Jake Ganus is the new head football coach at Pell City High School.
The former Moody coach was approved by the Pell City Board of Education at a meeting Tuesday night. The move had been heavily rumored for the last two weeks.
He replaces Nick Gentry, who stepped down last weekend.
“It’s one of those things where I was so happy and thankful for the Moody community and all the support I had, but I felt like this opportunity to be in a little larger school system that could provide more resources for me and my staff and my kids was important,” Ganus told AL.com. “My familiarity with the superintendent, Dr. (Justin) Burns, was a key. When he took the job in late july, the rumor mill started. Despite what people think or say, we didn’t sit down and meet until after the state championship. I felt like a decision had to be made pretty quickly. The bottom line is the opportunity for me and my family was too good to turn down.”
Ganus spent the last four years as head coach at Moody, winning at least 10 games every season and leading his team to the Class 5A state championship two weeks ago.
He went 44-10 overall, including a 13-2 record in 2025. The Blue Devils defeated Vigor to win the state title. The team also played for the championship in 2024, losing to Montgomery Catholic.
“It has been a special time,” Ganus said. “I was reminiscing the other night and scrolling through old photos. To see the growth is special. Obviously, the wins were awesome and that is what we are paid to do, but to see all the players come back, to know that we had 27 kids sign scholarships in three years, four so far this year with maybe as many as 11 more -- it’s really rewarding. I didn’t know much when I took the job. You figure it out as you go, fake it till you make it. It’s unbelievable what a smile and a little joy can do for you. Like they say, you always want to leave a place better than you found it, and I think we did that.”
Before taking over at Moody, Ganus served as linebackers coach and college recruiting coordinator for Mark Freeman at Thompson.
He played football at Chelsea High as well as in college at UAB and Georgia.
Ganus takes over a Pell City team that enjoyed a pair of turnaround, playoff seasons under Gentry. However, the Panthers haven’t won a postseason game since 2012.
“What I have been told is there have been some great coaches there, Hall of Fame coaches, and no one has had sustained success,” Ganus said. “What I think is really important is that the entire school board, led by the president, is new. I’ve been told there has been a disconnect between the city and the board for a while and, when that happens, it creates problems. With everyone on the same page, Pell City can be a special, special place. I feel the right leadership is in place. I think this is the right opportunity for me, and I’m the right guy to lead it.”
Ganus starts work Wednesday. He will meet with the team and have a parent meeting Thursday. He told AL.com he is bringing four coaches with him with a chance to add more later.
The AHSAA reclassification for the 2026-2027 years has not been announced yet. For the last two seasons, Pell City has competed in Class 6A, Region 6 along with reigning state champ Clay-Chalkville and perennial playoff teams Mountain Brook, Pinson Valley and Oxford among other opponents.
According to an AHSAA release Tuesday morning, Ganus will have to sit out a spring or fall jamboree game in 2026 as well as Pell City’s first regular-season game as a result of “flagrant unsportsmanlike conduct” by members of Moody’s team following its state championship win.
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