White Hall hires Daryl Patton as head football coach

Patton started the Little Rock Southwest program and has been there four seasons

Nate Olson | Dec 22, 2023

White Hall hires Daryl Patton as head football coach /

White Hall approved the hiring of Daryl Patton as its new football coach in a special school board meeting Friday.

Patton, who won four state championships at Fayetteville, has been the head coach at Little Rock Southwest since 2020, when he became the Gryphons' inaugural coach of the startup program. Southwest was 6-31 in four seasons under Patton, including a 2-8 record last fall. The Gryphon’s lone 7A-Central Conference win came against winless Little Rock Central.

White Hall endured a tough season playing without its head coach Ryan Mallett, the former University Arkansas star QB and NFL backup, after he drowned off the coast of Florida last summer while on vacation. Jason Mitchell served as the Bulldogs’ interim head coach during a 4-6 campaign.

Patton came to Bauxite, where he coached from 2016-19. His best run was at Fayetteville, where he went 116-43-2 from 2003-15 and won the four state championships, including one in his final season before resigning abruptly.

Patton, who was just inducted into the Bryant High School Sports Hall of Fame, coached his alma mater Hornets from 1998-2002.

Published Dec 22, 2023

NATE OLSON

Nate Olson has covered prep and college sports in Arkansas since 1998. He has managed several newspapers and magazines in The Natural State and has won numerous awards for his work. Nate, who also has six years of public relations experience, has appeared statewide on radio and television throughout his career, and currently co-hosts a high school football postgame radio show.