General
This is an opinion piece.
I was having a quiet Wednesday afternoon, working on some early stories for next week and getting ready for church.
And then? Not.
T.R. Miller football coach Brent Hubbert announced his retirement from public schools after 32 years, 25 as a head coach at three different schools. He told me that, while the game is the same on the field, it’s clearly not the same off it.
We know that, of course. But to hear it from a coach who will enter the Alabama High School Hall of Fame in March and whose father is already in the Hall of Fame is scary. Brent is also just 54 years old – three years younger than me. We need him – and veteran coaches like him – in high school athletics.
My hope is that he’s not done coaching, but his words tell me he’s tired and frustrated.
“It’s changing too much,” he said. “Everyone voices opinions about all the problems, but no one wants to deal with it anymore.”
Hubbert said the college transfer portal has made it harder to get high school athletes recruited, while NIL has taken away from the team aspect of the game on that level. On the high school level, the increasing number of players transferring to different schools is obviously a growing concern.
“It happens. I get it,” he said. “But is it happening because a program is really good and they win or is it happening because the program has help outside in getting folks to transfer in? When I was at Maplesville, we had a transfer every once in a while. Some could play and some couldn’t, but they came there because we were winning.”
Hubbert also said the broken neck suffered by sophomore Ken Lett during T.R. Miller’s game at UMS-Wright gave him pause about the sport he loves. (Lett has returned to Brewton and is back in school as he continues to recover).
“I need a break,” Hubbert said, frankly.
Within the same hour Hubbert’s decision was announced Wednesday, the news came out that Holt High School in Tuscaloosa would stop offering athletics after the 2025-2026 school year. I believe my friend Anna Snyder from the Tuscaloosa News was first on that story. Now, while it’s true Holt hasn’t been very successful in team sports – 1 state volleyball title in 1989 – this is still ominous.
A release from the Tuscaloosa County School System cited “steadily declining participation rates and the financial unsustainability” as factors in the decision. Student-athletes can still attend Holt following the 2025-2026 but will have to play their sport at either Brookwood or Tuscaloosa County depending on where they live.
The combination of both of those breaking news items in a short period of time worries me about the overall state of high school athletics. AHSAA executive director Heath Harmon has settled into his now job, and I’m sure will try to address some of the concerns. He mentioned in last week’s Central Board meeting that the high school transfer issue was a concern of almost every state at the recent national meeting.
Solving it is easier said than done. As Hubbert pointed out, high school coaches work long hours trying to get their players a look in college. That’s getting harder and harder. I hear it time and time again from coaches around the state.
The three winningest football coaches in our state’s history – Central-Clay County’s Danny Horn, UMS-Wright’s Terry Curtis and Fyffe’s Paul Benefield – are all still active but for how much longer. High school football in our state is better because of those three and Hubbert and guys like Steve Mask, Keith Etheredge, Josh Floyd, Steve Smith and so many others.
Whatever the solutions are, I hope we find some soon before we lose more veteran coaches and have more athletic departments shut down.
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The Friday newsletter includes a column from yours truly that you can only see if you subscribe. Today’s column includes a few more thoughts on where the Super 7 could and should be held in the future.
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Thought for the Day
“Out of all the voices calling out to me, I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth.” – Casting Crowns.
Ben Thomas is the high school managing producer at AL.com. He has been named one of the 50 legends of the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Follow him on twitter at @BenThomasPreps or email him at [email protected].
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