Fultondale reached across the county for its new head football coach, hiring Pleasant Grove co-offensive coordinator Keon Handley to take the reins for the Wildcats.

Handley’s first official day is March 1, he said, but there’s work to be done before then.

“Actually, I’m on the way over right now,” he told AL.com on Monday afternoon. “I was going to start workouts this afternoon, but I’m going to meet with them again and talk to the kids some more. We’ll get started in the weight room tomorrow.”

Handley was hired on Jan. 26 to take over a team that was winless last season and 1-18 the past two years under Kendric Cook.

The Wildcats’ 14th head coach said the new Fultondale school – projected to be open this year – and athletic facilities being built after a 2021 tornado, was one selling point for his interest in the job. The artificial turf football field, locker room and weight room are ready to use, he said.

“The new facilities definitely were a reason I wanted this job,” he said. “This is a great community, a community that wants growth and wants change. I’m just being honest, but you look at some years back how things started in Alabaster (for Thompson High School) and how it grew to where they are now. Fultondale has the same potential.”

The Wildcats have struggled in three seasons as a Class 4A team after some strong campaigns as a 2A and 3A school. Fultondale was 1-9 in its first year as a 4A team under Don Dover, but was 17-5 in his first two seasons in Class 3A. Richie Busby was 40-17 in five years, the last four in Class 3A after one in 2A.

“People will be surprised,” Handley said. “When I walked into the room my eyes got big and I was kind of amazed at the talent there. My thought was, ‘I can win here. If I put together the right staff, I can definitely win here.’”

The coach said he and his yet-to-be hired Fultondale staff aim to mold a team that is responsible to themselves and their teammates.

“I’m trying to put the pieces together for a staff,” Handley said. “Our staff will get the best out of the kids every day. They will be guys who will be like fathers and big brothers to the kids and will hold them accountable. My motto is that ‘Accountability is 90 percent of the battle.’ If I can be accountable for my actions, I have won 90 percent of the battle. The other 10 percent comes from coaching.

“Accountability is the key to their success. That’s one thing these coaches can do is hold them accountable and hold their feet to the fire.”

Handley said he hopes to have 55 to 60 players on the varsity roster, which would be about 15 more than dressed for the Wildcats in 2022.

“I have heard of some kids not on the team and some came to our meeting and we’ll get those details worked out,” he said. “We will keep pushing to get them acclimated to our program and our expectations.

“I know how to build relationships. I’ll love my players and I will hold them accountable. I’ll be the father they need, the uncle they need. From the personality of coaches we will have, they will gravitate to me.

“Culture over strategy wins ballgames,” Handley said. “Our culture will be infectious to the whole school. When Rueben Nelson was at Ramsay, the culture he built with ‘Papa Jack’ (former Nelson assistant and current head coach Ronnie Jackson) when he was the girls’ basketball coach, became infectious to the other sports. They shared athletes, so boys’ and girls’ basketball became real competitive. In everything they did they were striving for excellence.”

Handley has a 23-40 record in six years as a head coach, his first year in 2016 at Selma where he was 1-9. The Miles College graduate, who has a master’s from Jacksonville State, coached at his alma mater, Fairfield, from 2017-21. His took the Tigers to the playoffs his last two seasons and was 7-4 in 2021.

Handley’s son, a 3-star recruit at quarterback, will stay at Pleasant Grove with plans to graduate in December.

“I really want to thank coach (Darrell) LeBeaux for allowing me to be on his staff at Pleasant Grove,” Handley said. “Sometimes it’s hard to hire another head coach (as an assistant) and he took a chance on me. I really enjoyed my time with him. He’s the next great one in our area.”