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OLIVER SPRINGS, Tenn. — After an unexpected setback in its coaching search, Oliver Springs High School has officially named a new head football coach to lead the Bobcats program.
School officials introduced Rodney Ellison on Friday as the team’s new leader, stepping in just weeks after the previous hire fell through.
The coaching position reopened when Brad Waggoner, who had accepted the job in March, later informed administrators he would not be relocating from Florida to take the role. Waggoner had been formally introduced to players on March 13 after a successful run at Blountstown High School and prior success at Gatlinburg-Pittman.
With the program once again searching for stability, Oliver Springs turned to Ellison, a veteran coach with experience across East Tennessee.
Ellison’s early stop as an offensive coordinator and head coach, at Wartburg where he worked under BBB Communications Color Analyst Dr. Dan Shoemaker. He later served as offensive coordinator at Clinton before taking over the Powell High School program from 2015 to 2017. His tenure at Powell included a .500 season in his final year.
More recently, Ellison has remained active in the game, coaching at the middle school level and serving as offensive coordinator at Knoxville West this past season.
Ellison now takes over a Bobcats program that saw success under former head coach Tyler Harper, who led Oliver Springs to multiple deep playoff runs, including a state semifinal appearance.
School leaders are hopeful Ellison can bring consistency and build on that foundation as the program looks ahead to the upcoming season.
