River Bluff lands familiar face in Midlands as its next football coach
Perry Parks is returning to the Midlands to coach high school football.
Parks was hired and introduced as the River Bluff Gators’ new coach at a press conference Wednesday.
Parks is the third head coach in school history and replaces Blair Hardin, who resigned in February after seven seasons. The Sumter native becomes the second Black head football coach for a Lexington 1 high school, joining Gilbert’s Ozzie Exume, who will begin his second season in 2025.
Parks was one of five finalists for the job, and it wasn’t the first time he was a candidate at River Bluff. He was a finalist after David Bennett, the school’s first head coach, retired in 2016 to become the Lexington 1 athletic director.
Bennett, who coached Parks at Coastal Carolina, was there at Wednesday’s press conference along with former CCU teammates Tyler Thigpen, Brandon Jeffcoat and Will Durrett.
“Things just didn’t shake out right when Coach Bennett left,” Parks said. “I kind of had my mind set not wanting to be after him, knowing how big his footsteps are. He is part of the reason I am the way I am today.”
Some of Coastal’s program priorities he learned as a player — including the “do right” approach — will be part of what he implements at River Bluff as a coach, Parks said.
“It works,” Parks said. “We were able to win three championships at Coastal when I was a player. And I have been able to win a lot of games as a high school coaching using it.”
Parks returns to high school after spending the last four years as a college assistant coach. He coached receivers at Charlotte from 2021-22 before taking the receivers coaching job at his alma mater Coastal Carolina from 2023 to 2024.
Parks and several others on Coastal offensive staff were let go in January when the Chanticleers hired a new offensive coordinator in Drew Hollingshead and brought several new coaches with him.
But Parks loved being a high school coach and talked Wednesday about the importance of high school coaches from a message he heard from former NFL coach Tony Dungy. That message came during a conference earlier this year, shortly after he put in an application for the River Bluff job.
“There are no regrets. I love college football and was able to scratch that itch. But now, I am able to go back to my purpose and build something special at River Bluff,” Parks said. “.... The stars aligned just right. We had transition at Coastal at the time and I was looking for an opportunity where I can settle down a little bit. The college football model is very difficult right now with the transfer portal and NIL. You are married to the job. I love the game of football, but I love my family even more.
“It is good being back here in the Midlands with an area that we love and are familiar with, and to be able to build something special with the resources we have here.”
This will be Parks’ third high school head coaching job. He was head coach at Lakewood near Sumter from 2012-2014 before landing the Ridge View job in Northeast Columbia from 2015-2020.
Parks went 44-24 in his six seasons at Ridge View and led the Blazers to the Class 4A Upper State championship game in 2019. Ridge View went to the third round of the playoffs three times under Parks.
The Gators are coming off their most successful season in school history, winning 10 games and advancing to the third round of the Class 5A Division I playoffs. River Bluff competes in Region 4-5A with defending state champion Dutch Fork, Irmo, Lexington, White Knoll and Chapin. Irmo and White Knoll also have played for state championships the past two seasons.
“It is the SEC of high school football in South Carolina,” Parks said of the region. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. As a former football player, you are always a competitor and want to measure yourself with some of the best programs in the state.
“When you see the type of coaches in this region, you get kind of excited. You know every Friday night will be a battle.”
Parks met the River Bluff players on Wednesday afternoon and was going to meet with the assistant coaches as he tries to put a staff together. The hope is Parks will be in place at the school by April 1 and for spring practice.
River Bluff will return quarterback Brayden Moore and 1,000-yard rusher Hayden Myers but has to replace most of its offensive line. Caleb Pinkney also will be back — he had a team-high seven interceptions last year — but the Gators will be losing most of their playmakers on defense.
SC football Coaching Openings
School — Former Coach — New Coach
Academic Magnet — Mitch White — Austin Miller
Aiken — Dwayne Garrick — Steve Hibbitts
Allendale-Fairfax — Tristain Armstrong — Travis Lewis
Brookland-Cayce — Rusty Charpia — Louis Clyburn
CA Johnson — Scotty Dean — TBA
Cardinal Newman — Cory Helms — Jared Shaw
Daniel — Jeff Fruster — TBA
First Baptist —Jamaal Birch — Kevin Mapp
Gaffney — Dan Jones — Donnie Littlejohn
Greenville — Jaybo Shaw — Steve Watson
JL Mann — Steve Watson — Bryce Smiley
Keenan — Ray McCleod — Jarrett Neely
Kingstree — Brian Smith — TBA
Lamar — Stephen Burris — TBA
Laurence Manning — Robbie Briggs — Jimmy Noonan
Lexington — Dustin Curtis — Stewart Young
Midland Valley — Earl Chaptman — Brent Dorn
Nation Ford — Michael Allen — Jake Bentley
Oceanside Collegiate — John Patterson (interim) — Brent LaPrad
Orangeburg Prep — Don Shelley — Brooks Smith
Pelion — Dann Holland — Cory Helms
Porter-Gaud — Brad Bowles — Matt Neighbors
River Bluff — Blair Hardin — Perry Parks
Rock Hill — Randy Birch — TBA
Saluda — Stewart Young — Greg Woerner
Southside — Roy Ravenell — AJ Millis
Southside Christian — Mike Sonneborn — Jonathan Gess
Spring Valley — Nygel Pearson — Norman Washington
Trinity Collegiate — Jared Amell — Shawn Fagan
Westwood — Rob O’Connell — Stephen Burris
West Ashley — Donnie Kiefer — Rashad Graham
West Florence — Jody Jenerette — Chad Wilkes
Whale Branch — Jerry Hatcher — TBA
Wilson — Daryl Page (interim) — Brian Wilson
Woodmont — Ty Sutherland — Malcolm Boyd
This story was originally published March 26, 2025 at 7:30 AM.
