Jason Strickland, Ware County head coach
Today’s interviewee is Ware County coach Jason Strickland, whose team won Class 5A last season for the south Georgia school’s first state championship. Strickland became Ware’s coach in 2019. He has been head coach at Pierce County, Fitzgerald and Lamar County and won region titles at each.
1. Looking back on the 2022 season one more time, what was the legacy of that team and season? “I think the legacy of that group will always be that it was a group of young men who would accept nothing less than their absolute best from each other. They were not willing to listen to outside noise. They were not going to ever listen to people tell them how great or not great they were. They just simply wanted to show up each day and hold themselves to a very high standard. The most memorable thing to me will be the group of seniors we had on that team. We all came into Ware County High School together. They were the most focused group of young men I have ever been around.”
2. What's the scouting report on this year's team? “Once again we should be very strong in the defensive box. We have a group of defensive linemen and linebackers who have played a ton, with a lot of ability, who we are expecting to play at a very high level. We have three starters returning in the secondary who have all played a lot of snaps and who are great young men. They have become like coaches on the field for us as we get a couple of inexperienced guys ready for Friday nights. Obviously, we have the two backs returning on offense [Daejeaun Dennis and R.J. Boyd, who combined for more than 2,000 yards rushing last season], and we are needing them to maximize their potential, especially early in the season as we get some offensive linemen ready. We think we have a chance to be explosive again at the wide receiver position, so we are excited to see those guys run around. Probably our biggest concern right now is along our offensive line. We graduated some really outstanding players up there, and we have a couple of guys who are not quite ready from injuries from late in the year. So early in the season, we could be really, really young up front.”
3. You won a state championship despite having to replace Thomas Castellanos, one of the best players in school history. Now, you’re replacing Niko Smith. What’s the outlook at QB? Do you have a starting QB, and what does he bring to the table? “Yeah, we are fortunate that we have had very good quarterback play here for several years. We were not expecting to replace Niko, but life happens. [Smith transferred to Yulee High in Florida, his home state.] Thankfully, we have had guys prepare like they were going to be the starter. Luke Hooks is a junior and is our QB1 right now. The number two is sophomore Slade Sweat. Both have every intangible you could hope for. High character, incredibly smart, tough, competitive, and they both can throw the heck out of the football. Luke just has a little better grasp of the whole offense right now. Neither one is as mobile as what we have had at the position in the past, but they are great at getting the ball out of their hands, and they do so many of the small detail things so well. I am excited about watching those guys play this year.”
4. You’re one of 11 coaches in GHSA history who has won region titles at four schools. Do you coach the same no matter where you are, or is each job a little different? “Yeah, certainly each situation is different, but you also have to be who you are. I am fortunate that I have an incredible staff, and many of those guys have been with me for several years, so they have made the transitions work as much as anything. But the biggest thing I think is that we have tried to build dynamic relationships everywhere we have been. We have always done everything we can to make sure the community knows how much we love and appreciate them. I think we do a great job of making sure the young men in our program know we care more about them as a person than them as a football player. We have always been adamant about supporting our administration. At the end of the day, this thing is about relationships, and if you will make that the priority, I have found, you'll have some pretty incredible people come into your life.”