With most wins in Brookstone football history, he returns to coaching elsewhere
Smiths Station High School has hired a new head football coach — someone familiar with the Columbus area.
Blair Harrison, the athletics director at Shaw High School and the winningest coach in Brookstone School football history, is the new leader of the SSHS program.
SSHS announced Harrison’s hiring Tuesday night on its Facebook page.
“With his proven track record of success, we are confident that he will lead our program with integrity and into new beginnings,” the post says.
He replaces Justin Albert, who resigned last month only six weeks after accepting the SSHS job to become an assistant coach at his alma mater, Prattville High School.
Harrison has a record of 128-84 in 19 seasons as a head football coach in Georgia (112-68 in 16 seasons) and Tennessee (16-16 in three seasons). Most of those wins came at Brookstone, where he guided the Cougars to a record of 104-55 and three region titles in 14 seasons over two stints (2003-11 and 2017-21).
Some observers of high school football in the Chattahoochee Valley thought Harrison was in position for a third stint at Brookstone, which has a vacancy after Rance Gillespie resigned last month to become head coach at his alma mater, Rabun County.
Harrison, however, chose to revive his coaching career across the Chattahoochee River in Alabama, where SSHS went 1-19 the past two seasons under Bryant Garrison. The Panthers haven’t had a winning record since 2018.
In 2022, Harrison was promoted from offensive coordinator to interim head coach at Shaw in the wake of the unexpected death of Al Pellegrino. The Raiders went 4-7 but qualified for the state playoffs (first-round loss) that season before Harrison, as Shaw’s AD, helped hire Carver assistant Johnny Garner to succeed him.
Why Smiths Station hired Blair Harrison as new head football coach
SSHS principal Adam Johnson told the Ledger-Enquirer why Harrison was selected out of more than 25 applicants, including six candidates who were interviewed.
“Coach Harrison has very strong character,” Johnson said Wednesday. “He’s a proven winner. He’s done well in programs that have not been successful. He’s from the area. He’s high energy, and I’m looking forward to working with him.”
Harrison will work through the end of his contract at Shaw and start at SSHS in August, Johnson said, but he already has met with the Panthers and will be involved in their offseason preparation as he hires assistant coaches.
Johnson hopes Harrison will bring the Panthers trusted leadership. Harrison is the SSHS football program’s ninth head coach in the past 23 years.
“Everybody knows the roller coaster we’ve been through with coaching, especially this year,” Johnson said, “so it’s very important to have somebody with a solid background, stability. … Our players deserve that, and so do our faculty and our staff and our community.”
Why Blair Harrison wants to be Smiths Station’s head football coach
In an interview Thursday, Harrison told the Ledger-Enquirer why he is returning to coaching and wants to be Smiths Station’s head football coach.
“Being an athletics director, it’s been rewarding, and I feel like I touched a lot of programs, but I didn’t really get to know or get to interact with a lot of kids,” said Harrison, 52. “It’s a lot more administrative work, and I just feel like I have a lot of years left in me that I can put into coaching on the field.”
Harrison laughed at the irony that SSHS athletics director Bryan Eason requested him to apply. They were opposing head coaches when Eason led Pacelli’s team (2008-10) against archrival Brookstone.
“Yeah, he asked one of our mutual friends if I might be interested,” Harrison said. “… I think that says a lot about the program I ran at Brookstone, the respect that people had for how I ran it.”
Eason won’t be on the SSHS football coaching staff, Harrison said, and it’s too early to say who will be, but Harrison did emphasize all current assistant coaches could remain if they want. Harrison said he will be the offensive coordinator and is advertising for a defensive coordinator.
Asked about the the style of offense and defense the Panthers will run under Harrison, he said, “We’ll do what I’ve done in the past on offense. We’re going to be hard-nosed downhill team. … We’re going to feature three running backs and a quarterback with two receivers, an we’re going to try to establish the run to open up the pass.
“Defensively, it’s wide open. … I’m going to let (whoever is hired as defensive coordinator) do his thing.”
Harrison described his leadership style as a coach and the type of team SSHS fans can expect to see.
“We’ll be organized, we’ll be prepared, we’ll be in shape, we’ll be strong, and we’ll be physical,” he said. “… We’ll do the right things, and those little things are going to help us win games that we’re not supposed to win, like protecting the football, controlling the clock, giving ourselves a chance at the end of the game.
“I know that’s not reality in all the games that we have on the schedule, but it’s definitely where we’re headed. I’ve done it everywhere I’ve been, so I don’t know why I would shy away from this opportunity.”
Harrison summarized the message he delivered to the Panthers when he spoke to the team.
“I didn’t want to go in there and give them a win-one-for-the-Gipper speech, like we’re gonna conquer the world,” he said. “… Basically, I just wanted them to know that they were in good hands. I know how to run a program. If they trust in me and the coaches, we’ll get them to where they want to be.
“And it’s going to take a lot of hard work, and we’re going to make them uncomfortable. But you’ve got to be uncomfortable to grow. And, you know, I told them that I’m really uncomfortable right now. I’m back in the saddle of a situation that’s a big task. But that’s good because, if you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not growing, and I don’t ever want to stop growing.”
Harrison said he didn’t apply for the Brookstone vacancy, “but I had a lot of (unofficial) people calling me about it. There was a lot of interest in me from some of the people, but, at the end of the day, if the leadership wanted me, they could have found me.”
As for his thoughts about departing Shaw, Harrison said, “I can’t say enough how much I appreciate Shaw and Dr. Hendrick (principal Sureya Hendrick), and then (Muscogee County School District athletics director) Jeff Battles mentored me the whole time. . . . They all are really good people. I’m gonna miss them, but I do feel like I’m leaving it better than it was.”
This story was originally published April 16, 2025 at 9:30 AM.
