Rabun County has reportedly announced the hiring of Rance Gillespie as its new head football coach. The move comes after the announcement that Michael Davis had retired despite a seeming desire to stay.

The Wildcats ended their 9-year streak of making the Quarterfinals, but still made the playoffs with a 6-5 record. The playoff streak is at 13 years in a row.

Gillespie becomes the third head coach since 2021 for the program, and the 16th in Rabun County history. He has a rich background of more than 30 years coaching. His head coaching stops include: Banks County (1999-2000), Peach County (2001-2006), Valdosta (2010-15), Hart County (2017-21), and Brookstone (2022-24).

He has an overall mark of 170-91 with a pair of state titles (2005 and 2006 at Peach County), five region championships, and 20 straight seasons with a playoff appearance. He also coached State Runner-Up teams at Brookstone (2023) and Peach County (2003).

His breakdown per school: Banks County (5-15); Peach County (65-16); Valdosta (49-20); Hart County (28-27); Brookstone (23-13). He is a Rabun County alum and also had coaching stops that included Georgia Southern.

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