Bryant Appling was named Buford High School’s new Head Football Coach on January 7th, 2019. Coach Appling was hired at Buford in 2004 by Dexter Wood to be the safeties and defensive backs coach and would eventually become the Wolves Defensive Coordinator under Jess Simpson where he was a part of 7 state championships.

Buford Athletics sat down with the longtime assistant and now Head Football Coach to get a preview of what to expect from our football program as Pebblebrook comes to Tom Riden Stadium for a scrimmage this Friday, August 16th at 7:30 p.m.

Buford Athletics: Coach Appling, first and foremost, congratulations on becoming Head Football Coach at Buford High School. After 15 years of being an assistant working for two legends in Georgia High School football in Dexter Wood and Jess Simpson, the name plate over the head football coach’s office now reads, “Bryant Appling”. What did it feel like the first time you sat down in that chair in your office behind a desk where Coach Simpson and Coach Wood sat for so many years?

Coach Appling: Working for two legends was surreal. I remember being a twenty-four-year-old coach worrying about every little thing Coach Wood did and making sure I was never getting called out or anything. Walking into that office, between him (Dexter Wood) and Jess (Simpson) sitting behind that desk for so many years, and reporting to those guys, and now I am the guy sitting behind the desk, it is different. It was definitely a lot of weight on my shoulders, but once you got in there and got going and finally got to football it’s football. Once we started practice I was in my comfort zone.

Buford Athletics: Your first coaching stop was at your alma mater, Lithonia High, where in your first year with the team you were a defensive coordinator. Most young coaches start out as position coaches, and you were in charge of the whole defense at such a young age. What was that experience like and how did it help shape you into the coach that you are today?

Coach Appling: It was God putting me in the right place at the right time. I worked in the business world for a little while, and I wanted to get back in to sports so I started training kids. So, I went back to my old school (Lithonia) to get my feet wet and start my business training kids, and I ended up working the team out for about an hour. After the workout, the head coach, who I had played against in high school, asked me if I ever thought about getting into coaching. They had just lost their defensive coordinator a few days earlier, and he told me to let him know if I was interested in joining his staff. I figured I would be coaching DB’s and linebackers, but when I showed up to the 1st practice he was like, “alright, you’ve got the defense!”. So I didn’t know I was going to be the defensive coordinator until that very first practice. It was a little overwhelming.

Buford Athletics:  What has been the toughest challenge you have faced as you transition from assistant coach to Head Football Coach?

Coach Appling: The biggest challenge for me has been two things really. The first is that everybody in the program (coaches/players/parents/kids/faculty/administrators) answer to me, but at the same time I have to answer to all of them as well. The second thing is trying to get the kids back to what we are used to. Getting our culture back the way it was before. Worrying about the little things. Getting kids to buy into that process which made us successful for so many years.

Buford Athletics: Like we talked about earlier, this will be your 16th season at Buford High School, and I can only imagine that you’ve had multiple opportunities to pursue head jobs elsewhere, what is it about Buford High School and the Buford community that motivated you to stay for so long?

Coach Appling: The thing about this place is that it has always been about family. There were a couple of people I gravitated towards and they took me under their wing when I got here, and the respect they showed me when I was an outsider and bringing me along was what stuck out to me the most. Once my wife got around here and once my kids started to go to school here, it would have had to have been a really, really good situation, and I am not even talking about money to leave. My kids need to be happy and my wife needs to be happy. People have contacted me over the years, and when you get there you realize how special this place really is. So, I decided to stay and grow where I was planted.

Buford Athletics:  What does the Buford community mean to you and your family?

Coach Appling: Family is the word that will always come up, but the love that everyone here has shown me and my family over the years is incredible. I’ve been here 15 years which is a long time, but a lot of people treat me like I was born and raised here, because I have been here so long and hopefully doing it the right way for so long.

Buford Athletics: What will the “Bryant Appling” chapter of Buford football look like? What can the fans and the community expect from our guys and your staff this season?

Coach Appling: You can expect a disciplined team that’s going to respect everyone, but fear no one. We are going to play hard, fast and physical, but we are going to take care of each other and this community. We will be first in line, set the example for the younger kids, and be respectful to teachers and to our community.

The Wolves will open the 2019 season with a scrimmage vs. Pebblebrook High School at Buford High School on Friday,  August 16th at 7:30 p.m.