Cedar Grove parted ways with football coach Roderick Moore this week after one season that was hamstrung by several transfers leaving the program and resulted in the program’s worst record in 19 years.
Cedar Grove, a DeKalb County school with 37 former players on college rosters this season, won five Class 3A titles with three coaches from 2016 to 2023. The 2023 coach, John Adams, left after three seasons and two titles to join Georgia State’s staff. Previous coaches Miguel Patrick and Jimmy Smith had left previously to join college staffs.
In March, Cedar Grove hired Moore, a DeKalb County native who had been head coach at McNair and Redan and most recently was offensive coordinator at Dougherty in Albany. The Saints finished 3-7 and lost in the first round, their earliest playoff exit since 2012.
Several top players transferred, many before Moore was hired. Some included Bo Walker, a running back committed to Georgia, and Devin Walker, a top-100 national wide receiver prospect.
Moore acknowledged the challenge to the AJC in an August interview.
“We got some pushback from some parents and players,” he said. “Some have left. Some are still here.” He added, “When you lose 20 guys, and 10 are D-I quality players, then that hurts. We’re making no excuses, but I’m telling the truth.”
Cedar Grove also lost assistant coaches before the hire or during the transition. The most prominent was offensive coordinator Kendrick Callier, who was a part of all five state titles. Callier is now head coach at Stockbridge. Bo Walker initially transferred to Stockbridge but was declared ineligible and wound up at Rabun Gap for his senior season.
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