VALDOSTA — It’s going to take a strong coach to step into the former role of Valdosta football’s new head coach Alan Rodemaker.

The Wildcats believe they’ve found their man in Adam Carter.

Carter, the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Marietta a year ago, was approved for hire in the same positions by the Valdosta Board of Education on Tuesday evening. He spent his first day at Valdosta High School on Wednesday.

Carter first met Rodemaker during his time as the defensive coordinator at Camden County in 2011-12. Both Carter and Rodemaker were also track and field coaches for their respective schools at the time.

But after spending a year as the head coach at the Bradwell Institute in Hinesville and another as the defensive coordinator at Reinhardt University before taking a job at Marietta, Carter is now bringing his highly recommended coaching acumen to Valdosta.

“South Georgia is just different,” Carter said on Wednesday. “There’s a prestige about being in south Georgia and then the opportunity to be at a school with the history and tradition of Valdosta is always on your coach’s wish list.

“When that opportunity presents itself you jump on it.”

The hiring process moved quickly. Once Rodemaker interviewed Carter he knew he found his man.

“Coach Rod interviewed me and actually got back to me about a week and a half later,” Carter said. “I came down and was able to talk to him and the principal and everything.

“It was a pretty quick process.”

The fiery Rodemaker has controlled the Valdosta defense for the past six seasons under former head coach Rance Gillespie before taking over the program when Gillespie took a job as co-offensive coordinator at Georgia Southern.

Rodemaker admitted delegating his defense would be a difficult thing to do. But defensive assistants John Gamble, DeMario Jones and Ryan Branch are still on staff and Rodemaker will still have plenty of input while Carter blends his philosophy into the mix.

“Coach Rod has a plan and I’m here to help with that plan,” Carter said. “He’s going to have his hands on it and I’m going to do what he thinks is best for us and best for our kids.

“We’ll mesh. I’m going to have some ideas that I’ll bring to the table that I think will help, especially from a coverage standpoint, some things that I’ve had success with, and try to marry them together.”

Carter began his coaching career with his alma mater Paulding County in 2007, then moving to a position at South Carolina State before becoming the defensive coordinator at Camden, which has given the 31-year old a wealth of experience in a host of defensive schemes including 3-5, 3-4 and 4-under.

Valdosta has run multiple defenses throughout Rodemaker’s tenure with the Wildcats, so Carter’s versatility will come in handy. But ultimately, Carter just wants to coach players that play fast and physical.

“I feel like scheme is important, but if your kids know that they’re going to get out on the field and play fast and they hit people and they enjoy being out there on the field, you’re going to be good at defense,” he said.

Derrick Davis is a sports reporter at the Valdosta Daily Times.