By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director

Former Spring Garden head baseball and football assistant coach Cole Murphy recently accepted a position at Class 6A McAdory in McCalla. He will be assisting the Yellow Jacket baseball and football programs.

“I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to coach the kids and to learn and grow as a coach (at Spring Garden),” Murphy said.

Murphy spent the past three years at Spring Garden. In his first season in 2022, he guided the Panthers to a 17-16 record, which included a Cherokee County baseball title and a second-round berth in the Class 2A state playoffs. The Panthers were 12-12 in 2023, which included another county championship and Class 1A playoff berth. Last season, Spring Garden was 7-14 and just missed the Class 1A state playoffs.

Spring Garden assistant principal Kyle Garmon has been guiding the Panther baseball team through summer workouts in Murphy’s absence.

A standout athlete and 2014 Gaylesville graduate, Murphy went on to play college football at Birmingham Southern, where he played defensive back and linebacker through the 2017 season. Upon graduating college, Murphy coached baseball for a couple of seasons at Class 6A Minor High School in Adamsville.

Murphy was hired at Spring Garden in June of 2021 following the resignation of longtime baseball coach Tony Benefield.