KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On Thursday afternoon, Clinton High School announced former offensive coordinator Jason Hamock would take over as the Dragon's new football interim head coach.
Hamock retired in February after serving as the team's offensive coordinator for 10 years. Anderson County Schools said Hamock agreed to coach the Dragons for one year on an interim basis in order to give the school system time to conduct an "extensive search" to find a new head coach.
The new hire comes two days after the school decided not to renew Darell Keith's contract as a teacher and coach following accusations of using an ineligible athlete last season. On top of that, Clinton High School is at the center of a grade-fixing investigation that led to the departure of its principal and two teachers.
Rachel Jones, a teacher who was fired for fixing test grades for students, said in August 2022, Keith came to her classroom and showed her a transcript with marks by certain grades for a student, school board records show. According to Jones, Keith said she needed to "replace the grades" by placing the student into Odysseyware classes. Jones said she couldn't help Keith and said Keith returned with the same transcript later.
Keith denied allegations that he tried to have the student-athlete's grades changed. He said he was trying to get the student in question into credit recovery classes for the betterment of his education.
Hamock coached in the district for 23 years, making stops at the youth, middle, and high school programs. The 1998 Clinton graduate coached under Keith for all four years he was head coach, and was the offensive coordinator under Keith for two years.
Hamock, in his statement on Thursday, expressed his honor and excitement at being appointed as the new head coach. He was clear about his immediate focus.
"My primary concern is the well-being and development of our players," he said. "I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve as the head coach at Clinton High School, and I look forward to the journey ahead with each and every member of my team and this community with ultimate optimism and enthusiasm."
In a request to interview Hamock he sent a statement to WBIR.
“I can’t stress enough that it’s not about me," he wrote. "It’s about our community and our kids. Please respect our wishes and know that a time will come for an interview but now my full attention is on our players.”