Adam Winegarden is returning to the high school ranks.

The veteran coach was approved Monday morning as the new head football coach at Albertville High.

“We are excited to have him,” Albertville City Schools superintendent Bart Reeves told AL.com. “All you have to do is do a google search to see what kind of man and coach he is. When you call people around the state – people who know him, who have worked for him, mutual friends – everyone just said, ‘You need to hire this guy.’ We are very excited.”

Winegarden replaces Bert Browne at Albertville after having spent the last year as director of leadership and high school relations under coach Gerad Parker at Troy University.

“I’m very thankful to coach Parker and Troy,” he said. “I really love what we are doing here and all the growth that is happening here. It’s really unique. I just really missed the amount of influence you can have at the high school level. It’s been on my heart to be back and to have a chance to pour into a community and program.”

Winegarden last coached at Tuscaloosa County where he went 12-18 in from 2021-2023. After a 1-9 debut season, his teams were 11-9 in the final two years while competing in one of the state’s toughest regions (7A, Region 3).

He’s also been head coach at three other Alabama high schools – Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa (2010-2011), Fairhope (2012-2014) and Auburn (2015-2020). He took Auburn to the Class 7A championship game in 2020 and has an overall record of 117-48 in Alabama. He also was head coach at Dalton, Ga. for two years in 2008 and 2009.

“God puts us all in the right positions and has a perfect plan for all of us, and I’m excited to be back at this level,” Winegarden said.

He’ll have a challenge in front of him at Albertville. The Aggies are 2-38 in their last 40 games and haven’t won a playoff game since 2002.

“We talked about those challenges,” Reeves said. “I told him this was going to be one of the most challenging jobs he’s ever had. He reassured me that he wanted to be here, that he wanted to build this thing the right way. I have a lot of trust and faith that he can do just that. When he speaks, he speaks with confidence, and you just believe him.”

Winegarden said he has seen a tremendous commitment at Albertville not just to sports but to all student activities.

“This is going to take a commitment from everyone involved, but we can get it done,” he said. “The coaches, the players, the community all have to be committed. Any kind of growth and improvement is a team effort. We all need to be aligned and moving in the right direction.”

Winegarden is expected to meet the team and start next week.

The Aggies compete in Class 7A, Region 4 along with Austin, Bob Jones, Florence, Grissom, Huntsville, James Clemens and Sparkman.