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Top 5 Active Coaches
#1
Every year I see where people talk about the best coaches ever. There’s usually recency bias with some like myself, or the old heads that believe the coaches that thought the forward pass was a sinful myth only the youth talked about are the best. 

I want yall to give your top 5 active coaches. I know everyone has one amazing man who was taken from us too soon that would’ve been the top 1 or 2 for everyone in the state. But if you had to give 5 coaches that will be wearing the headset in kentucky this year, who would it be? 

Mine is 
1. Haddix 
2. Joe Morris
3. Sean Thompson
4. Chris Mcnamee
5. Dudley Hilton 
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#2
(07-23-2025, 10:21 PM)Gridiron_Raid Wrote: Every year I see where people talk about the best coaches ever. There’s usually recency bias with some like myself, or the old heads that believe the coaches that thought the forward pass was a sinful myth only the youth talked about are the best. 

I want yall to give your top 5 active coaches. I know everyone has one amazing man who was taken from us too soon that would’ve been the top 1 or 2 for everyone in the state. But if you had to give 5 coaches that will be wearing the headset in kentucky this year, who would it be? 

Mine is 
1. Haddix 
2. Joe Morris
3. Sean Thompson
4. Chris Mcnamee
5. Dudley Hilton 

Didn't Joe Morris "Mayfield" Retire?
#3
(07-23-2025, 10:25 PM)Bull got out! Wrote:
(07-23-2025, 10:21 PM)Gridiron_Raid Wrote: Every year I see where people talk about the best coaches ever. There’s usually recency bias with some like myself, or the old heads that believe the coaches that thought the forward pass was a sinful myth only the youth talked about are the best. 

I want yall to give your top 5 active coaches. I know everyone has one amazing man who was taken from us too soon that would’ve been the top 1 or 2 for everyone in the state. But if you had to give 5 coaches that will be wearing the headset in kentucky this year, who would it be? 

Mine is 
1. Haddix 
2. Joe Morris
3. Sean Thompson
4. Chris Mcnamee
5. Dudley Hilton 

Didn't Joe Morris "Mayfield" Retire?
Completely slipped my mind. He was just one of the first people that come to mind and just like Haywood it’s hard to imagine a high school football season without him coaching. 

Haddix, Thompson, Mcnamee, Hilton and then who would’ve been my Honorable mention with Wallace who will retire after this year I seen. There is going to be huge turnover in coaches that we all remember over the next 5ish seasons.
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#4
1. Justin Haddix (Boyle County)
2. Kevin Wallace (St. X)
2. Noel Rash (Conner)
3. Mark Spader (Bowling Green)

4. Chris Mcnamee (Pikeville)
4. Dudley Hilton (Bell County)

Smile Ties give me one more lol.....
#5
Noel Rash
#6
(07-26-2025, 01:30 PM)IAM22 Wrote: Noel Rash

Smile I misspell all the time. At least you know who I was meaning. Thanks for pointing that out. I will fix it.
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#7
Jim McKee of Scott county highschool easily is in the mix. Competing with the Louisville powerhouses for years and having a 15-0 season with a ring in 6A as a public school, along with other achievements, like beating Moeller on the road, winning at male to advance to the state title game, winning at #1 in KY Douglass in the playoffs and eventually reaching the state championship in that season as well are accomplishments little to no active coaches have in Kentucky.
#8
Has anyone access to the career playoff wins of active coaches?
#9
These topics always makes me stop and think k about how we measure success. If a coach coaches for 30 years and wins 12 games a year and never wins a state championship but wins regional titles and maybe makes it to the title game a couple times….is he successful? We seem to always measure success in sports with titles. Idk…just something to think about
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#10
(07-26-2025, 09:41 PM)RAMDAD50 Wrote: These topics always makes me stop and think k about how we measure success. If a coach coaches for 30 years and wins 12 games a year and never wins a state championship but wins regional titles and maybe makes it to the title game a couple times….is he successful? We seem to always measure success in sports with titles. Idk…just something to think about

Extremely successful...
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#11
How can anyone compile this list and not include Mark Dixon on it? Absolutely absurd.
#12
LARRY FRENCH
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#13
Walt Love has to be in there somewhere, right?
#14
without parameters you cant put a list together.

Define "Top"

what many are posting is most successful, but that doesn't mean they are a top coach in my eyes.

Define what top means or retitle.
#15
(07-27-2025, 04:54 PM)plantmanky Wrote: without parameters you cant put a list together. 

Define "Top"

what many are posting is most successful, but that doesn't mean they are a top coach in my eyes.

