Jacob Lord, Robert Toombs Academy head coach
Today’s interviewee is Robert Toombs Academy coach Jacob Lord, whose team is 6-4 after 0-9 and 2-9 finishes. The Crusaders rank No. 1 among GIAA schools in GHSF Daily’s Improvement Tracker. Robert Toombs is playing Fullington Academy this week in the Class A semifinals.
1. What would you want people to know about Robert Toombs Academy as a school and football program? “Robert Toombs is a private school with grades K3-12th located in Lyons, roughly in the middle of Macon and Savannah just off I-16. The public schools that service our area are Toombs County and Vidalia. We play under the Georgia Independent Athletic Association title. Our school has just under 300 total students. We have a rich history of athletic success in all sports and have won five state championships through the years in football.”
2. What have you and your staff done to get the team from 0-9 two seasons ago to where it is now? “Great assistant coaches and great players make us all look good. The Lord has placed us as leaders of young people in this community to show them Christ before anything else, and I take that seriously. My staff works each day to change this community on an eternal level first, and we are blessed enough to coach some ball along the way. Our staff consists of five coaches, with three here since 2020. The offensive coordinator, Matthew Meeks, is an offensive mind that runs the same thing in our middle school program as we do at the high school level. He does a great job with his offensive system and has produced a quarterback, T.J. Stanley, that has thrown for 1,601 yards and rushed for 561, a receiving corps that has accounted for 21 touchdowns, with senior Jashaun Powell accounting for 1,019 and 14 touchdowns, and a stable of four 500-yard rushers with freshman Justin Powell leading the way with 839. Our o-line is a big factor in the production we have had. We have also added a new strength coach, Glen Birkheimer. He has drastically increased the strength of our kids, as well as their range of motion. Injury prevention is a focus for a team that consists of 25 players. When my staff and I got here, the program had 13 players. That number has grown each year, and that's a testament to the relationship our coaches build with the kids.”
3. What is your approach to coaching, your philosophy? “We tell our kids all the time that winning happens when football is not the focus. We have to foster a deeper relationship with our teammates and love them on a deeper level than just how they can benefit me. And senior Andrew Tuck, a role guy for us and a key defensive player, understands that. He has endured a lot the past couple of years with his mom being diagnosed with a brain cancer and the loss of two grandparents. That kid hasn't missed a single practice or a single summer workout because he loves his teammates. He is our team captain and will be a kid I'll never forget as a coach. Tough! No chance I'm being asked to write this without that kid, because our team is accomplishing what it is because of him, not me. Our program is starting to understand that high levels of success can only be attained when you look at the micro, not the macro. Doing the little things right is how us simple-minded coaches put it. Our kids are tough, and not just football tough but in real life. And when you get a group of kids like that, you got a shot.”
4. What would you want people to know about GIAA? “The GIAA is a very competitive league with high-caliber athletes consisting of 56 11-man football teams. Not just in the game of football but when you look across the spectrum of athletics you have the No. 1 NBA Draft pick, Anthony Edwards; the tight end for the Browns, Harrison Bryant; Alabama national champion and now GIAA assistant coach at Stratford Academy, Giles Amos; multiple Olympic athletes and Major League Baseball players all having come from this league, just to name a few. So yeah, each Friday you play against some good talent. I have been involved in this association for six years now as a coach, and in my short time, I’ve seen a drastic change in the amount of cross-over play with both private and public schools. That's been something I have enjoyed seeing; both associations opening the gateway for play between the two different association members. Also, if you were to take a deep look into the coaches in the GIAA, I'm sure you'll be surprised at the number of former or retired GHSA coaches walking the sidelines on Friday nights at those schools. Heck, I'm playing a couple this Friday night in the playoffs. The coaching in this league is phenomenal, and you'd better know your stuff if you want to give your kids a shot each week.”