Chip English understands the rigors of a head football coach.

The new Hoover head coach spent three years as a head coach in North Carolina and six years in North Alabama, four at Grissom and two at Albertville.

This is different. This is Hoover.

“It is different,” English said. “The big thing is, on the support level, our booster club has done an incredible job feeding us all summer and making sure we’re where we need to be in a place like this. Where at Grissom or Albertville, maybe my program had just a little over 100 players 9 through 12, we have just over 200 players 9 through 12. Obviously, the scope and the magnitude of it is larger, not only from a literal standpoint, but obviously figuratively, too.

“This is a premier program, not only in the state, but in the country, and that’s why the attention is on us, and I don’t take that lightly. I’m excited about leading a top tier team and seeing what we can do.”

English was the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator before Drew Gilmer, who was hired from Clay-Chalkville in January, resigned in the wake of an investigation following practice video showing questionable behavior. Defensive coordinator Adam Helms also resigned.

“In the midst of some adversity I tell people this. We haven’t missed a practice, we haven’t missed a lift, we haven’t missed a meeting,” English said. “So while the news was heavy, it didn’t affect our daily routine and I think that’s what’s important right now, keeping these kids on a routine and keeping them focused on the task at hand. The coaching staff, the administration and myself feel like we’ve done a pretty good job of keeping them focused.”

English was already offensive coordinator so the transition for that side of the ball was seamless.

After Helms resigned, defensive line coach Josh Reeves was elevated to defensive coordinator. Reeves and English started their careers together at West Caldwell in Lenoir, N.C. English was hired as head coach in 2014 and selected Reeves as the defensive coordinator. Reeves served in the same position at Grissom and Albertville under English.

“Obviously, losing coach Helms is huge, but we have a veteran staff, which is really nice,” English said. “Coach Gilmer did a great job of really adding quality coaches and so we elevated our defensive line coach Josh Reeves to defense coordinator and he’s done a great job so far with stepping into that role. There were a couple days where it was kind of like, well, they kind of had to regroup a little bit, but honestly, yesterday, you know how it is, some days the offense has it and some days the defense. We didn’t necessarily have a bad day offensively, but the defense gave it to us pretty good.

“The intensity level, that’s what Coach Reves brings to the table. I think the edge and intensity in which he coaches, he loves hard and he also coaches hard. He brings that element to the table and I’m excited to see what he can do with the with the talent on this roster.”

High school sports is demanding on teenagers in the best of situations. Losing the head coach two weeks before the season starts could have been disastrous.

“What we tried to do as a coaching staff is staying in constant communication,” English said. “We’re not going to beat them over the head with this just happened to you in regards to you lost your head coach. At the same time, one, we’re staying focused when it’s football time at the task at hand. We’re practicing, we’re meeting, we’re lifting. Everything we do when we walk in the building, our big thing that I’ve tried to implement is you have purpose in what you do. Wherever you’re at, you got to have purpose. If it’s in the meeting room, what’s the purpose of that meeting? That’s what really you have to focus on.

“While it’s football time, we are 100 percent football. But coaching is more than football, too. Our coaching staff has done a great job of reaching out to kids, talking with kids, pulling to the side, making sure emotionally and psychologically they’re balanced and they’re ready to go. While some kids needed to talk a little bit, other kids, they’re just moving on. Kids are very resilient and I think from a coaching staff point, the kids have responded to our transparency and openness throughout this process. They knew stuff when we knew stuff. And because of that, I think there’s a level of trust there and the kids have really responded well.”

English knows the Hoover history and tradition and is excited about the opportunity.

“I’ve been in the spot before, obviously under different circumstances and the guys that brought me or coach Gilmer, who gave me an opportunity to be offensive coordinator, I am incredibly grateful for that,” English said. “At the same time, right now where I sit, I got to try to lead this football team and I’m excited about that opportunity.

“I was doing some of the administrative stuff already so there wasn’t a huge transition. There’s nothing that was shocking to me because I kind of knew the background and what was going on. I helped get over that. But at the same time, there’s some long hours, some long days, trying to get in the groove and make this transition for the kids seem like it’s not really a transition. My job is to make sure I’m doing the leg work and I’m doing the stuff behind the scenes to make sure the program is running smoothly and we’ve done that and the coaching staff has helped. And I’ll tell you this, the superintendent has reached out the principal, the athletic director, everybody’s incredibly supportive to making this thing run. You know how it is in football, especially a big program like Hoover. It’s so many variables in order to have success and I think Hoover is a special place and I think the support is there.”

English is invested in the Hoover program on a family level. Son Trot is a senior on the football team while daughter Tatum plays basketball and helped the Bucs to last season’s state championship as an eighth grader. He also has three other children, Teagan, Tebow and Ty.

“I have five children and I have a son in the program and my daughter is on the basketball team and my wife’s incredibly supportive,” English said. “It’s one of those deals where you know they’re going to be up at the field house all the time, they’re up in my office and they’re excited and ready for football season, too.”

Hoover opens the season Aug. 24 at Western, Fla.