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The Baldwin Braves have their new head football coach in Kevin Patterson. BRAD HARRISON/Staff
On Wednesday, Baldwin High School officially announced Kevin Patterson as its new head football coach.
Patterson replaces Jessie Hicks, who coached at Baldwin in two different stints, going 110-60 in 15 seasons.
The hiring comes after the Baldwin County Board of Education approved Patterson as the new head coach at its meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 9.
“Coach Patterson brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Baldwin,” Baldwin High School principal Jason Flanders said in a statement released on Wednesday. "We are excited to welcome Coach Patterson to Braves Nation."
Patterson played high school football at Camden County High School, where as a senior, he helped the Wildcats go 15-0 and win a state championship. Patterson played on both sides of the ball and was part of a defense that allowed 47 points and nine shutouts. Offensively, Patterson scored 13 touchdowns and was voted to the All-State first team by the AJC and GACA.
Patterson went on the play college football at Wake Forest from 2004-08. Saban was a four-year starter at defensive back and helped the Deamon Deacons win the 2006 ACC Championship. Patterson also helped the program make three straight bowl games. He finished his career at Wake Forest with 180-plus tackles, eight interceptions, and three touchdowns.
In 2010, Patterson played for the Amarillo Venom of the Indoor Football League (IFL). Patterson was selected to the All IFL team and led the Venom in interceptions and tackles. Patterson went back to his alma mater Wake Forest University in 2012, where he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant coach. He served as a defensive graduate assistant from 2012-2014.
Patterson joined the Tucker High School football staff in 2015 as a defensive secondary coach. In 2016, he was named defensive coordinator at Tucker. In 2016, the Tucker Tigers finished the season 13-2 and were state runner-up.
In 2017, Patterson joined the TL Hanna (Anderson, SC) football staff under legendary coach Jeff Herron, who was his high school coach. The program immediately improved and the school had its first undefeated regular season in 2017.
Patterson was named defensive coordinator in 2018 and he served in this role through 2020. Under his leadership, the TL Hanna Yellow Jackets were runner-ups in South Carolina's Class 5A. They won Upper State championships in 2018 and 2020 as well. Patterson served as an assistant strength and conditioning coach while at TL Hanna.
In 2021, Patterson returned to the state of Georgia as defensive coordinator at McEachern High School. He served in this role for two seasons. The McEachern Indians were the 2021 Region 2-7A champions. In 2022 they had the top defense in the region, giving up 11 points per game during region play. Patterson was the strength and conditioning coach while at McEachern.
This past season, Patterson joined the Jones County High School staff as assistant head football coach, head strength coach, and wide receivers coach. The Greyhounds had a high-powered offense that amassed 4,971 total yards and had three different receivers go over 600 yards receiving. The Greyhounds finished second in the region and were knocked out in the second round of the playoffs.
Kevin Patterson is married to Sharonna Patterson and they have three children: Kamden, Koley, and Kyndall.