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Cedar Grove (Ga.) finds its next head coach with ex-college skipper

Wg0vf-nP_400x400by:Keegan Pope•about 10 hours•

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NCAA Football: Inaugural Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic-Alabama A&M vs Morehouse College
Morehouse Maroon Tigers head coach Rich Freeman yells to his team during the second half of the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in 2019. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Cedar Grove, one of Georgia’s top high school football programs over the past decade, has secured its new head coach after the previous hire lasted only one season.

On Wednesday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Rich Freeman — formerly the head coach at HBCU Morehouse College — will lead the Saints’ program. Freeman coached at the Division II program for more than 15 years, leading them to a 75-75 overall record before stepping down in 2022. He helped them to their first-ever NCAA Division II playoff appearance in 2010 as well, just three years after taking over.

He inherits a once-dominant Cedar Grove program that struggled to a 3-7 finish in 2024 under first-year head coach Roderick Moore. The Saints were coming off a 2023 Class 3A state title when Moore took over for John Adams, who left the program for an assistant job at Georgia State.

The program, which had 37 former players on college rosters this fall, saw multiple top players decide to transfer once Adams left. That included running back Bo Walker, a Georgia signee, as well as Devin Carter, a top-50 recruit in the 2026 class. Moore’s team floundered this fall in one of the most competitive classifications in the country. And he and the school parted ways in December.

Cedar Grove looking for return to dominance under Freeman

Prior to Moore taking over, Cedar Grove had won five Class 3A titles with three coaches from 2016 to 2023, as well as seven regional championships. They produced dozens of top recruits during that time, including former five-star wideout Jadon Haselwood, as well as NFL Draft picks Jelani Woods, DeAngelo Malone and Justin Shaffer. The 2022 team, which went 11-3 before losing in the state title game to Sandy Creek, featured more than a half-dozen Power 4 signees on the roster.

The Eagles are based in one of the country’s most talent-rich regions outside metro Atlanta, and should have no trouble attracting top talent back to the program again.

Last season, Freeman coached at the high school level as the defensive coordinator at Drew, a charter program in the Atlanta area. Prior to getting the Morehouse job, Freeman was on staffs at Tennessee State, Alabama State, Miles, and Lane University.