Define what top means or retitle.
Top means you have equal teams with equal talent, the only difference is the coach… who you want. Not most accomplished.
#16
Eddie James at Franklin has done more with less than anyone. Teams always under sized and under talented but just figure out a way to win.
#17
(07-23-2025, 10:21 PM)Gridiron_Raid Wrote: Every year I see where people talk about the best coaches ever. There’s usually recency bias with some like myself, or the old heads that believe the coaches that thought the forward pass was a sinful myth only the youth talked about are the best. 

I want yall to give your top 5 active coaches. I know everyone has one amazing man who was taken from us too soon that would’ve been the top 1 or 2 for everyone in the state. But if you had to give 5 coaches that will be wearing the headset in kentucky this year, who would it be? 

Mine is 
1. Haddix 
2. Joe Morris
3. Sean Thompson
4. Chris Mcnamee
5. Dudley Hilton 
I’ll just agree with you so I don’t have to type #5 myself which gives me plausible deniability…… It’s hard not to put Larry French somewhere in there and Eddie James would definitely be there if he’d won the big one, he’s an outstanding coach, his time will come….
#18
(07-27-2025, 01:53 PM)toolaidback Wrote: Walt Love has to be in there somewhere, right?

This list is for Top 5 Active Coaches, not Top 5 Legends of High School Football.
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#19
Eddie Eviston surely has to make the list.
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#20
This is a tough one and you are going to offend someone if you leave them off...

With that said, here would be my criteria:
1. Who can take a good program and take it to the next level or levels?
2. Who has proven they can win a Championship when they have the best team and have expectations?
3. Who has proven they can win the Championship even they are an underdog along the way?
4. Who can sustain success beyond a wave or two of talent?
5. Who still have plenty left in the tank?

Based off this


HM. Dudley Hilton- It's not about if he is one of the best to ever do it in KY. He is. He has checked every box on the list, the only big looming variable is how much gas is left in the tank compared to younger coaches on the list. Despite winning titles at two different schools you do wish there were a few more rings.

5. Eddie Eviston- The coach most likely to rise up this list. Eviston is just getting into his prime and has already been super impressive. He has maintained CovCath's standard and has them firmly in the mix every year and has proven he can topple even mighty Boyle County.

4. Kevin Wallace- Though Wallace is probably on the back 9 of his career, he definitely has some years on Dudley and he has a few more rings as well. Wallace developed Bowling Green into an absolute powerhouse. The critique on Wallace is despite sustaining success at St. X, you can question if he has taken them to the next level for a program who already had a high bar set.

3. Chris McNamee- Similar to Wallace above, McNamee is not a young up and comer anymore, but he has aged like fine wine. It took Mac some time.... but once he built the Pikeville program to specifications they have went to heights greater than their already proud tradition could imagine. No doubt he has elevated that program and also no doubt there still may be a few more Finals in his future.

2. Noel Rash- This may take heat... but IMHO his resume is probably actually #1 in my book. To follow after Yeagle is a blessing and a a curse. You know you are inheriting a sports car, but the expectations and pressures are almost impossible to live up to. Not only did Rash live up to them, he may have had Beechwood cooking at a level even Yeagle never reached. I also would argue the rivals he had to vanquish were arguably better on the whole. So why #2, well we saw Rash walk away before. He got dragged back in, but you have to wonder if there is any chance we can expect to see him in 10 years.

1. Justin Haddix- What Haddix has done is remarkable. He rebuilds programs and levels great programs up. Boyle is set to be a dominant force for the forseeable future and Haddix has proven handling the success and pressure is no problem. If he coaches for decades he has the chance to write his name as an All-Timer which is impressive at a school who already may have an All-Timer as a previous coach. The only real critique is it took coming to an program already built for Championships before Haddix started winning rings. What he did at Perry Central and Corbin was none the less impressive, but the Redhounds couldn't win a ring even as a noted favorite. Still doesn't change the fact Haddix took a program that had leveled off and got them to that enviable position though!
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#21
(07-28-2025, 12:37 PM)EKUAlum05 Wrote: This is a tough one and you are going to offend someone if you leave them off...

With that said, here would be my criteria:
1. Who can take a good program and take it to the next level or levels?
2. Who has proven they can win a Championship when they have the best team and have expectations?
3. Who has proven they can win the Championship even they are an underdog along the way?
4. Who can sustain success beyond a wave or two of talent?
5. Who still have plenty left in the tank?

Based off this


HM. Dudley Hilton- It's not about if he is one of the best to ever do it in KY. He is. He has checked every box on the list, the only big looming variable is how much gas is left in the tank compared to younger coaches on the list. Despite winning titles at two different schools you do wish there were a few more rings.

