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Georgia high school football powerhouse hires former UGA star as its next head coach

Wg0vf-nP_400x400by: Keegan Pope05/25/25bykeeganpope
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COLUMBIA , MO - SEPTEMBER 8: James Franklin #1 of the Missouri Tigers fumbles the ball as he is hit by Jarvis Jones #29 of the Georgia Bulldogs in the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium on September 8, 2012 in Columbia, Missouri. Georgia won 41-20. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)

It didn’t take long for one of Georgia’s top high school football programs to find a replacement for its head coach.

Less than a week after seeing head coach Pierre Coffey depart this week to Stewart County, Columbus Carver has found a new leader to helm the program. According to a report from SCORE Atlanta, former Georgia Bulldogs star linebacker Jarvis Jones has been hired to replace Coffey.

Jones is a Carver alum, where he was a blue-chip recruit in the Class of 2009, a selection for the US Army All-American Game and an all-state basketball player. During his time there, he was coached by former head coach Dell McGee, who later went onto an assistant job with the Bulldogs before being hired as the head coach at Georgia State.

After an illustrious high school career, Jones initially signed with USC and played in eight games as a freshman with the Trojans. He transferred after one season, sitting out the 2010 campaign due to NCAA rules at the time. Jones was then a two-time All-American with the Bulldogs, winning SEC Defensive Player of the Year and the Jack Lambert trophy. Over his two seasons in Athens, he notched 168 tackles, 47 tackles for loss, 28 sacks and nine forced fumbles.

He finished 10th in the Heisman Trophy voting as well, and was drafted No. 17 overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2013 NFL Draft. Injuries marred a promising career, but he spent five years with the Steelers and Arizona Cardinals before retiring. After playing, he found a job with his alma mater. Before coming to the Tigers, Jones was an assistant outside linebacker coach for Georgia for five seasons.

Carver is one of Georgia’s most successful small-school programs, with McGee leading the Tigers to their first state title in 2007. Last year marked their second championship in program history, as Coffey led them to a 14-1 record and a 52-14 victory over Burke County in the Class 2A state title.

Coffey finished with a 33-8 record in his three seasons with the program. He leaves Carver for a principal job at Stewart County.