With the end of the school year, the Tony Gilbert era officially begins at Atlantic Coast football.
Gilbert, formerly Jacksonville Jaguars inside linebackers coach under Doug Pederson, takes over as head coach with the start of summer to complete a move previously announced during the first week of May.
He replaces former Atlantic Coast standout defensive back Step Durham, who guided the Stingrays for three seasons with a cumulative record of 9-21.
Although this is the first high school head coaching position for Gilbert, who served as Atlantic Coast defensive coordinator last year, he brings abundant experience to the sidelines.
Gilbert coached with the Jaguars for four seasons from 2020-23, beginning as assistant linebacker coach under Doug Marrone and retaining that post under Urban Meyer. In 2022-23, he directed the Jaguars’ inside linebackers, a unit that included Foye Oluokun and Devin Lloyd.
He also coached the defensive line briefly in late 2020, part of a short-term reshuffle when Jaguars defensive coordinator Todd Wash and defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich were placed under COVID-19 quarantine.
A former University of Georgia linebacker, he played 68 games for the Jaguars between 2003 and 2007, mostly in a special teams role. He recorded 47 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery with the Jags, and after a stint with the Falcons, he returned to the Jaguars for the 2010 preseason.
Gilbert also has coached in college, including five seasons as a defensive quality control assistant at North Carolina (2015-17) and UCF (2018-19).
Atlantic Coast, which has not qualified for the Florida High School Athletic Association playoffs since 2021 and last finished above .500 in 2015, climbed from 1-9 to 4-6 last year. The Stingrays enter the summer with one of Northeast Florida’s premier prospects in Clemson-committed edge rusher Desmond Malpress.
Following the FHSAA’s reclassification for 2026 and 2027, Atlantic Coast will compete in District 1-6A along with Creekside, First Coast, Flagler Palm Coast, Sandalwood and Tocoi Creek.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Former Jaguar takes over as Atlantic Coast football coach
Reporting by Clayton Freeman, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
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