Ryan Herring, son of AHSAA Hall-of-Fame coach Robert Herring, was announced as the new head football coach at Shelby County High School last week.

Herring was selected for the position from more than 80 applicants, SCHS principal Gene Rogers said.

&8220;I feel like we made an outstanding hire of a quality individual,&8221; Rogers said. &8220;Coach Herring will be a great fit at Shelby County.&8221;

Herring comes to the Wildcats after serving as an offensive coordinator for well-known high school coach Buzz Busby in Georgia.

&8220;God has blessed me with this opportunity and I&8217;m thankful to him for that,&8221; Herring said. &8220;I&8217;m happy to be back in the state of Alabama and very happy to be here at Shelby County.&8221;

Herring&8217;s father won three titles with teams at Oxford High School &8212;

with his son playing on one of those squads in 1993.

After graduating from Oxford, Herring attended and played football at Middle Tennessee State University before transferring to the University of North Alabama where he won a national championship in 1995.

&8220;I&8217;ve been fortunate enough to be around some of the best coaches in high school football &8212; anywhere,&8221; Herring said.

Herring has six years of coaching experience, including two years under his father at Georgia&8217;s Pierce County High School.

Herring said he believes learning from his father will help him at Shelby County.

&8220;He&8217;s done things the right way,&8221; he said. &8220;That&8217;s all I&8217;ve ever been around, and it can&8217;t do anything but help me in coaching.&8221;

Herring said his coaching plan revolves around playing mistake-free football.

&8220;I don&8217;t plan on coming here and outsmarting anyone,&8221; he said. &8220;We&8217;re going to outwork people.&8221;

Some changes Herring will bring to the Wildcats&8217; squad include a new strength training program and a return to hard-nosed football.

&8220;We&8217;re going to focus on being sound on both sides of the ball,&8221; he said. &8220;We&8217;re going to make people run over us and not allow the big play.&8221;

Herring admitted that while the players might not enjoy the new strength training program, it will benefit the team as the season progresses.

&8220;It&8217;s going to be tough,&8221; he said. &8220;But it will pay off for us down the road.&8221;

While Herring&8217;s career at Shelby County officially begins April 1, there&8217;s another matter that the new head coach wants to take care of first as he and his wife, Maggie, are expecting their first child within the next six weeks.

&8220;When I actually start all depends on when the baby gets here,&8221; he said. &8220;That&8217;s my top priority right now.&8221;

Herring said he will move his family to Shelby County after his daughter is born, and from there he will tackle the tall order of preparing the Wildcats for the coming football season.

&8220;Once I get here, I&8217;ll be here 24/7,&8221; he said. &8220;I&8217;ll be the easiest guy to find &8212;

just look in my office.&8221;

Herring will also serve as a physical education instructor at Shelby County