Leander Rouse High School has hired Katy Tompkins’ offensive coordinator Mark Hopkins as athletic coordinator and head football coach. Leander ISD Senior Director of Athletics Becky Craig announced the hiring on Monday morning on X.

Hopkins spent the past nine years leading Katy Tompkins’ offense. The Falcons had four consecutive double-digit win seasons from 2018 to 2021 and have made the playoffs every year except one since 2018. In that time, Hopkins mentored former Alabama quarterback and Super Bowl champion Jalen Milroe, as well as First Team All-Conference wide receiver Wyatt Young, now at Oklahoma State. 

While this will be Hopkins’ first experience as a head coach, he says working under Katy Tompkins’ head coach, Todd McVey, for the last nine years has prepared him for his new role. 

“My head coach and athletic coordinator, Todd McVey, did an amazing job of not only allowing me to be the offensive coordinator and call the offense, but also to help me grow coaches on the offensive side of the ball,” Hopkins said. “He gave me duties outside of that that helped me learn how to handle other adults and network amongst boosters and parents.” 

Hopkins replaces former Leander Rouse head coach Josh Mann, the only head coach in the school’s 18-year history. Mann took the head coaching position at Belton High School after compiling a 91-81-9 record at Leander Rouse. 

Hopkins says that while he made his bones as an offensive coordinator, his path has crossed with several high-profile defensive coordinators, including current Fort Bend Hightower head coach Cornelius Anthony while they were both at Fort Bend Willowridge, Austin High head coach Jason Cecil while both were at Round Rock Stony Point, and most recently Eric Robinson at Katy Tompkins. 

“Just because I’m an offensive coordinator doesn’t mean we’re not going to play great defense and be elite on special teams,” Hopkins said.

But even more important than the football knowledge, Hopkins had taken lessons on building a winning culture from every stop. Now, he will blend North Shore’s “Earn the Right to Win” he learned as a player with Fort Bend Willowridge’s “Class and Character” and Katy Tompkins’ “Chop Wood, Carry Water.” Leander Rouse’s proprietary slogan is TBD. 

“We’re going to do it with culture,” Hopkins said. “We’re gonna have some athletes, obviously. There are definitely athletes here. But we’re going to win with culture over scheme. So it’s not really about what we do, it’s about how we do it.”