So, in case you didn’t know it, there’s a list going around detailing the highest paid high school football coaches in Georgia.
Also, just in case you didn’t know it, there’s an Augusta-area football coach on that list. His name is Michael Youngblood. He’s the man who’s been leading the Bulldogs program for seven seasons now.
Because these salaries are public information, it’s not necessarily an invasion of privacy to broadcast what’s already been made widely known. Although, I’m always admittedly a little squeamish about talking specifically about someone else’s money.
So, at first, I endeavored to look at the info, make my private remarks, and keep it moving.
Then, I saw someone on X repost the graphic that detailed the coaches’ salaries, accompanied with the following commentary.
MORE: Weekend Rewind: A look back and a look ahead at the Augusta-area sports scene
“Man, it looks like I’m in the wrong profession.”
Of course, I allowed my journalistic curiosity to get the best of me. I clicked on the X user’s page to see if I could tell how much affiliation he has with the sport. From what I could see, he had little more than that of a casual fan.
And that’s when I decided to say something.
First of all, the social media graphic I’m referring to lists 22 of the highest paid high school football coaches in Georgia. Only public school coaches were included. Of those 22, Youngblood checked in at No. 13, with a salary of $126,711. He’s listed just below Dawson County coach Sid Maxwell’s $128,418 and just ahead of Lee County coach Dean Fabrizio who makes $125,368.
Only one coach pulls in north of $200,000 That’s Carrollton coach Joey King topping the list at $225,007. Only a few of them can be considered metro Atlanta coaches. Only Youngblood is from the Augusta, CSRA area.
A couple of things to consider: These salaries do not include booster club money, which is not public information. These salaries do include teaching contracts in the districts where they serve. Other things to keep in mind — some of these coaches also have other “extras” included in their salaries for being athletic director or potentially serving as a coach for another sport.
MORE: Check out our first Top-10 power rankings poll for the 2024 season
But mostly, these individuals on this list are coaching some of the best programs in Georgia, and in a couple of cases, some of the best programs in the country.
Now, for the ones who say, “I’m in the wrong business.” I know it feels appropriate to say that, but I challenge you to spend just a fraction of time with these coaches and then come back and talk about your willingness to walk not just a day in their shoes, but an entire season.
If you do, I promise whatever thoughts you have about high school football coaches being underpaid will quickly dissipate.
I’ve spent a whole lot of time around high school coaches from just about every sport you can think of over the last 15-plus years. But football coaches have always been close to my heart.
Let’s start here by saying, all high school coaches, regardless of the sport, typically must become masters at doing more with less. And I guarantee you, some of this is true even with the highest paid coaches.
The more high profile the program, the higher the expectations. The larger the stakes, the more pressure on the coach. Many things make the job of a high profile high school football coach exceedingly difficult.
First, football is still king in Georgia — even in the Augusta area, particularly when you talk about revenue. It’s still the highest revenue gaining sport for most schools in the state. That’s just the way football is built here, and in most places.
Secondly, even the smallest football rosters are among the largest collections of athletes on any school campus. And that means, football coaches have many more dynamics to concern themselves with because they have many more players to keep track of.
That also means, many more parents and guardians to hear from, and many more issues to have to handle if things go wrong with a player or three.
Most times, coaches take on the role of a secondary parental figure. In some cases, even primary. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve witnessed coaches coming out of their own pockets for the benefit of the kids they coach — making sure they’re fed. Making sure they have rides to and from school. Staying on them academically and helping coordinate extra help for them when necessary.
And that’s not even talking about arranging recruiting and helping kids find their best path to college or whatever their post-high school aspirations are.
Throw in discipline issues, game plans, managing their nutrition and strength and conditioning regimens, plus the work they do as teachers and administrators in the school building.
And, again, multiply that by 10 when you’re talking about championship-level programs, like Thomson’s, regardless of classification. Let’s not even talk about coaches with spouses and children — how much family time they have to sacrifice in order to do what they do.
Then winter conditioning that can sometimes start as soon as two weeks after the last game of the season. Then summer — the increase of 7-on-7s and padded camps. It’s made the high school football season an almost year-round proposition.
It’s more than a notion. Many of us just look at the salary numbers and think, “Wow. I wish that was me.”
But I don’t think any coach would deny that the money is probably one of the last things they think about given how much they must do to earn it.
Just like you can’t rightly compensate teachers for all they must endure, imagine being that and the football coach of a high-level, expectations-filled program.
You still want the job? Many of us who covet that high-level coaching salary struggle to balance the duties of a regular 9-to-5 when we aren’t responsible for too many others than ourselves.
I always say that no one knows how to do your job more than a person who’s never done it. I see this play out so much with those who get zero coach’s salary, have none of the responsibilities but seemingly have all the answers.
My advice to those who may want to be quick to criticize what they don’t understand? Tread lightly on talking about shoes you’ve never had to walk in. Instead, open your eyes to see the duties of a high school coach in a new light.
See how you can support instead of how to criticize. I guarantee you, regardless of the coach’s salary, that attitude shift will be priceless.
Gabriel Stovall is the sports editor of The Augusta Press. You can reach him at gabriel@theaugustapress.com.
