TAZEWELL, Tenn. — Claiborne High School suddenly has a new head coach after it released Nathan Medlin from his duties Wednesday morning.
Craig Ivey, the high school's assistant principal and athletic director, said coach Nick Nash will be taking over to lead the Claiborne Bulldogs as their football season gets underway. The AD said administrators made the decision "in the best interest of both the student-athletes and coaching staff," but did not provide specific reasons why Medlin was removed from the position.
Medlin responded to 10Sports Wednesday, saying he was devastated when the school handed him the letter Wednesday morning that he was no longer a football coach. He said it came out of the blue for him and he is still unsure what specifically prompted his removal. He claimed he was told he was "unorganized," "unprofessional" and that he would "stir the pot."
"I had no clue anything was going wrong, or anything was not OK. I'd just like a reason," he said. "I asked for details for specifics and was told they didn’t and wouldn’t elaborate anymore. I’m devastated, and I’m also devastated for the boys here. I don’t understand. I moved my entire family to coach there, had some success in a place that has not seen that in a while, tried to do things the right way, and I feel the very least they could do is explain why."
Medlin was tapped in 2016 to coach the football team.
In the 2020-21 season, Medlin led the Bulldogs to their best finish in school history with a 9-2 record, earning recognition as the Citizen Tribune All-Lakeway Coach of the Year. The following season ended in disappointment after the Bulldogs went 1-9.
