Darryl Overton steps down as Hayfield head coach after one season

The 2024 season was a mix of success and controversy for Overton, who departs to become the first head coach of St. James Performance Academy

Darryl Overton, who coached Hayfield through a controversial 2024 season after winning back-to-back state championships at Freedom High School, has announced he has stepped down as the Hawks head coach to become the head coach at St. James Performance Academy in Springfield, Virginia. / Freedom Football

After one season that had success on the field and controversy off of it, Darryl Overton has stepped down as football coach at Hayfield High in Virginia.

Overton was named director of football at the St. James, a multipurpose athletics complex in Springfield, Va. He will also serve as a coach of the first scholastic team at the St. James Performance Academy. 

The St. James announced Overton’s hiring in a press release Friday.

“I loved the opportunity to build something up,” Overton said to the Washington Post. “My coaches and I, what we’ve been able to do in recent years with less resources has been amazing. Developing kids, winning games, sending them to the next level. ... Now we’ll have access to state-of-the-art facilities. It’s almost like being a college athlete.”

Ready to be part of something big? Learn more about our STJ Performance Academy Football Program https://t.co/SjCnisEO3b#stjacademy #stjfootball #dmvfootball #dmvsports #highschoolfootball pic.twitter.com/D2Xq2mjNDc

— The St. James (@TheStJames) January 24, 2025

Overton coached at Freedom and Hayfield, both in the Northern Virginia region. He led Freedom to back-to-back Class 6 state titles in 2022 and 2023. Overton went to Hayfield in February 2024.

The Hawks went 10-1 last season, but were hounded by allegations of illegal recruiting. The Fairfax County Public Schools conducted a three-month investigation last summer and found no wrongdoing.

The Virginia High School League conducted a separate investigation in the fall and determined the transfer of 24 student-athletes violated the league’s proselytizing rule, which states that individuals representing a school can't apply pressure on students to transfer to participate in league activities.

In early November, the VHSL handed Hayfield a two-year postseason ban. Hours before the start of the Class 6 Region C playoffs, a Fairfax County (Va.) judge granted a temporary injunction. The VHSL postponed the start of the first round to the following week.

Hayfield won its playoff opener, 75-7, but days later, Principal Darin Thompson withdrew the football team from the postseason after text messages involving Monty Fritts, then-Hayfield director of student activities, showed that Fritts was aware of a potential influx of transfers if the school hired Overton. 

Overton told the Post he plans to finish the school year at Hayfield, where he works as a safety and security specialist. He added he was planning to coach Hayfield in the fall before the opportunity at The St. James became available.

“I was not terminated or forced to resign at Hayfield,” said Overton, who’s 99-20 overall in 10 seasons. “This was just an opportunity that came up, and I wanted to take advantage of it.

Overton has enjoyed his time at Hayfield.

“It’s a great place,” he said. “There’s no toxic atmosphere there. I’ve made a lot of great relationships. ... Any coach looking for a job, Hayfield is a great place to be. Great kids, great parents, great people in the building.”