PA’s Kelley off to college
Ultra-successful high school coach headed to FCS Presbyterian.
Kevin Kelley has said he’d never coach at another high school besides Pulaski Academy. But the 51-year-old has also never ruled out the dream of joining the college ranks.
It’s no longer a dream.
Kelley, a nine-time state champion at the helm of the Bruins, announced in an email Thursday to Pulaski Academy parents that he has accepted the head coaching position at Football Championship Subdivision’s Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C. Under his reign, the Little Rock-based Bruins piled up an impressive 216-29-1 record in 18 seasons as Kelley leaned into a numbers-based approach that saw his teams rarely, if ever, punt, and always onside kick.
When Presbyterian offered Kelley the job earlier in the week, it was an opportunity that he considered and prayed on for a full day.
He’s had college offers before. But this one, even though Kelley admitted it’s not a perfect situation, gives him a chance to fully implement and test his unique strategies at the next level.
“It might be the only chance I ever get as a head coach to do something like this,” Kelley said. “I’m not coming down here to revert to something I’m not, by any stretch. I feel like [never punting] was a crucial part of our success and so much of it is numbers-based and efficiency-based — I’m going to do what I believe in.
“If it’s an epic fail, I can live with it this way. If I reverted back and played traditional football now that I’ve got this job, I could’ve live with myself if it didn’t work.”
“Honestly, I’m surprised it’s taken this long for a college to go hire him. He’s one of the best coaches out there, so I’m really excited for him.”
Former Pulaski Academy quarterback Layne Hatcher
Kelley will be formally announced this afternoon in a news conference at Presbyterian before he returns to Little Rock on Saturday. He’ll bounce back and forth between South Carolina and Arkansas for the remainder of May, helping the Bruins finish out their spring practices, which began Thursday, while also assisting in the hiring process for his successor.
“Although we’re sorry to see him go, our overriding feeling is one of pride and happiness for him and his family,” Pulaski Academy President and Head of School Matt Walsh wrote in an email. “We know that the energy, innovation and motivational spirit that he has brought to Bruin Football will surely lead to future success.”
Once Kelley decided Wednesday that he was going to accept the offer and take the helm of the Blue Hose, he wanted to be sure that none of his players heard it from anyone but him. Pulaski Academy held off sending its release until the Bruins had started practice Thursday, and Kelley was able to break the news.
“The hardest thing to do is to tell people stuff and I wanted to make myself have to do that,” Kelley said. “I just broke down and started crying. … I wanted them to hear that there are not many things that could’ve taken me away from that team and that school, but my dream of being a head coach was one of the very, very few that could. I needed them to know that I value them — and that was for me.”
Former Pulaski Academy quarterback Layne Hatcher, who was a three-year starter under Kelley and won state championships in each of his four seasons with the Bruins (2014-17), said he’d heard the move was a possibility prior to Thursday but didn’t learn for sure that his old coach would be leaving until the news broke.
“Honestly, I’m surprised it’s taken this long for a college to go hire him,” said Hatcher, who’s now entering his redshirt junior season at Arkansas State. “He’s one of the best coaches out there, so I’m really excited for him.”
While some of Kelley’s staff at Pulaski Academy may join him at Presbyterian, Bruins co-defensive coordinator Madison Taylor confirmed to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that both he and co-defensive coordinator Ben Wyatt, who has been with the Bruins for 21 years, will remain with the program.
Former University of Arkansas receiver Anthony Lucas and former Pulaski Academy quarterback Thomas Thrash, the Bruins’ offensive play-caller, are planning to stay at the school as well.
“It’s an emotional day,” Taylor said. “The biggest thing I learned from Kevin is that you have to be who you are and stay true to what you believe in… [and that] players can always do more than they think they can as long as coaches push them to be the best.”
Kelley leaves as one of the most decorated coaches in Arkansas high school football history, having won state championships with the Bruins in six of the last seven seasons and littering both the state and national record books.
He said he hopes his legacy at Pulaski Academy is not just the on-field accomplishments.
“I’m proud of the fact that I think I’ve had the best men to be role models for all the kids there,” Kelley said. “That solves half your problems — if the coaches are good role models and they work really hard, the kids are going to be good and work really hard… and now you have a chance, no matter what system you run.”