Bryant (Arkansas) hires Quad Sanders as next head football coach

Sanders, the Hornets' defensive coordinator for the last five seasons, took the head job at Jonesboro in March

Andy Buhler, SBLive Sports | May 31, 2023

Bryant has hired Quad Sanders to be its next football coach, the Bryant School Board decided in a meeting Wednesday evening.

Sanders spent the last five seasons as Bryant's defensive coordinator before he was hired to be the head coach Jonesboro in March.

The Hornets have won 53 games in a row and are coming off of a 12-0 season that ended with its fifth straight 7A AAA state championship win over Bentonville.

Sanders replaces Buck James, who left this week to become the head coach at rival Conway High School. James held the post for seven years and accumulated an 80-9 record.

Sanders was a big part of that success. He was the defensive coordinator for the five consecutive titles and won the high school Broyles Award for the nation's top assistant coach in 2022.

In an interview with SBLive Tuesday, James said Conway was "an opportunity I couldn't pass up" and that he "needed change."

March 14: Jonesboro hires Bryant assistant Quad Sanders as head football coach

May 30: Bryant (Arkansas) football coach Buck James leaving for league rival Conway

May 30: Conway (Arkansas) believes hire of football coach Buck James can lift Wampus Cats to greater heights

May 31: Former Bryant (Arkansas) football coach Buck James 'couldn’t pass up' opportunity offered at Conway

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Lead photo by Jimmy Jones

Published May 31, 2023

ANDY BUHLER, SBLIVE SPORTS

Andy Buhler is a Regional Editor of Texas and the national breaking news desk. He brings more than five years of experience covering high school sports across the state of Washington and beyond, where he covered the likes of Paolo Banchero and Tari Eason served on state tournament seeding committees. He works on the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings. He has covered everything from the Final Four, MLS in Atlanta to local velodrome before diving into the world of preps. His bylines can be found in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), The Associated Press, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), The Oregonian and more. He holds a degree from Gonzaga and is based out of Portland, Oregon.

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