Prince Avenue Christian promoted offensive coordinator Jon Richt to head football coach Monday to replace Greg Vandagriff, who won three state championships and 107 games in nine seasons.
Vandagriff resigned last week, Prince Avenue Athletic Director Richard Ricketts said.
Richt, a son of former Georgia coach Mark Richt, is a former Prince Avenue Christian, Clemson and Mars Hill quarterback. He was Prince Avenue’s offensive coordinator the past three seasons. The 2022 and 2023 teams, led by current Georgia Tech quarterback Aaron Philo, won state titles.
Jon Richt, 34, was the University of Miami’s quarterbacks coach from 2016-18 under Mark Richt. Before that, Jon Richt was an offensive assistant with the Buffalo Bills and a quality-control assistant with Georgia for one season apiece.
“Jon is a graduate of Prince Avenue, and he understands our school fully,” Ricketts told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He was on those early teams (2004-07) that took a whooping and was a key to getting this program going. We wouldn’t be where we are without him. Just watching and observing how he handles situations, we just felt he was a really good fit. He is one of us.”
Vandagriff, with a 107-16 record, had the most wins of any GHSA football coach since the Athens-area private school hired him in 2016.
Vandagriff’s son, Brock, led the state title-winning 2020 team before playing at Georgia and Kentucky. His successor, Philo, then passed for 13,922 career yards, setting a state record.
The 2024 Prince Avenue Christian team was 10-4 and lost to Hebron Christian 56-28 in the Class 3A-A private championship game.
Greg Vandagriff, reached by cellphone Monday, declined comment except to say, “Sometimes it’s just the right time to leave.”
Said Ricketts, “Greg had some stuff going on and came and met with us last week. Greg did a fantastic job. It’s really hard to put into words what he did for us.”
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