5 Head Coaches Stepp is Most Hyped to Watch at New Spots

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Chad President, Temple: A native son of Temple takes over one of the state’s most storied programs after spending 2024 as the Wildcats offensive coordinator. President, who had a decorated career leading Temple to a state title game appearance in 2014 before going on to Tulsa to play collegiately, has rocketed up the coaching ranks, ascending to head coach at Temple at the age of 28 in January. President helped Temple post a 7-4 record in 2024 as its offensive coordinator after a disappointing 1-9 mark in 2023. He’s brought a new energy to Temple and has the massive Wildcats fanbase hyped up heading into 2025.

Carl Abseck, Lufkin: Lufkin is another proud fan base that is just chomping at the bit for a state title contender and the fans in the Piney Woods are ready to see if Abseck can bring that winning edge. He takes over a Lufkin squad fresh off a 10-2 record and a district title a year ago. He’s familiar with the lay of the land after leading Lufkin’s district rival Barbers Hill the past few seasons. Abseck has state title pedigree from his time as a head coach at Cedar Park and he’s already generated buzz with a veteran team returning and some new faces in the program that should help Lufkin’s depth and overall numbers.

Kevin Brown, Robinson: Robinson had rebuilt itself into a playoff contender under head coach Chris Lancaster, which made it that much more important for the Rockets to land a quality head coach after his departure for Mart. They hit a homerun with Kevin Brown who had experience at Boerne and Boerne Champion as an offensive coordinator and spent time in the college game as an assistant at UTSA and Lamar. Getting star QB Brice McCurdy in Brown’s offense could make the Rockets one of the most fun teams to watch in all of Class 4A.

Kent Walker, Blanco: There might not be a match more made in heaven than Kent Walker and the Slot-T offense and Blanco. After Jamie Dixon departed to take over at Edna, Blanco got an absolute coup nabbing Walker from 5A powerhouse Liberty Hill. Walker led the Panthers to a state title game appearance in 2021 and state semifinal appearances in 2020, 2022 and 2023. His up-tempo, ground-based offense is perfect for Blanco’s personnel.

Dan Loyd, Roscoe: Loyd made Seymour into a solid program in three seasons going 8-3 in 2022 and 2023 before injuries derailed a promising 2024 campaign. His pass-happy offense is fun to play in and could be a great boost for a Roscoe squad that’s been consistently good, but has not yet emerged as a regional contender in the Big Country.