Steve Smith has stepped down after an ultra-successful 17 years as head coach at Piedmont and will become head coach at Westbrook Christian in Gadsden.

EA Sports Today was first to report the news.

Smith was not immediately available for comment.

He won 198 games and five state championships with Piedmont. His 2022 team went 12-3 and lost to St. James in the Class 3A title game.

He will retire from public school teaching after the spring semester and replace Drew Noles at Westbrook Christian. He also will be athletic director at Westbrook, he confirmed to EA Sports Today.

Smith was an honorable mention All-State quarterback at Cherokee County High and played football at Jacksonville State between 1988-1991. He also was a graduate assistant at JSU during the 1992 national championship season.

His first head coaching job came at Cedar Bluff in 1995. He spent 11 years there, finishing with an 85-45 record. His last two teams (2004, 2005) went a combined 23-3 and both played in the 1A quarterfinals.

He took over at Piedmont in 2006 and started a dominant run with the Bulldogs. His teams won state titles in 2009, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2021. In 28 years, he has an overall coaching record of 283-81 and a playoff record of 62-22.

His teams also have won 16 region titles.

Smith takes over a Westbrook team that went 5-5 in 2022. The Warriors won four of their first five games before losing four in a row and missing the playoffs for the second straight season.

This story will be updated