>> GEORGIA MILITARY COLLEGE
Georgia Military Preparatory School has finally found its new head football coach.
After spending the past six years at Pepperell in northwest Georgia as its offensive coordinator, Bobby Rhoades was named the Bulldogs’ new head football coach last week.
He has more than 25 years of coaching experience in several states, including stints serving in various roles in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Illinois, Arkansas and Georgia.
Rhoades told The Baldwin Bulletin the job at GMC Prep was “attractive” for many reasons.
“Well, after talking with (GMC Prep) athletic director Andrew Grodecki, he really sold me on everything the school is about,” Rhoades said earlier this week. “The facilities are outstanding. You’re also working with great, highly- motivated kids. I was very impressed with him and the rest of the administration I got to meet in the interview process.”
The long-time coach compared GMC Prep to one of his former programs: Kate Duncan Smith DAR in Grant, Alabama, where he served as head coach for three seasons from 2014-16.
“It stands for Daughters of the Amerian Revolution. We talked a lot about patriotism and love of country, and I really enjoyed that,” Rhoades said. “The core values of duty, honor, country and character above all, those are things that are near and dear to me. Those are things that very much describe my personal values. And to be at a school where you can promote those things every single day in everything that you do was really exciting to me.”
Rhoades also stated that GMC’s dedication to other areas such as education and fine arts is very important to him, especially because he wants all his students and players to be well-rounded.
“It was all very appealing to me,” Rhoades added. “That just shows me that the school has a commitment to developing the best in their students, and that was really exciting to hear.”
Rhoades is very knowledgeable when it comes to the game of football. After being around it so long, he’s developed his own system that has worked in multiple levels of the game.
When he arrives on March 1, Rhoades will begin implementing his new system into the Bulldogs’ program. He hopes that the current players can buy into it quickly so they can get the ball rolling. Rhoades intends on molding his system to fit the skillset of his new athletes.
“I am going to bring in a brand of football that’s really going to do a good job of taking advantage of the players that we have,” Rhoades said. “The offense I’ve run in the past is a multiple-system that fits the players that you have (on the roster). I’ve had years where I had a tailback rush for 2,000 yards and a quarterback rush for 1,000 yards in the same season.
Then, in the following year with different personnel, I had a quarterback throw for over 2,000 yards and had two receivers catch over 40 passes, and two more catch over 30,” he added. “It’s a system that takes advantage of the talent we have. I do know we’re going to have to replace a quarterback that has started the past few years, though. That’s going to be tough.”
Rhoades was talking about senior quarterback Tyler Saunders, who passed for over 1,000 yards in the past two seasons. Now, he’s going to have to find a new leader in his first year.
However, while replacing Saunders might be tough, he’s had to do it before. And Rhoades believes there are several returning guys that can step up and become leaders.
“I’ve been impressed with what I have seen on film from some of the players coming back,” Rhoades said. “I’m anxious to get in the weight room to see what these guys are made of.”
Rhoades has been developing athletes both on and off the field for more than a quarter of a century. He has seen what it takes to win and brings with him a ton of knowledge on strength and conditioning. Rhoades will serve as the school’s weight-room teacher when he arrives.
His philosophy on the gridiron is about speed and quickness. Rhoades can’t wait to settle in and learn as much as he can about his new players before the start of summer workouts begins.
“My whole philosophy is we’re going to work to develop racehorses,” Rhoades said. “I want thoroughbreds, not Clydesdales. Football is a fast and explosive game at every single position. … Actually, talking with my son that’s playing up at Sacred Heart University, he’s been in a program that’s similar and I have seen how explosive he’s gotten.”
Speaking of racehorses with a lot of speed, the Bulldogs have several skill players returning next season, including Jessie Washington III, Isaiah Womble and Jonathan Roach.
Rhoades has seen some film of all three players, and he believes his system can play to their strengths in 2023. He also hopes Washington, Womble and Roach can be his leaders next year.
“Those are some young men that I have gotten a chance to watch some tape on,” Rhoades said. “I know there are some other outstanding seniors coming back. … Those are just a couple, but as I said, there are some others coming back who are really good players as well.”
Rhoades is replacing Lee Coleman, who left the program in December to become the new head coach at Lakeview Academy in his hometown of Gainesville in Hall County.
Coleman was the head coach for the past four years and finished with a 23-20 record at GMC. The Bulldogs went to the state playoffs in three of his four seasons while at the helm.
In 2021, Coleman led GMC to a perfect 10-0 regular season record and its first region title in over 60 years. The Bulldogs also got to double-digit wins for the first time since 1934.
Rhoades hopes to continue that success at GMC, but also to build on it and leave his own mark.
“I’m ready to hit the ground running,” Rhoades said. “My first official day will be on March 1.”
Rhoades began his coaching career in the late 1990s at Pelham High School in Pelham, Ala.
He then spent a season as a graduate assistant at Delta State in Cleveland, Mississippi, before transitioning to Tusculum University (previously known as Tusculum College) in Tusculum, Tenn., where he served as the wide receivers coach and director of football operations.
From 2005-08, Rhoades was the wide receivers coach at Central Arkansas. He then spent a year at Illinois State before transitioning back to the high-school level. Rhoades was the head coach of Grissom High School in Huntsville, Ala., for one season before returning to Pelham, which is where he served as the offensive coordinator for the next four years.
In 2014, he became the head coach at DAR and spent three seasons with the Patriots before moving to northwest Georgia. For the past six years, he was at Pepperell in Lindale. The Dragons had a lot of offensive success while under the direction of Rhoades.
Pepperell is currently in GHSA’s Class A Divison I, which is one classification higher than what GMC participates in (Class A Divison II). He loves the feel of a small program.
“Coaching at a small school has a ton of benefits. You get to know the coaches, players, teachers and parents better. That doesn’t always happen at bigger programs. It also gives you a sense of the community,” Rhoades said. “GMC is everything I’ve been looking for.”