File PhotoValdosta head coach Alan Rodemaker holds the Region 1-6A championship trophy after defeating Houston County on Nov. 4 at Freedom Field in Warner Robins.

VALDOSTA — Just a year removed from making his first hire as the head coach of the Valdosta Wildcats, Alan Rodemaker isn’t wasting any time in plugging the first hole on his coaching staff.

Valdosta offensive coordinator Tucker Pruitt accepted a position as head coach at Fitzgerald on Monday, and Rodemaker will begin holding his first batch of interviews for his new OC today.

“I did this a year ago, so i’ve got a list of candidates,” Rodemaker said Wednesday. “I’ve got two interviews tomorrow. We’re not going to mess around too long. I want to get guys in here as soon as possible.”

When Rodemaker was hired in February of 2016, he spoke about his desire to build a physical, athletic offense capable of running the ball, and he found a coordinator capable of fulfilling those desires and more in Pruitt.

Last season under Pruitt, Valdosta averaged 33.46 points and 317 yards per game with a running game that racked up 2,178 yards and 26 touchdowns over the course of the season at 4.96 yards per carry.

Interestingly enough, before going through the interview process, Pruitt wasn’t Rodemaker’s first choice, but once the two coaches talked shop, Rodemaker knew he’d found his man.

“I’ll be honest with you, Tucker was not at the top of my list last year,” Rodemaker said. “But after we talked, he bumped to the talk and luckily he took it. He ended up being all I thought he was and more. He did it a great job.”

With a handful of returning starters on the offense, including one-half of last season’s 1-2 punch at quarterback in Hunter Holt, Rodemaker is looking to hire another coordinator with a similar philosophy as Pruitt.

Rodemaker said when in discussions to hire Pruitt, he gave the prospective offensive coordinator a list of about 10-12 elements he desired out of the unit. As long as he abided by Rodemaker’s list, Pruitt had free reign to run the offense as he saw fit.

It’s likely to be a similar deal with Valdosta’s next offensive coordinator.

“He can come in here with autonomy and he can run the show…” Rodemaker said. “I get around him on third or fourth down, and then when we struggle, I’ll do what I can to help, but I’m so involved with the defensive and special teams game plan that I really don’t mess with them.”

The freedom to run the offense on a state championship-defending team led by a head coach that has the ultimate trust within his staff to delegate responsibilities has to be an enticing offer for an offensive coordinator.

Some of the candidates that were passed over for the Wildcats’ OC position for Pruitt a year ago could find themselves in the mix to replace the new Purple Hurricanes head coach this year.

And while losing a member of a coaching staff is never easy, especially for one as close as the staff at Valdosta, there can be positive takeaways.

For one, Rodemaker believes it says good things about Valdosta’s program whenever a coach is hired away, but it also provides the Wildcats with a chance to improve.

After winning the program’s first state title in 18 years in their first season as a coaching staff, it would have been easy for Valdosta to stay the course heading into the upcoming season. Instead, a new coach will be coming in with new ideas on how the team can get better.

“I always feel like when you lose somebody, and I don’t want anybody to take this wrong, but I feel like you’ve always got a chance to improve,” Rodemaker said. “It’s good to get another head in here. It’s good to get somebody that wasn’t with us last year. I just think it can always be a positive for you.

“I’d rather keep the staff together. I don’t like people leaving, but when they leave, I always look at it as an opportunity.”

Derrick Davis is the sports editor at the Valdosta Daily Times.