Reports: High school coach that never punts hired to lead SC college football team
Looking for a new head football coach, Presbyterian College went to Arkansas and reportedly hired one of the more famous high school coaches in the country.
According to multiple media reports Thursday, the Blue Hose have hired Kevin Kelley to take over their football program. Kelley has become notorious for his unusual football philosophies — he almost never punts the football and nearly always attempts onside kicks after scoring. His strategies have made him the subject of profiles from major media outlets such as the Washington Post, HBO Sports, ESPN and Bleacher Report.
Those strategies also made Kelley one of the most successful prep coaches in Arkansas. Coaching Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Kelley has won nine state titles, including six in the past eight years.
Kelley’s approach is one borne out of statistical analysis — he also almost always goes for two-point conversions and won’t let his players try to return punts either, using statistics to judge that the benefits outweigh the risks. That same devotion to statistics led Kelley to experiment with rugby-style lateral plays to ensure more players touch the football — according to his analysis, plays where three or more players touch the ball more frequently go for 20 or more yards.
All of these quirks in Kelley’s style have made him a noted figure within coaching circles. New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick speaks with him regularly, and he has been invited to speak at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. And as news of his hire leaked out Thursday, national media observers quickly took note.
Presbyterian will mark Kelley’s first college job. The Blue Hose compete on the Division I FCS level but do not offer athletic scholarships. This past spring, they went 4-3 under coach Tommy Spangler, who was in his 10th season with the program spread across two stints. Spangler was fired in late April.
Presbyterian has not officially confirmed the news of Kelley’s hire, but the school has scheduled a press conference for 2 p.m. Friday for a “major news announcement regarding Blue Hose athletics.”
This story was originally published May 6, 2021 at 5:37 PM.
