Former McGehee football star Leroy Hood named head coach at Arkansas High

A former south Arkansas Delta star has returned home, this time on the other side of the state.
The Texarkana Arkansas School District confirmed via phone Wednesday morning that McGehee native Leroy Hood was approved Tuesday evening as the program’s new head football coach, ending a search that lasted two months.
Hood takes over for Trey Outlaw, who led the Razorbacks to a 13-18 record over the past three seasons that included a trip to the postseason this past fall for the first time since 2020.
“We are excited to welcome Coach Hood to the Razorback family,”said Dr. Lloyd Jackson, Superintendent of TASD. “He brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record that will elevate our football program to new heights. We are confident that Coach Hood’s leadership will inspire our student-athletes both on and off the field.”
For the past nine years, Hood has served as an assistant and head coach at multiple high schools in Georgia. In his first head coaching role at Turner County High in 2017-18, Hood led the Titans to consecutive playoffs appearances. He then took Pebblebrook, where he worked from 2019-23, to three consecutive postseason appearances and helped the Falcons seal their first playoff win in two decades. Hood left Pebblebrook at the beginning of 2024 for Midtown and finished 2-8 with the Knights last season.
Before his stints in Georgia, Hood served as assistant under Shane Patrick and Zak Clark at Springdale, Scott Reed at El Dorado and Jeff Williams at Fort Smith Southside.
Hood starred for the great McGehee teams in the late-1990s under Lanny Dauksch, leading the Owls to three consecutive Class 3A state championships, winning back-to-back in 1998 and 1999, the latter of which he was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
Hood signed to play at the University of Arkansas, but he transferred to Arkansas Tech after a season in which an injury forced him to redshirt and he went on to start 43 consecutive games for the Wonder Boys. In his senior year he helped Tech achieve a 10-2 record and earn a trip to the second round of the Division II playoffs.
After a brief stint with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2005, Hood continued his playing career overseas before entering the coaching ranks.
OFFSEASON HEAD COACH TRACKER
ARKANSAS HIGH
Previous coach: Trey Outlaw
New coach: Leroy Hood
CAVE CITY
Previous coach: Danny Brustrum
New coach:
DEWITT
Previous coach: Tommy Cody
New coach:
DOVER
Previous coach: Will Cox
New coach:
FORT SMITH NORTHSIDE
Previous coach: Felix Curry
New coach:
HAMPTON
Previous coach: Chris Morphis
New coach:
HARDING ACADEMY
Previous coach: Neil Evans
New coach:
JOE T. ROBINSON
Previous coach: Todd Eskola
New coach: Tyler Uptergrove
LAKE VILLAGE
Previous coach: Sirl Wright
New coach:
MINERAL SPRINGS
Previous coach: Jason Hathcock
New coach:
MURFREESBORO
Previous coach: Brad Chesshir
New coach: Jay Turley
NASHVILLE
Previous coach: Shawn Jackson
New coach: Brad Chesshir
NORTH LITTLE ROCK
Previous coach: Clint Reed
New coach: Brad Bolding
PARKVIEW
Previous coach: Brad Bolding
New coach:
PEA RIDGE
Previous coach: Brey Cook
New coach: Tony Travis
SPRINGDALE HAR-BER
Previous coach: Brent Eckley
New coach: Aaron Danenhauer
SYLVAN HILLS
Previous coach: JJ Houle
New coach: Mark Kelley
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