-
NEWATHLETIC DIRECTOR AND HEAD FOOTBALL COACH Littlefield Defensive Coordinator, Bo Bryant, was approved by the Littlefield School Board last Thursday night to become the new Athletic Director and Head Football Coach of the Littlefield Wildcats. (Staff Photo by Derek Lopez)
The Littlefield Independent School District’s Board of Trustees approved the promotion of Bo Bryant to become the Wildcat’s new Athletic Director and Head Football Coach.
Bryant has been a part of the Wildcats’ staff since being hired in 2017 by then, Head Coach Bryan Huseman. Bryant also spent time over the last few years serving as the Defensive Coordinator under Coach Brent Green and Coach Jimmy Thomas.
Coach Bryant talked about what it means to him to be able to take over what Coach Thomas started the last two years, saying, “I’ve been here through three different head coaches, now and I know the tradition that has come before. Coach Thomas brought in a lot of new, good things that we’re going to keep. I know I have big shoes to fill, but I’m excited and just ready to get going.”
Coach Bryant talked about what made him want to stay with the Wildcats’ program, saying, “Our kids.”
“We have great kids and I love them,” he stated. “I just feel like God had a plan for me to stay here.”
Coach Bryant talked about how coaching under Coach Huseman, Coach Green and Coach Thomas has benefited him, saying, “All of three of those guys are great football coaches. They each have different strengths and I’m just going to try and pull their best qualities and apply them to my time now as a head coach.”
He added, “One of the biggest things that Coach Thomas brought in, in my opinion, is the communication with parents. It’s important to have an open line of communication with them and make sure that we’re on the same page, because we all want what is best for their kids.”
Coach Bryant discussed how he has transition from being the defensive coordinator to the Athletic Directory, joking, “I’ve definitely been a lot busier.”
“When I was just the defensive coordinator, I would still go watch and support our kids in other sports, but now I go to everything,” he said. Along with football, Coach Bryant will also still be coaching Boy’s Track in the spring.
The Coach talked about being able to continue his coaching career as the head coach of the Wildcats, saying, “It’s awesome. Just the tradition and history that comes with being the head football coach at Littlefield. Coach [Jerry] Blakely and Coach [Lewis] Boomer; unfortunately, I never got to meet Coach Blakely, but I’ve heard great things about him.”
He added, “I still get to see Coach Boomer every now and then. The traiditon that they built back then and that Coach Huseman, Coach Green and Coach Thomas have carried through; obviously we have’t met the bar that was set by those guys, but hopefully we can start getting a few more wins and bring home some gold balls to put in that trophy case like those guys did.”
Coach Bryant gave some insight into what will be going on this year, saying he will still be calling the defense and Offensive Coordinator Logan Mitchell will call the offense.
“Coach Mitchell is going to do a great job with the offense,” Coach Bryant said. “Coach Thomas brought him in from Monterey and they’ve worked together the last two years on the offense. Coach Mitchell will continue his roll as offensive coordinator and we will still be in the spread.”
He added, “We’re going to take what the defense gives us, if they pack the box, we’re going to be able to throw it around and if they try and stop the pass, we’re going to run it. We’ve got a few spots we’ve got to fill, but we have a good group of guys coming back.”
Coach Bryant talked about being able to hit the ground running and not having to get to know anyone or institute anything really new, saying, “It will be good. The kids know me and I know them, so there won’t be a whole lot of change there. We went to the coaches clinic in Lubbock this past weekend and one of the coaches that spoke has been at Abilene High for a long time and he said one of the biggest things is continuity amongst their coaching staff helps their program be successful every year.”
He added, “You look at the programs around the area, Idalou was good for a long time, they had continuity within their staff, Littlefield was good for a long time, they had continuity within their staff, so I think it’s a big deal if you can have that familiarity with your kids and coaches and everybody knows each other. I think it definitely helps; success breeds success.”
Coach Bryant said he hasn’t had a chance to address the football team as a whole, because their kids are spread out across different sports.
“Hopefully, when our basketball play-off run is done and we can have everyone together, I can talk to everyone all together,” he said.
Coach Bryant talked about what he is most looking forward to about getting his head coaching career started, saying, “I’m just excited to be around our kids. It’s all about them, it’s not about us as coaches. I’m excited to be around them and watch them grow and get better every day.”
The Wildcats will open the 2023 season on the road against Muleshoe.