The Wildcats hired Rabun County-native and two-time state championship-winning coach Rance Gillespie to take over the football program.
Gillespie has an extensive coaching history, having led multiple state powerhouses, including Peach County and Valdosta. While at Peach County, he guided the Trojans to four region titles and back-to-back state championships in 2005 and 2006. He also had two stints as the co-offensive coordinator at Georgia Southern, the first from 2007-2009 and the second in the 2016 season.
His offensive scheme is a balanced, pro-style attack primarily based out of shotgun and pistol formations. This should create a seamless transition for the Wildcats, who have run a similar spread offense since Lee Shaw took over the program, bringing his modern spread attack to Rabun County.
The Wildcats have been one of the top teams in the state since Shaw’s arrival in 2012. Since then, they have won nine region titles and made the quarterfinals or better in nine straight seasons. During that span, the program won 53 consecutive region games, going undefeated in region play from 2014 to 2022.
As a team, the Wildcats should fit well into Gillespie’s system. At quarterback, they return Division I prospect Ty Truelove, who is coming off an injury-plagued 2024 season but, when healthy, is one of the top QBs in northeast Georgia. At running back, they return Reid Gilles, who racked up over 1,700 all-purpose yards last season along with 19 total touchdowns.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Wildcats return the majority of their production. Six of their top seven tacklers are back, each of whom recorded over 70 tackles last season. Most notably, they return linebacker Noah English, who posted 105 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and nine quarterback hurries.
The team is coming off a disappointing 2024 season, finishing 6-5, the Wildcats’ worst record since 2011. The offseason brought additional turmoil when head coach Michael Davis retired in late February. However, reports indicate that he was forced into retirement by the school. In a statement to AccessWDUN, Davis said, “I’ve retired from Rabun County, but I’m not retired from coaching.”
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