Ashley Henderson speaks to the Thomas County school board before being approved as the new head coach of the Yellow Jackets on Thursday.

THOMASVILLE — Ashley Henderson heard all about Thomas County Central from a certain college teammate during his time as an offensive lineman at Georgia Tech.

As a graduate of Valdosta High School, Henderson had spirited debates with Central alum Joe Burns about which of the two storied programs reigned supreme.

Twenty years later, it seems Henderson and Burns are now on the same side, as the Valwood head coach of six years was officially named to the same position at Central at a called Thomas County School board meeting on Thursday morning.

“It’s a blessing,” Henderson said. “It’s a great opportunity for me and my family. We’re fortunate to have this opportunity. We’re looking very forward to getting boots on the ground and getting here and going to work.”

Henderson takes over the Yellow Jackets after they finished 3-8 in 2017, their worst season since 1990. As the head coach of the Valiants, Henderson won three GISA state championships, including the 2017 Class 3A title. He owns a 66-12 record as a head coach, and a 28-2 mark against region opponents.

Before coaching at Valwood, Henderson was an assistant at his alma mater, coaching the Wildcats’ offensive linemen from 2005-2010 and tight ends from 2010-2011.

The new job at Central will mark the first time Henderson leads a GHSA program, but he says that the difference between public and private programs is minuscule, and that his experience at a smaller school may have given him an edge going forward.

“Football is football,” Henderson said. “There’s one way to run a program — there’s not a public school way and a private school way. There’s one way to run a program correctly. I wouldn’t trade my time a private school for anything in this world because there’s a lot of hats I had to wear as far as academics, NCAA recruiting, cutting up film, you name it. I think that gives me an advantage because I know exactly how I want it done.”

For over 25 years, Central football has been known for the split-back veer offense. With Henderson’s hiring, the days of running that scheme are coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean the run game won’t remain a key piece of the puzzle.

Henderson says he will run an offense that will still rely on the run, but will also have a focus on spreading the ball around, including down the field. He expects a transition period, but he also expects the offensive unit to be much improved from last season.

“It’ll be different,” Henderson said. “We’ll probably throw more footballs around in the spring than has been done in a while. It’s a physical offense — it’s spread but it’s physical. We’re going to be looking to run the football first, but we’re just gonna have some options off of the run game that’s gonna make us a little bit different. 

“I’ve always believed balance is not necessarily run to pass, but how many different guys are touching the football. We’ll be a multiple tempo team, just do different things, show different looks. It’s gonna be different, but it’s a fun offense to learn and a fun offense to coach in. They’re gonna like it and we’re gonna put a lot of points on the board.”

Henderson said he will meet with the current coaching staff to see what they want to do, and hopes to put the staff for the 2018 season together within the next 30 days.

The selection committee came to the decision to hire Henderson toward the end of a process that spanned two months. After a field of around 130 applicants was pared down, Henderson’s name was hard to ignore.

“We got it down to 12,” Central athletic director Sam Holland said. “I asked (the selection committee), ‘Who do you see?’ He just kept coming up. When we met him, it didn’t take long to see, that’s quality. When you go in and you start talking Xs and Os, you start talking about playing to run our school from the sixth grade up, and not just what I want, but how to do it — it was clear.”

Henderson will not officially take the reins until February 1, but he still made sure to introduce himself to his new team on Thursday. The expectations will be high after a down year for the Yellow Jackets, but Holland believes the program’s new leader can meet and exceed them.

“My expectations are that the sky’s the limit,” Holland said. “I firmly believe that with him. I’m excited for our players and for our community. It’s not going to take the players but just a split second to recognize how exciting a brand of football he’s going to have.”