South Carolina football alum leading high school program to another state championship game

State championships are what Erik Kimrey does. The former South Carolina quarterback has won 13 titles as a high school head coach. He has also made multiple other state championship game appearances.

Next Thursday, he will do it again.

Kimrey’s Baylor Red Raiders will face off with Brentwood Academy on December 4th at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga with the TSSAA Division II-AAA championship trophy on the line. The matchup will be Kimrey’s fourth state title appearance in four years at Baylor.

Heading into the Volunteer State’s top showdown, Baylor ranks as the No. 25 overall team in the country, according to the Rivals National High School Football Composite Rankings. The Red Raiders are the No. 1 team in Tennessee, while Brentwood is No. 4. Baylor already beat the No. 2 McCallie Blue Tornadoes in the state semifinal.

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Kimrey played at South Carolina from 1998-2002, coached as a graduate assistant under head coach Lou Holtz, and later led his alma mater’s tight end room in 2021.

He is best known around Columbia for one play at Williams-Brice Stadium. Throwing “The Fade” to Jermale Kelly on his first play in relief of an injured Phil Petty made him a legend in Columbia, as the 4th-and-10 fourth quarter touchdown toss proved to be the deciding score over the ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs in 2000.

Following his playing career, he started coaching. In 21 years as a high school head coach, Kimrey has totaled just 26 losses.

Sandwiched between Gamecock coaching stints, Kimrey led Hammond School to 12 titles in 17 years, a South Carolina record. His 2006 championship was the Skyhawks’ first in 15 seasons.

He then spent 2021 on Shane Beamer’s first staff in Columbia before getting called back to the high school game.

At Baylor School in 2022, Kimrey led the Red Raiders to a championship in his first year. It was also the program’s first since 1973. With two title game defeats in 2023 and 2024, the former Gamecock will look for his second Tennessee state championship victory to go with his dozen in the Palmetto State.

Baylor and Brentwood will kick off at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 4th.

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