No Honeymoon for New Coach Greg Carswell as Grayson Opens With Five Straight Heavyweights

First-year Grayson coach Greg Carswell inherits a nationally ranked roster — and one of Georgia's toughest opening stretches, beginning with North Gwinnett at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

New Grayson head coach Greg Carswell will get no honeymoon period as the Rams start of 2026 with a grueling five-game stretch. | TJ Framed the Game

Most new head coaches get a grace period. An underhand softball pitch or two. Somebody to beat 49-3 while everybody tries to remember how to get to the bathrooms.

Grayson's new coach Greg Carswell gets North Gwinnett, Sandy Creek, Langston Hughes, Brunswick and Buford.

The press conference is over. The honeymoon is done. Welcome to the big chair.

Straight Into the Gauntlet

Carswell makes his regular-season debut Wednesday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where the Rams face North Gwinnett at 8 p.m. in the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic. This is not a soft open. Grayson sits at No. 2 in Georgia in High School on SI's preseason Top 25. It's the kind of ranking that can turn a Week 1 game into a stress test.

And even if they get past the first one, the schedule doesn't get any easier.

After North Gwinnett, Grayson goes to Sandy Creek on Aug. 21, Langston Hughes on Sept. 4 and Brunswick on Sept. 11 before Buford on Sept. 18. Hughes is a genuine 6A contender. And Buford is SI's No. 1 team in Georgia, the defending state champion and reigning High School on SI national champion, coming off a 15-0 season.

That's a brutal opening stretch for a coach with a decade of head-coaching experience. Carswell gets it in his first season. Replacing Santavious Bryant, who left for Gainesville, at a program where they "won a bunch of games" automatically raises expectations.

Championship Expectations Haven't Changed

Four of Grayson's last five head coaches won a state title. So, this isn't a reclamation project. Last year, the Rams went 12-1 and spent much of the season near the top of the national rankings.

Carswell does have one thing going for him. He knows where the bathrooms are.

Grayson promoted Carswell from defensive coordinator in January as the first head coach in program history promoted from within the Grayson staff. He helped win the 2024 Class 6A title, and at his introductory press conference, he described his vision for the program as one of "continuous growth and success."

Plenty of Talent for the Challenge

The roster hands him plenty. Quarterback Deuce Smith is back after 2,355 yards and 24 touchdowns. Four-star offensive lineman Jordan Agbanoma and four-star edge rusher Elijah Tillman anchor a roster stacked with Division I names. The team has the kind of talent that makes a tough schedule seem manageable.

Carswell won't have long to grow comfortable in his new role. North Gwinnett provides the first test Wednesday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Then come Sandy Creek, Langston Hughes, Brunswick and Buford.

The honeymoon isn't just over. Grayson's schedule made sure there wasn't one.