Northside-Warner Robins, coming off its worst season in nearly 60 years, will make perhaps the biggest offseason football season hire so far on Tuesday.
Daniel “Boone” Williams, the coach who led Hughes to a 2022 Class 6A championship and state runner-up finishes in 2021 and 2024, will get the job, pending Houston County Schools board approval. Williams confirmed the news to the AJC on Monday evening, saying he told his Hughes players earlier in the day.
“There were a couple of things that led me to take the job - their tradition and the opportunity to lead another program in another area of the state,” Williams said. “I’m always looking to grow and looking for challenges. The resources and the support and the community are things that highlight the Northside-Warner Robins job.”
Williams’ Hughes teams were 61-9 with three region titles over the past five seasons after a 2-8 rebuilding year in 2019, his first season. Hughes has produced a number of blue-chip prospects, including offensive linemen Tavaris Dice (signed with Florida) and Dontrell Glover (signed with Georgia) off the 2024 team, which finished 13-2 and lost to Milton in the Class 5A title game. Former AJC Super 11 picks Bo Hughley, a Georgia sophomore, and Air Noland, who played his freshman season at Ohio State, also played for Williams.
“If you look back on what we did at Langston Hughes, that hasn’t been done in south Fulton [County] or the southside of Atlanta,” Williams said. “To get some of those wins we got, playing in the state championship three of four years, some of that is unheard of around here. It’s a big deal. That program still will be great. I’m thankful for everybody that supported me and all of my coaches.”
Williams began coaching at another south Fulton County school, Creekside, his alma mater, in 2005. Williams joined Hughes’ staff in 2012.
Northside opened the century with 15 straight 10-win seasons, but the past six years have been a struggle by Northside standards, with four losing seasons. The 2024 team was 2-8, the school’s worst record since 1965. Ben Bailey was the coach the past two seasons.
“I feel like they’ve got a bunch of talented players and a lot of young guys that have got to step up and play,” Williams said. “It’s the toughest region by far in the state now, and when it comes to winning football games, we’ve got to get bigger, faster and stronger and play with a ton of energy and passion. They definitely have the players there to do it. We’re going to get it done.”
Four of the six teams in Region 2-5A now will have coaches who have won state titles. Those coaches include Justin Rogers of Thomas County Central, Dean Fabrizio of Lee County and Mike Coe of Coffee. Those three region opponents, plus No. 7 Houston County, finished in the top 10 of Class 5A last season.
With Williams leaving, Fulton County Schools has lost two prominent coaches this offseason. Chris Prewett, who was 50-13 in five seasons at Roswell, took the Dalton job on Dec. 20.
