David Nichols was unanimously handed the reins as Fannin County High School’s new head football coach by the school board Friday afternoon, January 23.
Nichols will officially begin his new position June 1, but School Superintendent Shannon Dillard was given permission to work with Lumpkin County officials so that he can be with the Rebels for Spring football practice.
Nichols is currently the defensive coordinator for the Lumpkin County Indians, a position he has held for four seasons.
During that time, the Indians have compiled a 33-13 record, hosted the school’s second ever home playoff game, won the region championship in 2023, scored the first playoff win in school history, recorded the school’s first State Quarterfinal appearance, and finished the season ranked fifth in the state.
During two of Nichols’ years, he was named Parker Resources AAA Defensive Coordinator of the Year.
His previous coaching experience included Hart County High School where the team was ranked as high as fourth in the state, and North Hall High School where the team recorded six consecutive playoff appearances and three consecutive playoff wins between 2015 and 2020. He was also head wrestling coach on a team that earned two State Championships and six Area Championships.
Nichols talked about his move to Fannin County Sunday afternoon.
He said he sees his role as, “Doing what’s right by the kids every day.”
Nichols expressed his appreciation in seeing how “everybody (in Fannin County) genuinely cares about the overall development of the kids.” That caring relates to his belief that being successful athletically and academically go hand in hand.
“What’s going to be best for the long term development of the kids...socially, emotionally, academically” must be at the heart of what takes place, Nichols said.
The new head coach also understands that success in Fannin County is “as much about who he is as what he does on the football field...success is so dependent on the role in the school,” he said. He summarized that success means everybody working together.
Nichols comes to Fannin County with a number one goal of “maintaining the consistency...the honor, the tradition” that is Rebel football. He said he’s looking forward to taking “the program into the future. We develop kids. We’re in this for the long game,” he said.