Defending Georgia state champions looking for new head football coach

Just a few months after taking homes it first Georgia high school football state championship, Hebron Christian Academy is searching for a new head coach.

The school and athletic director Taylor Davis announced on Wednesday morning that Jonathan Gess was leaving to take another coaching job in South Carolina after three seasons with the program. His departures comes after a three-year run where the Lions amassed a 27-10 record and won their first private school state title in 2024 by beating defending champion Prince Avenue Christian 56-28.

According to the press release, Gess says he is taking a new coaching opportunity at Southside Christian School in Greenville, South Carolina.

An 18-year coaching veteran, Gess has won seven state titles in Georgia. He came to Hebron Christian from Eagles Landing Christian Academy, where he captured six GHSA state championships, including five straight championships from 2015-2019. 

During his 15-year stint at ELCA, Gess posted a record of 160-39 (.804) with nine double-digit win seasons, and the program became the first school in Georgia to win five straight football state championships. He left the program in 2022 to take over at Hebron, a program that hadn’t won more than eight games in a season since 2010.

Gess elevated Hebron to a state powerhouse

Prior to that, former NFL star Jeff Saturday had led the Lions’ program before taking a job with the Indianapolis Colts. Saturday went 21-16 in his three seasons at HCA, advancing them into the quarterfinals of the GHSA state playoffs. Gess’ first team finished 9-3, but then dropped to 6-5 in year two, losing to Cedar Grove in the 3A playoffs.

Led by a talented roster that included three Power Four signees, the Lions rebounded to finish 12-2 in 2024, with their only losses coming to Blessed Trinity Catholic and Prince Avenue at the end of the regular season.

They avenged that defeat in the title game though, dominating in all aspects en route to their first title in school history. The Wolverines have also undergone a coaching change this offseason, as head coach Greg Vandagriff departed for Tennessee’s Lakeway Christian Academy. He has been replaced by Jon Richt, the offensive coordinator at Prince Avenue and son of former Georgia head coach Mark Richt.