Adam Holmes resigns as Gray Collegiate football coach, AD. Here’s what we know
After building Gray Collegiate Academy’s football team into a championship program, Adam Holmes has decided to leave the school.
Holmes was set to tell his players of the news Friday, according a source with knowledge of the decision. Gray communicated the news of Holmes’ resignation Friday to the school’s parents and families.
Holmes has been Gray’s only head football coach and athletics director since the public charter school opened in 2014. Gray wasn’t eligible for the playoffs until 2016, but they’ve been one of the top programs in recent years in Class 2A across multiple sports — with state championships in football, boys and girls basketball and softball.
It wasn’t immediately known when Holmes’ last day at Gray will be.
The school’s athletics teams have had an eventful year on and off the field. A handful of local schools forfeited games against Gray in various spring sports after a series of blowout defeats and in protest of how the charter school builds it athletic rosters. The War Eagles’ Region 4-2A opponents then refused to play Gray in any sport during the 2023-24 school year.
In a statement sent to parents on Friday, Holmes said “over the past year, my mental, physical, and emotional health has suffered greatly.”
“Over this break I have had time to sit back and reflect on my ten year journey here at Gray,” Holmes wrote to Gray Collegiate parents. “I have put my heart and soul into this school to help make this athletic program what it is today. There have been many long hours and days over these ten years and now I think it’s time for me to step away as Athletic Director and Head Football Coach.”
In football, Holmes and Gray were allowed to replace the forfeited games, and the War Eagles played powerhouse programs with road trips to nationally ranked IMG Academy and Clearwater Academy, both in Florida. Gray also traveled to Washington, D.C., to play St. John’s.
Under Holmes, Gray Collegiate won the 2021 Class 2A championship and made it back there this season before losing to Oceanside Collegiate, 35-28.
The former South Carolina offensive lineman went 76-35 as football coach during his time at Gray, winning six region championships and leading the War Eagles to a pair of state title appearances. Before Gray, Holmes was the head coach at Orangeburg Prep for six seasons.
Replacing Holmes won’t be the only challenge Gray Collegiate will face next season. The War Eagles will be moving from Class 2A to Class 4A in athletic competition for the 2024-26 school year.
The S.C. High School League’s classification realignment formula featured an out-of-zone multiplier for the first time. That multiplier took each student who lives outside of a school’s assigned attendance zone and counted them as three for total enrollment purposes.
The addition of the multiplier was largely in response to competitive balance concerns as the Class A and 2A levels — where the league’s charter and private school members were having a great deal of state championship success in recent years.
Gray is the fifth football opening in the Midlands, joining Gilbert, Lugoff-Elgin and Swansea. Heathwood Hall found a replacement for Rick Reetz by promoting assistant coach Tymere Zimmerman.
“It is time for me now to focus on my family and myself, and see where this journey leads me professionally,” Holmes wrote in his statement to parents. “There is interest out there in football and outside of football. When I knew I wanted to possibly venture outside of working at Gray, I spoke with (principal Brian) Newsome and we both thought it was best to go ahead and step away so Gray can move on with the process of finding someone.
“Gray has been so good to me that I thought it was only right to give them this opportunity. I am nervous but also excited for me and my family about what will be next.”
SC High School Football openings
School — Former Coach — New Coach
Bishop England — John Cantey — TBA
Fort Dorchester — Josh Smith (interim) — Shaun Lorenzano
Gilbert — Chad Leaphart — TBA
Gray Collegiate — Adam Holmes — TBA
Great Falls — Brian Kane — TBA
Heathwood Hall — Rick Reetz — Tymere Zimmerman
Laurens — Darryl Smith — TBA
Lugoff-Elgin — Matt Campbell — TBA
Stall — Benjamin Lailson — Ken Freeman
Scott’s Branch — Randall State — TBA
St. John’s — Mike Howard — TBA
Swansea — Brent Wilder — TBA
Union County — Brian Thompson — TBA
Wando — Rocco Adrian — Isaiah Perrin
Wilson — Rodney Mooney — TBA
