Rush Propst will be taking over the Coosa Christian football program for the 2025 season.
Propst replaces Mark O’Bryant, who was suspended by the school in an effort to become eligible for the 2025 AHSAA playoffs. The school was taken off restrictive probation and the football program will be eligible for the 2025 postseason. The school’s athletics director, Jack Justus, announced the move to the Gadsden Times on Wednesday, Aug. 13.
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Like O’Bryant, Propst is one of the most successful coaches in the history of Alabama football but has been one of the most controversial since his rise to fame at Hoover in the early 2000s.
Propst became one of the most well-known Alabama high school football coaches while leading Hoover from1999-2007. Propst won five state titles leading the Bucs (2000, 2002-05) and added two more titles in Georgia with Colquitt County. He holds a career record of 296-117 over 32 years of coaching between Alabama and Georgia.
Propst most recently coached at Pell City, going 1-9 there in 2023. Before that, he was an assistant football coach and athletic director at Coosa Christian from January to March of 2023.
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Propst rose to prominence with the MTV show “Two-A-Days” but resigned following the 2007 season due to allegations of improprieties. Propst later confirmed that he was leading a double life, maintaining two families.
Propst moved to Georgia, taking over Colquitt County going 119-35 over 11 seasons, but was dismissed in 2019 as allegations of improprieties came up once again. He was a volunteer assistant at UAB before going to Valdosta High and was dismissed in 2020 following another set of allegations of illegal recruiting, mishandling of school funds and other issues.
The Conquerors have been one of top small-school programs in recent years. They made the Class 1A semifinals in 2022 and the state title game in 2023. Restrictive probation kept them out of the playoffs in 2024, but they went 9-1 on the field and were one of the top teams in Class 2A before being hit with five forfeits.
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On July 30, during the AHSAA Central Board of Control meeting, Coosa Christian once again appealed to the Central Board for playoff reinstatement but the appeal was denied.
In 2024 when Coosa Christian was placed on restrictive probation, AHSAA Executive Director Heath Harmon sent a letter to Amanda Justus, then headmaster of Coosa Christian, saying “if coach Mark O’Bryant is not associated with coaching CCS’s football program in any level, including but not limited to player development,” the school could apply for reinstatement to championship play ahead of the 2025 season.
The penalties stem from the AHSAA’s belief the school misrepresented in how many games an ineligible player actually played. Coosa Christian originally reported to the AHSAA that he played in one game and dressed for five others but did not play. An AHSAA investigation found the ineligible student played in five games. The violations centered around the AHSAA’s Coaching Outside the School Year Rule.
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What are the terms of Mark O’Bryant’s suspension from Coosa Christian football?
According to the AHSAA release, O’Bryant “would not have any contact with the football team in the upcoming 2025 season which started practice this week.” He will miss all of the 2025 season. It is unknown if there are any conditions for his return to the sideline.
When does Coosa Christian start the 2025 AHSAA season?
The Conquerors start the season Aug. 22 on the road at Pierce County (Ga.). They return home against Propst’s former team, Pell City, the next week before starting region play on Sept. 5.
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Maxwell Donaldson covers high school sports, Jax State athletics, the outdoors in Alabama and more for the Gadsden Times. Find him on Twitter/X @_Max_Donaldson and contact him at MDonaldson@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Rush Propst to coach Coosa Christian football in 2025
