Alan Rodemaker named new Valdosta football coach

VALDOSTA — During a grueling three-day interview process, Alan Rodemaker’s vision for the future of Valdosta High School’s football program made an impression.

That impression turned into a recommendation and after a unanimous vote from the Valdosta Board of Education on Monday evening, the head coaching job of the winningest program in the nation.

“His passion, his desire to bring us back to prominence,” Valdosta superintendent Dr. Todd Cason said about what made Rodemaker the choice to become VHS’ 16th head football coach. “He definitely has a plan for that, and that plan involves bringing the community along with him. We just felt like his vision for the program, his experience as a football coach and his love for the Wildcats is what the committee was impressed with.”

After 31 coaches applied to be Rance Gillespie’s replacement after he left a month ago to be the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Georgia Southern, Cason and the search committee interviewed six candidates last week. Rodemaker, Valdosta’s defensive coordinator the past six seasons under Gillespie and the interim head coach the past month, separated himself during that process.

“It kind of developed as it went along,” Cason said. “We had three extensive days of interviews and so through that process, it developed as each day passed. It was a wide open process. Each person, each committee member had an open mind, there was no preconceived notions or decisions as far as who it should or should not be.

“But he was the best candidate for the job and that’s why we selected him.”

During those six seasons at Valdosta, Rodemaker’s defensive units pitched 10 shutouts including four in the 2014 season when Valdosta allowed just 13.6 points per game on the way to a 9-2 season. In 2011, when VHS finished 8-3, the Wildcats allowed 12.8 points per game, while the 2010 team that advanced to the state quarterfinal round shut out three opponents.

On that side of the ball, Rodemaker said there will be little change. Rather, the differences for Valdosta will come on the offensive side of the ball as well as special teams.

“We’re going to try and be a little more athletic, a little more physical on that side,” Rodemaker said. “Be able to run the football. Our offense has changed every year since I’ve been here. It’s been a little bit different. We were very sophisticated over there and we’ll probably just be a little bit more simple on that side and allow more and more kids to play.”

Still a lot of the system in place at Valdosta the past six years will remain, said Rodemaker, who served as an assistant coach at Byrnes High School in South Carolina for one season prior to joining the VHS staff in 2010. He also was a head coach at Peach County in 1999-2000, leading the Trojans to a 15-8 mark overall including nine wins in 1999. Rodemaker and Gillespie also coached together on the Thomasville High School staff in the early 1990s.

“Me and Rance were together a long time,” Rodemaker said. “We had a lot of the same feelings about the program, character education and trying to build up the student-athlete, those kinds of things.

“Me and Rance learned from a lot of the same guys, Rodney Walker, George Bobo, Mike Hodges, people like that. A lot of the things are still going to be in place.”

That system helped Valdosta to a 49-20 record the past six seasons, including a playoff berth every year. The Wildcats advanced to a state quarterfinal in 2010 and the second round of the postseason this past season. Now, Rodemaker is hoping to take it back to its championship level — Valdosta has won 23 state championship and six national titles in addition to 899 games.

“I think we’ve gained some momentum here,” he said. “I really do. I think we’ve gained some momentum the last six years I’ve been here. I just look forward to leading this program to a new spectrum, I guess.

“I just told this group here a few minutes ago that I am so excited to lead this program the next few years. This is the premier high school football program in the nation and I just look forward to leading this program and making all of you proud. I’ve just been overwhelmed by the amount of support, both from the unanimous vote today to the support of my peers and families here in Valdosta.”

And Rodemaker does have that support, Cason said.

“Well, we feel as if coach Rod has the support of the community,” Cason added. “He has the support of the current football players.”