Ranking the 10 Best First-Year TXHSFB Coaches of 2025
Sheldon C.E. Panthers' Cory Laxen, Barbers Hill Eagles' Cody Simper and Alvord Bulldogs Matt Fanning headline the best first-year coaches in the 2025 TXHSFB season.
Byron Nelson defensive coordinator Zach Woodward took over as the interim head coach after the sudden death of Travis Pride in late May. He led the Bobcats to a 10-3 season after moving Baylor tight end signee Parker Almanza to quarterback for the first time in his varsity career.
In 2024, Fort Bend Bush stumbled to a 2-8 record after the unexpected death of head coach Allen Aldridge in September. McNeil took over a program searching for direction and led the Broncos to their first winning season since 2017.
Baker, who was Price Carlisle’s head coach from 2018-22, had a triumphant return in 2025 after two years as Henderson’s head coach. The Indians went from 1-9 to 7-6, led by a defense that improved by 22.2 points allowed per game.
Haack was the offensive coordinator on Richmond Randle’s 2024 state championship team and a 2012 Katy High School graduate who was 27-3 as the team’s starting quarterback. His winning pedigree was quickly imprinted on Houston Memorial, whose 10-2 record was the best season since 2011.
Littleton left 5A PSJA Memorial for a Raymondville team that was projected to miss the playoffs out of District 16-3A DI. Instead, he led the Bearkats to an undefeated regular season and district championship. Raymondville Mayor Gilbert Gonzalez even declared December 11 as Raymondville Bearkat Football Team Day to commemorate the first 10-win season since 2010.
Hill was one of the last head coaches hired in the 2025 cycle, taking the Pflugerville Weiss job on May 30. For reference, that was less than three months away from the Wolves’ first game. It didn’t take long for Hill to make his mark, however. Pflugerville Weiss’ 10-3 season was the deepest playoff run in school history.
Alvord hired Fanning away from Division III Hardin-Simmons, but he had previously led Jim Ned to a 21-point comeback win in the 2020 Class 3A DI State Championship. Fanning worked similar magic in his first season at Alvord, leading the program to a 9-3 season, its highest win total since 1997, and the first district championship since 2014. Led by unanimous District 6-2A DI MVP Zane Fuentes’ 1,800 rushing yards, the Bulldogs' offense improved by 24 points per game.
Simper, hired from Cypress Woods in January 2025, took over a Barbers Hill program predicted to finish third in District 9-5A DI and led the Eagles to their first regional final berth since 1976. Simper convinced WR Tripp Davis, who had suffered three season-ending injuries as a freshman, sophomore, and junior, to play his senior season, and Davis became a First Team All-District selection with 1,446 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Laxen was named the 2025 DCTX Coach of the Year, so, naturally, he’s also the highest-ranked head coach on this list. Promoted from offensive line coach, Laxen improved the Panthers from 5-5 to 13-3, becoming the only first-year head coach to reach a state championship game. In the preseason magazine, Sheldon C.E. King was projected to miss the playoffs out of the grueling District 23-6A, named the state’s toughest Class 6A district ahead of the season.
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