By Southern Torch Staff
COLLINSVILLE, Ala. — Collinsville High School is pleased to announce Daniel Garrett as the new Panther Head Football Coach. Garrett replaces Ernie Willingham, who announced his retirement following the 2019 season, which included a 12-2 finish and an appearance in the Class 2A State Semifinals.
Coach Garrett comes to Collinsville from Madison Academy, where he served as the defensive coordinator for the Mustangs. Previous stops for Garrett include working for legendary coaches Dale Pruitt (Albertville) and Bob Godsey (Madison Academy/Hartselle).
Coach Garrett has been part of two state championship coaching staff. His first state title came in 2011 while serving as the Defensive Line Coach at Hartselle, as the Tigers brought home the Class 5A State Championship. Garrett’s second state crown came in 2015 at Nashville area powerhouse Ravenwood (TN), where he served as Outside Linebackers Coach and Special Teams Coordinator.
Commenting on the hiring of Garrett, Collinsville High School Assistant Principal Bradley Crawford stated, “When we set out to find a replacement for Coach Willingham, we wanted a coach with strong character, and who is an effective educator in the classroom and on the field. We also sought someone we felt has a tremendous grasp of the game, possesses outstanding organizational skills, and meshes well with the values that we want for our school and football program. Coach Garrett checked every box on our wishlist.”
Coach Garrett added, “I am extremely honored to be the next Head Football Coach at Collinsville High School. This is a place with a lot of tradition and community pride, which I cannot wait to be a part of. I am very thankful to Mr. Crawford for trusting me with this opportunity. I am also grateful that God has placed so many wonderful mentors like Dale Pruitt and Bob Godsey in my life to tutor me in the ways of being a great leader of men. I am just so excited to meet these players and coaches. We are going to work extremely hard but we are also going to have a lot of fun! It’s great to be a Panther!”
Garrett is a graduate of Rogers High School in Florence, AL. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of North Alabama and earned his graduate degree from Arkansas State University.