Search ongoing for successor
The search has begun for a successor to lead the Rabun County High School Wildcat football program after head coach Michael Davis announced his retirement on Thursday, Feb. 27.
The news was announced publicly by RCHS and the football team via social media, as the school’s administration opened the application process on the district website that same day.
The change comes late in the hiring process for high school football as many head coaches already have found their new homes, but it is believed there will be plenty of applicants much like when Davis was hired before the 2022 season.
When Davis was chosen, nearly 200 coaches from around the country had applied. The applicants came from across the nation and some were current college coaches.
While Davis’ departure at the end of the 2024-2025 school term is listed as a retirement, controversy was sparked when Davis made it clear his coaching career was not over and he planned to continue his career elsewhere.
“I was totally caught off guard with it. I wasn’t expecting it,” Davis told The Clayton Tribune of his discussion with school district administration. “I just decided that it was best for me to retire. You can take that how you want it. It’s all on social media. I still want to coach football. I still love kids (and) the relationships that I build with them on a daily basis.”
The response on social media Davis references was the number of comments made by his family and others in Georgia who claimed Davis did not retire, but rather was fired.
A majority of the posts disputing the retirement take were made via “X,” formerly “Twitter,” including posts from Davis’ brothers-in-law Bobby Lamb and Hal Lamb.
“Just to be clear — (Davis) didn’t retire … he was FIRED (without cause),” Bobby Lamb’s post reads. “Michael and (wife Lynn Davis) poured their heart and soul into Rabun football and this community. Wherever God leads them next, they’ll keep being incredible role models and mentors.”
Bobby Lamb currently is the Anderson University (S.C.) head football coach. Hal Lamb is best known for leading Yellow Jacket football teams to three state championships and 18 region titles at Calhoun High School where Davis served as offensive coordinator prior to his arrival at RCHS.
“I try not to read any of it … those two guys (Bobby and Hal Lamb), are (individuals) that I look up to in a coaching profession and an athletic director’s profession,” Davis said. “When this process went down, those were guys that I leaned on.”
Davis opted not to respond to The Clayton Tribune’s questions on what truly sparked the backlash. He instead preferred to make his departure from RCHS about his former players.
He spoke to the players on Feb. 27, giving them the news, mentioning there were a number of former players who reached out to him after hearing of the retirement. Davis also had personal interactions with current players at his home and at the high school.
“That’s going to be the toughest thing about leaving Rabun – the kids,” Davis said. “They’ve got a chance to be really good next year, so whoever steps into this job is going to inherit some really good players that have been working really hard this offseason. That was probably one of the hardest things that I’ve ever had to do as a coach – to sit there and address them. I feel like I have some truly good relationships with kids in that room and that’s been the hardest thing for me to do.”
Had Davis remained as the head coach into the upcoming 2025 season, he would have completed his first four-year cycle with a senior class.
To name a few, the upcoming football senior class includes starting quarterback Ty Truelove; running back Reid Giles; defensive tackle Ethan Hopper; and offensive lineman Zach Gordon.
Last season, Davis and the Wildcats finished with a record of 6-5 and a first-round exit to the Class A-Division I state playoffs on the road at Fitzgerald amid a tough regular-season schedule against multiple state-ranked opponents.
Rabun also faced a slew of in-season injuries including Truelove, who dealt with a shoulder injury after Rabun’s 40-28 win over White County in Week 1.
“Nobody hated that more than I did,” Davis said of last year’s record. “We would’ve been a lot better next year. Rabun County is a great place, great community, (and) it’s been a great four years.”
Davis ends his tenure with the Wildcats with a 27-10 overall record as head coach for three seasons with a region title (2022), two state playoff quarterfinal finishes (2022, 2023) and three playoff berths overall.
Davis’ first season with Rabun was as the team’s offensive coordinator under then-head coach Jaybo Shaw when Davis coached former Rabun standout and current University of Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton in 2021.
The Wildcats finished that season with a 12-1 record, averaging just over 25 points and 380 yards per game.
Davis joined Rabun after a 19-year role as offensive coordinator with Calhoun where he helped the Yellow Jackets claim three state titles.
While Davis has put 32 years of work and leadership into his extensive coaching career and has the ability to fully retire, he made it clear that he is not yet finished.
“I’m going to coach somewhere. Whether it’s up here (in North Georgia) or wherever, my days of coaching are not over,” Davis stressed.
RCHS Principal Justin Spillers also chose not to respond to the comments on social media, but gave high praise to Davis and his family.
“I have great respect for coach Davis and his entire family, and I wish him and his family nothing but the best as he enters his retirement,” Spillers said in an email to The Clayton Tribune. “I’m incredibly grateful for everything coach Davis has done for our football program and the student-athletes over the past three years as our head football coach and for the one year he spent as offensive coordinator. He has been a positive role model for our players and students, and he made a lasting impact on their lives.”
The Search
Starting the search last Thursday, Spillers said he and the Rabun administration are working “as quickly as possible,” and hope to have a recommendation to Rabun County Superintendent Steven Cole and the members of the board of education within the next few weeks.
The next two regularly scheduled school board meetings are on March 24 and April 28.
Spillers said they are working with stakeholders and are trying to identify the qualities and characteristics that are important to them. He said they will vet candidates through multiple rounds of interviews.
Any prospective applicants should contact either Spillers or RCHS Athletic Director Jonathan Welch.
“We will work tirelessly to recruit a new head coach with the character, integrity and passion for pursuing excellence and building a championship-caliber program that our student-athletes deserve,” Spillers said. “Our goals and expectations for the (RCHS) football program have not and will not change. We will work with relentless effort to achieve excellence in our football program.”
He said Rabun is searching for a head coach who exudes strong organizational leadership; sets a high standard while holding each member to that standard; and brings energy and excitement to everything they do.
“We want someone who focuses on doing the small things with excellence, and has a vision for continuing the program’s culture of success that has been built through the hard work and sacrifice of our former players and coaches,” Spillers said. “We want someone looking to build a long legacy of excellence at Rabun County High School.”
There already has been an “outpouring of interest” in the position, but Spillers declined to name candidates to The Clayton Tribune earlier this week.
As for Davis, he did confirm he has received job offers but neither chose to say from which programs nor the offered positions.
Davis has many ties to the area surrounding Rabun County so it is possible he could remain close to Northeast Georgia. His in-laws live in Commerce where Davis’ father-in-law Ray Lamb led the high school football team to a state title in 1981.
Ray Lamb was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2021 after a 32-year prep head coaching career with 11 region titles and three state titles.
Davis’ youngest daughter, Lyndi Rae, currently plays softball for the University of Georgia, just over an hour down the road from Rabun.
Staying in the area may be one goal for Davis, but wherever he goes, there is one thing he wants to do.
“I wanna go somewhere where I can coach and win,” Davis said. “I don’t wanna take a job just to take a job. I’m going to be peculiar and picky. We’ll just see how it plays out.”
A new era will begin for Rabun football when it is decided who will be the latest head coach for the Wildcats. A new era also will begin for Davis as he searches for his next stop where he will continue to impact the lives of young people.