A first look at Tuscaloosa County spring football under coach Miles Holcomb

While we are still months away from the high school football season, spring practice is well underway for many programs around the state.

Miles Holcomb, who was named Tuscaloosa County's newest football coach following the resignation of Adam Winegarden in February, opted to have spring practice this year at Tuscaloosa County, something the program has not done in prior years.

"I just felt like, with what we do, there's so much nuance offensively and defensively, that it's better," Holcomb said. "We do so much stuff in the summer anyway, like going to compete other places. I felt like it would be easier having a little bit of a leg up and installing the offense now, even if it's a little tougher for us early on."

The Tuscaloosa News made a stop at the Wildcats practice and here is what we observed:

A players coach

"I think being a player's coach is being able to coach guys hard and coach them the right way and then help them get what they want to get out of it, and then them understanding that I can dislike their football and still love them when practice is over," Holcomb said.

That's how Holcomb described his coaching style, which he considers himself to be a player's coach.

Holcomb's strong coaching presence could be seen at practice. Whether the team was working on individual or group drills, Holcomb could be seen on the field actively participating in drills with his players, whether it was running routes or standing in as a makeshift defender.

"It's been good," Holcomb said. "Guys are competing, we are playing hard, the effort is not an issue. Just the execution has been something we have to get better at."

Current roster, coaching staff

According to Holcomb, they have more than 70 rising freshman and about 100 10-12th graders. Holcomb said he hopes to keep that number around 150 through the summer to field a freshman, junior varsity and varsity team this season.

"That'll be the first time in a long time we have had enough numbers to field three different teams," Holcomb said.

The Wildcats lost four-star running back and Alabama commit Kevin Riley to graduation but return last season's leading rusher in Chardarius Hutchins who finished with 120 carries for 820 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023.

As for his coaching staff, Holcomb said they are still in the hiring process. Holcomb brought Turner Shankles with him from his previous stop at Southside-Gadsden; Shakes will be the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach for the Wildcats. Brian Niedermeyer, a former Tennessee football assistant, was named as Tuscaloosa County's defensive coordinator earlier this week and was present at practice.

Holcomb said about seven coaches from the previous coaching staff have remained on his staff, including Matthew Carden and Steve Dill.

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Goals for the program

Holcomb has on-the-field goals for the Wildcats program — win the region, make it to playoffs, compete for a state title.

These, though, are not Holcomb's main goal for the Wildcats' program he inherited. Instead, it is the impact he and his coaching staff has on their players.

"All that stuff kind of fades in the end, the way we make those guys feel, and the impact we have on them, and they have on us, that's what lasts," Holcomb said. "That's the goal."

The Wildcats, who have failed to make the playoffs for the last nine seasons, compete in arguably the toughest region in the state in Class 7A, Region 5 with opponents such as Thompson, Hoover and Vestavia Hills. The region saw some shakeup this offseason, with cross-town rival Hillcrest moving to Class 7A from Class 6A and join the region.

"We get to play in the toughest region in the state, one of the toughest regions in the nation, with resources that I have never had before," Holcomb said. "With players who are incredibly talented and maybe need a little bit of vision, maybe need a little bit of accountability. I mean, where else would you want to be?"

When is the Spring Game?

Tuscaloosa County travels to Alpharetta, Georgia on Friday for its spring game at 6 p.m. CT.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: A first look at Tuscaloosa County spring football under coach Miles Holcomb