Abilene Cooper head coach Aaron Roan informed his team Monday morning that after leading the Cougars for the past eight seasons, he’d be stepping into a new role in Abilene ISD as he moves into the athletic department as Abilene ISD’s assistant athletic director.

Roan has been a mainstay at Abilene Cooper as he’s been at the school for the past twenty years serving as the defensive coordinator for seven seasons, before being promoted to head coach in July of 2018. In eight seasons at the helm, Roan kept Abilene Cooper in contention year in and year out, posting a 52-40 overall record.

The Cougars advanced to the playoffs in each of his eight seasons at the helm, with a high-water mark in 2019 when CHS posted an 11-2 record, advancing to the 5A-Division I Regional semifinals. Roan also guided Abilene Cooper to four other bi-district championships.

The timing of the opening in mid-May puts Abilene ISD in an interesting position as the district has a long history of internal hires at the head football coaching position, 2006 was the last time an Abilene ISD program hired a football coach externally when Mike Spradlin was named at Abilene Cooper.

Abilene ISD athletic director James Garfield no doubt has an extensive network of coaches he can reach out to as he gauges interest in the job. Cooper has a recently completed indoor facility on campus and a history of winning so if the job does get posted, there could be some quality candidates express interest despite the late timing.