5. Eddie Eviston- The coach most likely to rise up this list. Eviston is just getting into his prime and has already been super impressive. He has maintained CovCath's standard and has them firmly in the mix every year and has proven he can topple even mighty Boyle County.

4. Kevin Wallace- Though Wallace is probably on the back 9 of his career, he definitely has some years on Dudley and he has a few more rings as well. Wallace developed Bowling Green into an absolute powerhouse. The critique on Wallace is despite sustaining success at St. X, you can question if he has taken them to the next level for a program who already had a high bar set.

3. Chris McNamee- Similar to Wallace above, McNamee is not a young up and comer anymore, but he has aged like fine wine. It took Mac some time.... but once he built the Pikeville program to specifications they have went to heights greater than their already proud tradition could imagine. No doubt he has elevated that program and  also no doubt there still may be a few more Finals in his future.

2. Noel Rash- This may take heat... but IMHO his resume is probably actually #1 in my book. To follow after Yeagle is a blessing and a a curse. You know you are inheriting a sports car, but the expectations and pressures are almost impossible to live up to. Not only did Rash live up to them, he may have had Beechwood cooking at a level even Yeagle never reached. I also would argue the rivals he had to vanquish were arguably better on the whole. So why #2, well we saw Rash walk away before. He got dragged back in, but you have to wonder if there is any chance we can expect to see him in 10 years.

1. Justin Haddix- What Haddix has done is remarkable. He rebuilds programs and levels great programs up. Boyle is set to be a dominant force for the forseeable future and Haddix has proven handling the success and pressure is no problem. If he coaches for decades he has the chance to write his name as an All-Timer which is impressive at a school who already may have an All-Timer as a previous coach. The only real critique is it took coming to an program already built for Championships before Haddix started winning rings. What he did at Perry Central and Corbin was none the less impressive, but the Redhounds couldn't win a ring even as a noted favorite. Still doesn't change the fact Haddix took a program that had leveled off and got them to that enviable position though!

Good list. People also forget that Eviston followed a Kentucky High School football legend in Bob Schneider at Newport Catholic, and was an upset to Covington Holy Cross away from winning a title every year that he was there.

If Noel Rash can get Conner to the upper echelon in 5A then I'll definitely agree that he belongs in the top spot amongst the actives.
#22
(07-23-2025, 10:21 PM)Gridiron_Raid Wrote: Every year I see where people talk about the best coaches ever. There’s usually recency bias with some like myself, or the old heads that believe the coaches that thought the forward pass was a sinful myth only the youth talked about are the best. 

I want yall to give your top 5 active coaches. I know everyone has one amazing man who was taken from us too soon that would’ve been the top 1 or 2 for everyone in the state. But if you had to give 5 coaches that will be wearing the headset in kentucky this year, who would it be? 

Mine is 
1. Haddix 
2. Joe Morris
3. Sean Thompson
4. Chris Mcnamee
5. Dudley Hilton 
Cant put a coach in the top 5 who has a wealthy parent paying for recruits and then hires tony franklin to help him in the state championship. That's a slap in the face of those on the list and in the state who've actually built programs, and coached good football.
#23
(07-28-2025, 04:16 PM)FCREMSFC Wrote:
(07-23-2025, 10:21 PM)Gridiron_Raid Wrote: Every year I see where people talk about the best coaches ever. There’s usually recency bias with some like myself, or the old heads that believe the coaches that thought the forward pass was a sinful myth only the youth talked about are the best. 

I want yall to give your top 5 active coaches. I know everyone has one amazing man who was taken from us too soon that would’ve been the top 1 or 2 for everyone in the state. But if you had to give 5 coaches that will be wearing the headset in kentucky this year, who would it be? 

Mine is 
1. Haddix 
2. Joe Morris
3. Sean Thompson
4. Chris Mcnamee
5. Dudley Hilton 
Cant put a coach in the top 5 who has a wealthy parent paying for recruits and then hires tony franklin to help him in the state championship. That's a slap in the face of those on the list and in the state who've actually built programs, and coached good football.
I’m fine as a fan of a team if the guy can come in a win a state championship. I don’t care about the honor code of HS football. 15-0 is good football. And delegation is the quality of a great coach so if he hired someone to help win i really don’t see a problem there. 4 seasons at PT he went state runner up, 3rd round, 13-1 semis, 15-0 state championship. In the years before he got there, PT was 4-4 and 9-4 before that. They hadn’t been to the semis since 2013. 

