenders Noah Maddux and Will Buzyniski.
“Some of them are starting to realize, like, ‘Holy hell, I’m stepping in for Rhys Woodrow,’ for instance, and ‘Now everything is relying on me. I’m the guy now,’ ” Sprenkle said. “It’s been kind of fun to see them be like, ‘OK, I know what I’m doing. Let’s do this.’
“There is that nervousness from taking starter reps, even though they’ve been doing the same plays the last three years, but it’s been fun. We just need to build the confidence.”
The most surprising thing for all new head coaches comes with the off-the-field duties.
“There is definitely a lot more administrative stuff on the back end,” Sprenkle said. “Phone calls, emails, constant conversations with other coaches, ADs, teachers, guidance counselors … I knew that was coming, but not to that magnitude.”
Chris Hays can be found on X.com @OS_ChrisHays.