Today’s interviewee is Carrollton coach Joey King, who returned to high school coaching after two seasons on college sidelines at Coastal Carolina and South Florida. King is best known in Georgia as the high school coach of Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and two state-winning Cartersville teams. This interview was one of a series of preseason interviews done by GPB’s Jon Nelson and Hannah Goodin on the Football Fridays in Georgia podcast.
Joey King, Carrollton head coach
1. So, you coached at Cartersville, you spent some time in the colleges. Now you’re back. What’s it been like for you, making the rounds? “Making the rounds is terrible. We’ve moved three times in three years. I don’t recommend that for anybody. But I mean, Cartersville was special for us, and to have an opportunity to go and coach under Jamey Chadwell, who was the national coach of the year this past year at Coastal Carolina, and being with Jeff Scott who learned under Dabo Sweeney, just the experience that I’ve gained over the past couple of years, it’s definitely been valuable, something that I’ll always cherish. But as far as making the rounds, you can have that. I’m over moving.”
2. What did you learn about yourself as a coach ... and what did you learn about being a father and a family man in the last 16 months, that you can apply going forward to where you are back to being with Carrollton? “It was kind of refreshing to step out of that head coaching role for a little bit and to be an assistant again, especially to just have a position. So, I learned a lot of valuable information when it comes to just the details of playing the game. When you’re a head coach and you delegate all these things, you forget to go back to those details and those little bitty things positionally. That’s what makes you good as a football team. I also learned that I like to be in charge. I like to be in that leadership role. I like to control the climate of a team. That’s something that I’m passionate about. So, I really, really miss that, which is one of the reasons that I’m back into it now.
On what he learned about being a family man: “That’s one of the reasons that I’m back in Carrollton is because I value that more than anything else. You know, when I left my job at South Florida, there were a thousand people that were lining up to take that one [job]. If I don’t do what I’m supposed to do as a daddy and a husband, a thousand people aren’t lining up to take that one. So, I want to make sure that those relationships are cherished and that I’m doing what I’m supposed to do as a daddy and a husband.”
3. What’s the biggest difference between coaching college and coaching high school? “I think it’s just the recruiting. X’s and O’s are X’s and O’s, and ball is ball. There is a lot more parents that try to be involved at the high school level than collegiately. Collegiately, it’s a grind. It’s more of a business. But also the thing about high school that I really love is being around the guys, like I was around our guys from 7:30 this morning to lunch. We fed them breakfast and lunch. There was nothing regulating my time with them in the summertime and college. You might get 30 minutes around them during the day, four hours a week, and that’s it. If you want to do an occasional meal with them, you have to fill out a form and send it off. If I want to have these guys at my house and feed them pizza, then I can do that any time. So those relationships, you had to work at it around the confines of the NCAA. But high school is still wide open. There are no regulations. And I really enjoyed being around the guys I coach.”
4. Introduce your team. Tell us about some of your big playmakers. “We’ve got a lot of guys that are going to be their first time playing under Friday night lights. ... About 17 or 18 of the starters will be brand new. We’ve got some guys back. They’ve had experience in the past. Keyshawn Ridley is our running back. He was our lead rusher last year. He’ll be back [with] Terrell Carmichael. I actually offered Terrell a scholarship when I was coaching at Coastal Carolina after his sophomore season. I’ve always been a fan of him and the way he plays. He’s going to be a big senior leader for us. Of course, Amare’ Hall had an outstanding track season, and we’re looking for that confidence to carry over into football season. Ace Williamson is a receiver that we’ve got coming back, who had a killer baseball season. We’re looking for that confidence to translate onto the football field, as well. So, those are some of the guys that will be leading us this fall.”
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