‘A championship mindset.’ Brookstone hires new head football coach
Brookstone School has hired a new head football coach from a neighboring state.
Ian Headley, most recently the head football coach at Spanish River High School in Boca Raton, Florida, officially will start his role as the leader of the Brookstone football program July 1, but he is expected to be on campus this spring and early summer to begin working with the team, the school announced Tuesday.
“Coach Headley brings more than a decade of coaching experience, a championship mindset and a strong commitment to developing student-athletes both on and off the field,” Brookstone’s news release says.
Headley led Spanish River to back-to-back playoff appearances and the program’s most successful seasons in the past 23 years, according to the news release.
“Throughout his career, Coach Headley has helped more than 60 student-athletes go on to play at the college level, including three who eventually made it to the NFL,” the news release says. “While his on-field accomplishments are impressive, what stood out most during the hiring process was his focus on character, leadership, and academic excellence. His values closely reflect the mission of Brookstone and the goals of our athletic program.”
Headley said in the news release that he’s “humbled and excited to get to work leading this storied program.”
He played Division I football at Jacksonville University, according to the news release, and earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Bethune-Cookman University. He is certified in physical education and sports performance training.
Why there was a head football coach vacancy at Brookstone
Headley replaces Rance Gillespie, who last month became head football at his alma mater, Rabun County High School.
Gillespie’s record in three seasons at Brookstone was 23-13. He led the Cougars to one state championship game and two state semifinals in Class AAAA-AAA of the Georgia Independent Athletic Association.
More about Ian Headley’s background
Here’s more information about Headley’s background, according to his resume:
Headley has been head football coach at Spanish River since 2021. The team went 7-3 in each of the past two seasons.
Since 2012, Headley has been owner and head coach of the Epic Elite 7v7 Football Program.
Headley’s previous football coaching experience also was in Florida:
- 2021-22 head coach at Coral Springs High School
- 2018-19 offensive coordinator at Village Academy in Delray Beach
- 2015-17 co-offensive coordinator at Mater Academy Charter School in Hialeah Gardens
- 2014 co-offensive coordinator at Bay High School in Panama City
- 2012-14 co-defensive coordinator at Warner Christian Academy in South Daytona.
How and why Ian Headley chose Brookstone and his plan for the Cougars
In an interview Thursday with the Ledger-Enquirer, Headley said he learned about the opening at Brookstone when someone from the search committee emailed him.
“Some connections kind of put us in contact,” he said, declining to be specific. “Once I did my research and read up on it, I became interested in Brookstone. I told my wife that they had to check all the boxes, and they definitely did check all the boxes.”
Those boxes, Headley said, are “facilities, history, football background, academics, the people. It was really a perfect fit.”
Asked why Brookstone fans should feel confident he is the right coach to lead the Cougars now, Headley, 36, said, “They’re just gonna have to see. I’m a players coach. I’m going to bring exposure, notoriety, college coaches to the program.”
Headley described his coaching style as emphasizing details.
“Everything matters,” he said. “We practice fundamentals. We are a tempo team, so we’re extremely aggressive on offense and extremely aggressive on defense.”
Headley, who played wide receiver in college, will be Brookstone’s offensive coordinator. He plans to implement a spread offense that will be a “skill guy’s dream.”
As for defense, he expects the Cougars will run multiple schemes.
“We’ll just use the spring to kind of see what we’re good at and what we’re not,” he said.
Headley said he is isn’t ready to name his coaching staff yet.
“We’re kind of working through that now,” he said.
Headley summarized his message to the Cougars during their first meeting.
“We’ve got to kind of go back and just make sure we’re doing all the little things right,” he said, “just look at how we do everything and how we approach this process. Make sure that there are no chinks in the armor.”
As for his message to the Chattahoochee Valley, Headley said, “I’m just excited to be here and get out in the community and let the city of Columbus learn about all the wonderful things that Brookstone has to offer.”
This story was originally published April 22, 2025 at 11:16 AM.
