Denton Guyer to hire Rockwall's Rodney Webb as head football coach two weeks after John Walsh's resignation - The Dallas Morning News

As the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has altered daily life in recent weeks, Rodney Webb has had to become creative.

Rather than interviewing with Denton ISD to discuss the Denton Guyer head football coach opening in person, he held video calls with athletic director Joey Florence and other administrators.

The resourcefulness paid off.

Webb -- Rockwall’s head football coach and campus athletics coordinator since 2013 -- has accepted the same position at Guyer, he said Monday.

Webb’s move across the Metroplex comes less than two weeks after Walsh announced he was resigning from Guyer on March 16 and a few months after Webb guided Rockwall to the 2019 Class 6A Div. I state semifinals.

“[I was] 100% happy in Rockwall, was not looking to leave,” Webb said. “But the opportunity presented itself and I have an immense amount of respect for Denton ISD as a whole and in particular the emphasis on athletics in that district and the track record of athletic programs in that district and at Guyer in particular.”

Webb, also the current Texas High School Coaches Association president, has a resume that spans the Dallas area. Before taking over at Rockwall in 2013, where he compiled a 60-29 record, Webb was head coach at Mesquite Horn (2008-12) and Royse City (2003-07).

The 2019 season was Webb’s best at Rockwall as the program reached its first state semifinal since 1987 --falling to Duncanville in the penultimate round in the state’s largest bracket -- and star senior receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba dominated en route to SportsDayHS Co-Offensive Player of the Year recognition.

Florence reached out to Webb shortly after Walsh’s resignation. The two have been friendly through coaching connections for years, and Florence had unique insight on Webb’s coaching because his nephews played football at Rockwall during Webb’s tenure.

After a few video calls and meetings, Denton ISD officially offered the Guyer position to Webb late last week.

Webb accepted on Friday night, inheriting a program and fan base accustomed to deep playoff runs.

“Coach Webb’s record of running an exemplary, student-focused program makes him a great fit for our Wildcats,” Florence said in a statement. “He’s ready to step in and continue the hardworking excellence we’ve come to expect from our programs at Guyer, both academically and athletically.”

As Guyer’s only head football coach since the school opened in 2005, Walsh led the program to four state championship appearances, including two Class 4A Div. I titles in 2012 and 2013.

The Wildcats lost to Austin Westlake, 24-0, in the Class 6A Div. II state championship in December after junior quarterback Eli Stowers suffered a knee injury on Guyer’s opening drive.

Stowers, a dual-threat prospect committed to Texas A&M, will spend his senior season working with Webb, who’s developed a reputation for orchestrating fast-paced, high-scoring offenses. Guyer also returns several Division I-caliber defenders, but their acclimation to a new coaching staff won’t happen on the field soon.

The UIL has suspended all sanctioned activities until at least May 4 due to coronavirus concerns, though high school coaches are allowed to work remotely with players for no more than an hour each weekday.

“You’re a new coach trying to teach a new offense and new defense from a distance. It’s a little bit unprecedented,” said Webb, who plans to move with his wife, Fran, also a Rockwall teacher, to the Denton area after 17 years living in Rockwall.

“But looking down the road and what it’s going to be like ... I’m excited about the talent level of Guyer, and football is football. What we do is not going to be appreciably different than what they’ve been doing.”

Find more high school stories from SportsDayHS here.

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Denton Guyer to hire Rockwall's Rodney Webb as head football coach two weeks after John Walsh's resignation - The Dallas Morning News
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