Former NFL WR Tabbed To Lead Georgia High School Football Team

Terance Mathis named new head coach at Athens Christian.

Oct 10, 1993; Los Angeles, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; New York Jets receiver Terance Mathis (81) in action against the Los Angeles Raiders at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Peter Brouillet-USA TODAY NETWORK | Peter Brouillet-Imagn Images

A former college football consensus All-American and NFL wide receiver has been named the new head football coach at a Georgia high school.

Terance Mathis will be the man in charge at Athens Christian starting in 2026, according to a report by the Athens Banner-Herald.

Mathis was the first consensus All-American at New Mexico after a standout career competing for Redan High School in South Mountain, Georgia.

The 58-year-old Mathis played both football and basketball at Redan before heading far west to New Mexico where he became the first player in college football to have 250 receptions, 4,000 receiving yards and 6,000 yards of total offense.

Terance Mathis Was Record-Breaking Wide Receiver At New Mexico

Mathis also set the Division I record for most receiving yards before being selected by the New York Jets in the 1990 NFL Draft in the sixth round. Over his extended NFL career, Mathis played for the Jets, the Atlanta Falcons and the Pittsburgh Steelers, making the Pro Bowl while earning second team all-pro honors in 1994.

He finished his NFL career with 689 receptions, 8,809 yards and 63 receiving touchdowns.

Nearly a decade after his playing days ended, Mathis joined Savannah State to serve as the offensive coordinator and inside wide receivers coach in 2011. He was the head coach at Pinecrest Academy in Georgia from 2017-19 and an assistant coach at Georgia high schools Blessed Trinity and Fellowship Christian for one year each.

In 2024, Mathis took over at Morehouse as the head coach, going 4-16 overall. At Pinecrest Academy, he had a career record of 7-25.

Former NFL WR Takes Over Four-Win Team From 2025

Athens Christian went 4-6 last year, including a 2-3 mark in the region. They did post a 4-1 record on the road, including back-to-back victories to begin the season over Augusta Prep and Heritage by a combined score of 64-0.

Starting quarterback Quinn Ossick was a junior this past fall, throwing for 910 yards and four touchdowns. Tray Bowleg and Seth Cummings both had over 100 yards receiving and 36 combined receptions as juniors with Ossick.