GAINESVILLE, Ga. – Josh Niblett has resigned as head football coach at Gainesville High School after four seasons, leaving to pursue a coaching opportunity at the collegiate level. Niblett took over the Red Elephants program in the spring of 2021 and quickly restored Gainesville to statewide prominence. During his tenure, the team compiled a 45-9 record, captured two region championships, and reached the state title game twice, in 2022 and 2025. The 2025 season proved to be the most turbulent of Niblett’s tenure, as the Gainesville program found itself in the middle of a legal fight with the Georgia High School Association after an on-field altercation during a second-round Class 5A playoff game against Brunswick. The GHSA initially suspended 38 Gainesville players, a decision that was upheld by the association’s Board of Trustees during a November appeal. Gainesville quickly pushed back, filing an injunction in the Northeastern Judicial Circuit Superior Court. A judge ultimately ruled in the school’s favor, allowing all but four players to return for the quarterfinal matchup against top-seeded Langston-Hughes. Throughout the process, Niblett stood firmly behin
