The Jackson County Public Schools revealed on Monday that JT Postell will be taking on the role of head football coach at Smoky Mountain High School.

Postell is set to fill the vacancy created by the departure of former head coach Ricky Brindley, who assumed the head coaching position at his alma mater, Pisgah High School. Postell most recently served as head coach at East Gaston High School in Mt. Holly. Prior to that, he was the head coach at Tuscola High School, which is part of the Smoky Mountain and Pisgah’s Mountain 7 3A Conference.

The school district enlisted the help of experienced coaches Kent Briggs and Scott Cloninger, who have both won state championships at Western Carolina University, Cherokee High School, and Lincolnton High School, to join the interview panel. The county received a total of 26 applications for the role.

Postell attended Western Carolina University and Andrews High School, where his father Terry served as head coach for both Murphy High and Andrews.

In 2018, the WNC local was hired as the head coach for Tuscola. In his debut season, he guided the Mountaineers to a record of 8-5 and a spot in the playoffs. The following year, Tuscola’s overall record was 4-7. Postell stepped down from his position shortly after the season concluded.

Postell was brought on board to assume control of the East Gaston program just one month before the widespread outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. During his initial season with the Warriors in the spring of 2021, they achieved a record of 2-5. However, in the three complete seasons that followed, Postell successfully guided East Gaston to winning records and playoff appearances. In the fall of 2021, the Warriors finished with a record of 8-5, followed by a record of 6-5 in 2022 and 8-3 this past fall. Postell’s overall record as head coach stands at 36-30.

The statement sent by Jackson County Public Schools is as follows:

The Jackson County Public Schools is excited to introduce JT Postell as the recently appointed Head Football Coach at Smoky Mountain High School. After carefully reviewing 26 applicants and conducting multiple interviews, Coach Postell was chosen by the committee. The committee consisted of SMHS school administrators, district staff, and two seasoned coaches: Kent Briggs, former Head Coach at Western Carolina University and Cherokee, and Scott Cloninger, retired Head Coach at Lincolnton High School. With both Briggs and Cloninger having won state championships at the high school level, they brought a wealth of football expertise and experience to the interview process.

Coach Postell has joined the staff at Smoky Mountain after coaching at East Gaston High School in the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A conference. During his four years at East Gaston, he achieved a record of 24-18 and led the team to the playoffs three times. Prior to his time at East Gaston, Coach Postell spent two years at Tuscola where he also led the team to a second round playoff appearance in his first year. Before becoming a head coach, he worked as an Offensive Coordinator and Special Teams Coach. Coach Postell is also a physical education teacher and obtained his Bachelor’s Degree from Western Carolina University in 2005.

Smoky Mountain High School is excited to bring experience and longitude to the head football coach position. Coach Postell will be relocating to the Jackson County area to become an integral part of the Sylva and SMHS community! A start date has yet to be determined.

Source: highschoolot.com