When he was at 28-5 at CC before he went to PT. And I believe he is still in his 30s, or maybe early 40s, either way it’s still a lot more years to get those recruits and win some rings.
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#24
(07-26-2025, 11:04 PM)Wanna-be Wrote: How can anyone compile this list and not include Mark Dixon on it? Absolutely absurd.
I can't tell if you're actually being serious or if this is sarcasm.. Surely it is sarcasm?!
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#25
(07-28-2025, 03:34 PM)Shogun Wrote:
(07-28-2025, 12:37 PM)EKUAlum05 Wrote: This is a tough one and you are going to offend someone if you leave them off...

With that said, here would be my criteria:
1. Who can take a good program and take it to the next level or levels?
2. Who has proven they can win a Championship when they have the best team and have expectations?
3. Who has proven they can win the Championship even they are an underdog along the way?
4. Who can sustain success beyond a wave or two of talent?
5. Who still have plenty left in the tank?

Based off this


HM. Dudley Hilton- It's not about if he is one of the best to ever do it in KY. He is. He has checked every box on the list, the only big looming variable is how much gas is left in the tank compared to younger coaches on the list. Despite winning titles at two different schools you do wish there were a few more rings.

5. Eddie Eviston- The coach most likely to rise up this list. Eviston is just getting into his prime and has already been super impressive. He has maintained CovCath's standard and has them firmly in the mix every year and has proven he can topple even mighty Boyle County.

4. Kevin Wallace- Though Wallace is probably on the back 9 of his career, he definitely has some years on Dudley and he has a few more rings as well. Wallace developed Bowling Green into an absolute powerhouse. The critique on Wallace is despite sustaining success at St. X, you can question if he has taken them to the next level for a program who already had a high bar set.

3. Chris McNamee- Similar to Wallace above, McNamee is not a young up and comer anymore, but he has aged like fine wine. It took Mac some time.... but once he built the Pikeville program to specifications they have went to heights greater than their already proud tradition could imagine. No doubt he has elevated that program and  also no doubt there still may be a few more Finals in his future.

2. Noel Rash- This may take heat... but IMHO his resume is probably actually #1 in my book. To follow after Yeagle is a blessing and a a curse. You know you are inheriting a sports car, but the expectations and pressures are almost impossible to live up to. Not only did Rash live up to them, he may have had Beechwood cooking at a level even Yeagle never reached. I also would argue the rivals he had to vanquish were arguably better on the whole. So why #2, well we saw Rash walk away before. He got dragged back in, but you have to wonder if there is any chance we can expect to see him in 10 years.

1. Justin Haddix- What Haddix has done is remarkable. He rebuilds programs and levels great programs up. Boyle is set to be a dominant force for the forseeable future and Haddix has proven handling the success and pressure is no problem. If he coaches for decades he has the chance to write his name as an All-Timer which is impressive at a school who already may have an All-Timer as a previous coach. The only real critique is it took coming to an program already built for Championships before Haddix started winning rings. What he did at Perry Central and Corbin was none the less impressive, but the Redhounds couldn't win a ring even as a noted favorite. Still doesn't change the fact Haddix took a program that had leveled off and got them to that enviable position though!

Good list. People also forget that Eviston followed a Kentucky High School football legend in Bob Schneider at Newport Catholic, and was an upset to Covington Holy Cross away from winning a title every year that he was there.

If Noel Rash can get Conner to the upper echelon in 5A then I'll definitely agree that he belongs in the top spot amongst the actives.


Rash is only coaching this year at Conner, job will be open after this season.
#26
(07-28-2025, 05:16 PM)Gridiron_Raid Wrote:
(07-28-2025, 04:16 PM)FCREMSFC Wrote:
(07-23-2025, 10:21 PM)Gridiron_Raid Wrote: Every year I see where people talk about the best coaches ever. There’s usually recency bias with some like myself, or the old heads that believe the coaches that thought the forward pass was a sinful myth only the youth talked about are the best. 

I want yall to give your top 5 active coaches. I know everyone has one amazing man who was taken from us too soon that would’ve been the top 1 or 2 for everyone in the state. But if you had to give 5 coaches that will be wearing the headset in kentucky this year, who would it be? 

Mine is 
1. Haddix 
2. Joe Morris
3. Sean Thompson
4. Chris Mcnamee
5. Dudley Hilton 
Cant put a coach in the top 5 who has a wealthy parent paying for recruits and then hires tony franklin to help him in the state championship. That's a slap in the face of those on the list and in the state who've actually built programs, and coached good football.
I’m fine as a fan of a team if the guy can come in a win a state championship. I don’t care about the honor code of HS football. 15-0 is good football. And delegation is the quality of a great coach so if he hired someone to help win i really don’t see a problem there. 4 seasons at PT he went state runner up, 3rd round, 13-1 semis, 15-0 state championship. In the years before he got there, PT was 4-4 and 9-4 before that. They hadn’t been to the semis since 2013. 

