Today’s Four Questions interviewee is Jackson County coach Korey Mobbs, whose team is 3-1 heading into Friday’s Region 8-5A game against defending region champion Clarke Central. Jackson County finished second to Clarke Central last season and has never won a region championship. Mobbs got the Jackson County job in 2023 and led the Panthers to their first eight-win season since 1982.
1. Big game this week. In 2024, it decided the region title. How do you view this year’s game?
“Clarke Central had a great year last year and is the defending region champs for a reason. Don’t let their nonregion record fool you. The schedule they have played to this point is against many of the best in our state. We are excited about the challenge that this year’s game brings us. We do feel like our team is more seasoned and experienced than last year. We played quite a few young guys in 2024 that have a year of ball under their belts. That has allowed us to develop a little more depth at more spots and hope that pays dividends as we move through a tough region schedule. But what better way to start your region schedule than with the defending champs? Clarke Central will be ready. We expect a four-quarter battle.”
2. This is your third season at Jackson County. How is coaching there different from coaching at Lanier? Or at Knoxville Catholic (in Tennessee), your previous most recent job? Can you contrast/compare the challenges in the different settings?
“It has been fun to watch us grow as a program here at Jackson County. I would very much compare it to my time at Lanier, as we helped build the program. The biggest difference is that there was not a history at Lanier because we began from scratch in 2010. Here at Jackson County, there is a history, a history of not much success, so in many ways we are battling that perception of ‘the way it has always been.’ That’s what makes it fun, though, because when you see and feel progress the momentum continues building in a positive direction.
“I spent 12 years at Lanier and seven as the head coach and wouldn’t trade that time for anything. Some of my fondest memories and long-lasting relationships took place during those years. The most important similarity between the two has been the ability to build a great coaching staff of men who care about kids and doing right by them while not caring who receives the credit. What made my time at Lanier so enjoyable was the staff we were able to build and maintain through the years. Our administration has been tremendous here at Jackson County in understanding why the staff part is so key in stability and consistency for our program. Kids need a consistent voice in their lives that is going to be around through the tough times, and if and when success comes, it makes it even more special to share it with the ones who know you as a coach and what you are all about.
“My time at Knoxville Catholic was a great growth opportunity for me as a coach. The private school world was a bit different from the norm for me and took some personal adjustment. It also allowed me to revisit my ‘why’ and my purpose in coaching. I am a firm believer in fits for programs and coaches, and my time there allowed me to realize I can be more effective in a place like Jackson County. There’s nothing like Georgia high school football, and many of the things that we take for granted as necessities and resources here in Georgia may be a little bit foreign elsewhere.”
3. What do you feel that you and your staff have done that’s made the biggest difference in getting the program in a good position in your third year? And how did you go about doing it?
“The difference for us has been a consistent effort to not take shortcuts during the building process. Each year we have added a key piece to our staff that helps enhance what we are doing while staying true to the foundation of developing men of character, displaying class in all that we do and being committed to something way bigger than ourselves. Every successful program starts with great leadership, and we are blessed to have the right people all the way at the top with our superintendent, principal and admin team working together with the same mindset and all pushing in the same direction.”
4. Who or what was the biggest influence on you in terms of who you are as a head coach? And how so?
“My biggest influence in who I am as a head coach would have to be Billy Wells, now the principal at North Hall High School. We worked together at Collins Hill for five years, and when the opportunity to go with him to open Lanier came about, his belief in me at a young and eager age to help build it provided me the leadership opportunity, and most importantly, the confidence to get the job done. His detailed plan and positive approach taught me what it took to lead. He led the program for four seasons, and then I was fortunate to take over.
“Larry Sherrill hired me at Collins Hill, and I learned so much from him about relationships and how to treat and talk to kids. He was always thinking about how he could help our players as well as hold them to a standard of excellence. I played high school ball for coach Cecil Flowe at Parkview in the late ’90s (and played on Parkview’s 1997 championship team with quarterback Buster Faulkner, now Georgia Tech’s offensive coordinator). I often find myself using those memories and lessons learned at Parkview when considering what is best for the young men I am blessed to lead now. Although the game has changed a whole lot over the last 25-plus years, the values of hard work, discipline and teamwork have not and the teams that still have those priorities in order still find themselves in the mix when it matters.”
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
