Hernando hired Earl Garcia III to take over the football program. Garcia III, the son of longtime Hillsborough Coach Earl Garcia, spent nearly a decade as a defensive coordinator for his father. 

The Terriers posted 25 shutouts during Garcia III’s tenure. He also coached three players who are currently in the NFL: Azeez Al-Shaair (San Francisco 49ers), Anthony Brown (Dallas Cowboys) and Nigel Harris (Tennessee Titans).

Still, despite that success Garcia III was not actively looking to become a head coach.

“Another party got involved and that got the ball rolling,” Garcia III said of the job at Hernando. “I was happy in my spot at Hillsborough. Becoming a head coach was something I never really talked about with my dad.

“This is a program with a lot of history, kind of like Hillsborough,” Garcia III said. “Both schools have been around since before the Great Depression.”

Garcia III was officially hired on Wednesday. He said plans to bring in former Robinson assistant Rob Burns to be his offensive coordinator. On Monday, Garcia III will meet the players for the first time.

Garcia III replaces Rob Kazmier, who stepped down earlier this month to spend more time with his family.

“I loved Coach Garcia’s energy, passion, vision and determination to get our football program to the level we want to be at,” Hernando principal Leechele Booker said in a release. “We are happy to welcome Coach Garcia and his family into the purple and gold family.”