By TAYLOR BECK, Sports Editor
Sardis Lions head coach B.J. Brooks is poised to return home, as he is set to become the next head football coach at Glencoe High School.
Pending an official vote of approval by the Etowah County Board of Education, Brooks will take over the Yellow Jackets program. Brooks said a oral agreement was reached prior to Christmas, allowing Sardis to begin its search for a new head coach.
The board was scheduled to vote Tuesday, after The Leader went to press.
“Being from Glencoe, it will always be special to me. I live there, my wife teaches there, and my kids go to school there,” Brooks told The Leader. “Sardis is a great place with a lot of great people. I couldn’t be more appreciative to administrators Josh Wallace and Mattie Cofield, and board members Danny Golden and Amanda Johnson. I know they will find a great coach, hopefully one better than me.”
Brooks has spent the past three seasons as Sardis’ head football coach and athletic director. During that span, the Lions compiled a 10-20 overall record, including a 3-14 mark in Class 5A Region 8 play. Sardis finished 6-4 in Brooks’ first season at the helm before posting records of 3-7 and 1-9 over the past two years. The Sardis position marked Brooks’ first head coaching opportunity after serving three years as an assistant coach at Hoover.
“I appreciate the players more than they will ever know for their hard work and dedication, and the bonds we made,” Brooks said. “It’s bittersweet for sure. A lot of great memories I will cherish forever. I just hope my family and I made a positive impact eternally at Sardis. I wish them all the success in the world.”
Brooks will now take over his alma mater following the departure of previous Glencoe head coach Bayley Blanchard, who was hired by Cherokee County just a few weeks ago. In his lone season leading the Yellow Jackets, Blanchard guided Glencoe to a 7-4 record and a first-round playoff appearance — the program’s first postseason berth since 2015.
B.J. Brooks coaches Sardis during an early- season game in 2025. He is leaving the Lions after three seasons for Glencoe, where he grew up and lives. Sardis went 10-20 during his time leading the Lions. He also served as the school’s athletics director. Photo by Taylor Beck l The Leader
