Jeff Lee leaving Holmes football coach position

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) -Coach Jeff Lee is departing as the Holmes football head coach.

Coach Lee told us Monday afternoon he’s taking the head coaching gig at Desoto High School in Arcadia, Florida, which is north of Fort Myers.

Coach Lee said this move has nothing to do with his situation at Holmes, he’s been very happy there the last four years, he loves the players and all surrounding the program.

Lee says the financial offer at Desoto is something Holmes can’t match. And that’s a big plus towards his state retirement in four or five years.

This move, the coach says, takes him and his wife closer to their daughter, who has settled in the Tampa area, and that’s a very big motivation to move that way.

Lee was 23-22 at Holmes, with back-to-back playoff appearances the last two years.

He spent four years as North Bay Haven’s coach before that. And all that following 30 years teaching and coaching in Georgia.

Copyright 2023 WJHG. All rights reserved.