When he was at 28-5 at CC before he went to PT. And I believe he is still in his 30s, or maybe early 40s, either way it’s still a lot more years to get those recruits and win some rings.
whats funny, is i didnt mention his name and you knew exactly who i was talking about.
#27
(07-28-2025, 07:29 PM)plantmanky Wrote:
(07-28-2025, 03:34 PM)Shogun Wrote:
(07-28-2025, 12:37 PM)EKUAlum05 Wrote: This is a tough one and you are going to offend someone if you leave them off...

With that said, here would be my criteria:
1. Who can take a good program and take it to the next level or levels?
2. Who has proven they can win a Championship when they have the best team and have expectations?
3. Who has proven they can win the Championship even they are an underdog along the way?
4. Who can sustain success beyond a wave or two of talent?
5. Who still have plenty left in the tank?

Based off this


HM. Dudley Hilton- It's not about if he is one of the best to ever do it in KY. He is. He has checked every box on the list, the only big looming variable is how much gas is left in the tank compared to younger coaches on the list. Despite winning titles at two different schools you do wish there were a few more rings.

5. Eddie Eviston- The coach most likely to rise up this list. Eviston is just getting into his prime and has already been super impressive. He has maintained CovCath's standard and has them firmly in the mix every year and has proven he can topple even mighty Boyle County.

4. Kevin Wallace- Though Wallace is probably on the back 9 of his career, he definitely has some years on Dudley and he has a few more rings as well. Wallace developed Bowling Green into an absolute powerhouse. The critique on Wallace is despite sustaining success at St. X, you can question if he has taken them to the next level for a program who already had a high bar set.

3. Chris McNamee- Similar to Wallace above, McNamee is not a young up and comer anymore, but he has aged like fine wine. It took Mac some time.... but once he built the Pikeville program to specifications they have went to heights greater than their already proud tradition could imagine. No doubt he has elevated that program and  also no doubt there still may be a few more Finals in his future.

2. Noel Rash- This may take heat... but IMHO his resume is probably actually #1 in my book. To follow after Yeagle is a blessing and a a curse. You know you are inheriting a sports car, but the expectations and pressures are almost impossible to live up to. Not only did Rash live up to them, he may have had Beechwood cooking at a level even Yeagle never reached. I also would argue the rivals he had to vanquish were arguably better on the whole. So why #2, well we saw Rash walk away before. He got dragged back in, but you have to wonder if there is any chance we can expect to see him in 10 years.

1. Justin Haddix- What Haddix has done is remarkable. He rebuilds programs and levels great programs up. Boyle is set to be a dominant force for the forseeable future and Haddix has proven handling the success and pressure is no problem. If he coaches for decades he has the chance to write his name as an All-Timer which is impressive at a school who already may have an All-Timer as a previous coach. The only real critique is it took coming to an program already built for Championships before Haddix started winning rings. What he did at Perry Central and Corbin was none the less impressive, but the Redhounds couldn't win a ring even as a noted favorite. Still doesn't change the fact Haddix took a program that had leveled off and got them to that enviable position though!

Good list. People also forget that Eviston followed a Kentucky High School football legend in Bob Schneider at Newport Catholic, and was an upset to Covington Holy Cross away from winning a title every year that he was there.

If Noel Rash can get Conner to the upper echelon in 5A then I'll definitely agree that he belongs in the top spot amongst the actives.


Rash is only coaching this year at Conner, job will be open after this season.

Oh, I didn't know that. I guess that'll make it even more impressive if he does it then.  Smile
#28
Larry French has to be up there.

Also, I know he hasn't won a title yet, but If I were hiring a football coach in Ky right now Eddie James would definitely be one of the top candidates.
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#29
1.Kevin Wallace
2.Eddie Eviston
3. Justin Haddix
4. Chris McNamee
5.Dudley Hilton

HM: 6A. Jay Cobb 6B. Noel Rash
#30
(07-28-2025, 05:44 PM)BillyCrystal6 Wrote:
(07-26-2025, 11:04 PM)Wanna-be Wrote: How can anyone compile this list and not include Mark Dixon on it? Absolutely absurd.
I can't tell if you're actually being serious or if this is sarcasm.. Surely it is sarcasm?!
Why wouldn’t it be serious. He’s a fantastic coach.

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