Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect Palm Beach Gardens’ coaching change, which was announced on the afternoon of Thursday, Aug. 6.
A batch of fresh faces have joined Palm Beach County’s high school football coaching ranks ahead of the 2026 season.
Seven schools will enter the fall with new full-time head coaches while Santaluces and Palm Beach Gardens will be led by interim coaches.
Several prominent programs, including Dwyer, Jupiter and Seminole Ridge, will begin new eras under new leadership. At the same time, veteran coaches such as Cardinal Newman’s Jack Daniels and Wellington’s Pete Walker continue to bring a familiar, accomplished presence atop the profession.
Daniels and Walker are the county’s most winningest active head coaches, each owning three FHSAA state championships. Walker won titles at Glades Day in 2006, 2009 and 2010, while Daniels captured crowns at Dwyer in 2009, 2013 and Cardinal Newman in 2025. Both are now in their fourth decade of high school football coaching.
West Boca Raton’s Dylan Potts has surged into those ranks after back-to-back state championships in 2024 and 2025. He has won more than 80 percent of games in four seasons since taking over a 1-9 program.
Veteran Saint Andrew’s coach Jimmy Robertson enters his 11th season with the Scots, making him the longest-tenured head coach at the same Palm Beach County program.
Here’s a look at the new football coaches joining the county ranks in 2026, along with every Palm Beach County head coach’s record at his current school.
Remington Young, Dwyer
Previous: Willie Smith Jr. (3-17 in two seasons)
The Panthers hired Young from Inlet Grove after a winless 2025 season and hope that he can find similar turnaround success. Young led the Hurricanes to a five-win season in his first season as a varsity high school football coach, overcoming equipment and funding challenges that threatened the viability of the program. He was previously an accomplished flag football coach at Oxbridge Academy.
Matt Haughn, Inlet Grove
Previous: Remington Young (5-5 in one season)
Haughn joined Inlet Grove as a digital design teacher in January after previously working at the Benjamin School.
Josh Brooks, Jupiter
Previous: Jason Kradman (34-11 in four seasons)
Brooks has big shoes to fill after the Kradman’s departure. A former Jupiter player and defensive coordinator under the previous regime, Brooks is intimately familiar with the football culture at the north county program, which takes immense pride in its homegrown talent.
LeVon Barnett Jr., Lake Worth
Previous: Erik Lee (6-14 in two seasons)
Barnett, 27, will lead what is likely the county’s youngest coaching staff from top to bottom. The former Dwyer standout and his band of Gen-Z coaches will try to bring success to one of the county’s toughest football jobs.
Mike Colee, Oxbridge Academy
Previous: Jonathan Stellman (9-20 in three seasons)
The ThunderWolves elevated Colee from offensive coordinator to head coach this offseason. Oxbridge Academy, which revived its football program after a five-year hiatus in 2023 and went 0-11 last season, has been a winner before, finishing as FHSAA 3A state runner-up in 2017.
Phillip Norman, Palm Beach Gardens
Previous: Tyrone Higgins (44-36 in seven seasons)
Higgins announced his resignation on Aug. 8 after accepting a collegiate coaching position at Tennessee Tech. Norman was announced as the Gators’ interim head coach for the 2026 season.
Samuel Putmon, Santaluces
Serving 1-year suspension: Hector Clavijo (30-14 in four seasons)
Putmon, the Chiefs’ defensive coordinator, was appointed interim head coach in the wake of Clavijo’s FHSAA suspension in May. He is a Belle Glade native and former player at Glades Central.
Eric Poyner, Seminole Ridge
Previous: Chad Chieffalo (17-23 in four seasons)
Poyner takes over at Seminole Ridge after most recently working as an assistant coach at DeLand High School in Volusia County. His only previous head coaching experience was at Pine Ridge High School from 2022-23. He compiled a 3-16 record in that span, which was tied for the most wins by a coach at the struggling program since 2010.
Gad Jacobs, St. John Paul II
Previous: Jamal Hunt (7-12 in two seasons)
Jacobs gets his chance as a head coach after previously serving as defensive coordinator at Saint Andrew’s, which accomplished numerous program feats while he was on staff. The Scots finished 10-2 last year and won a regional playoff game for the second straight season. Previously, Saint Andrew’s football had not won a regional playoff game since 1974.
Palm Beach County high school football coaches
Eric J. Wallace is deputy sports editor for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at ejwallace@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Meet all 35 high school football head coaches in Palm Beach County
Reporting by Eric J. Wallace, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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By Eric J. Wallace, Palm Beach Post | USA TODAY Network
