Rodney Barr is heading back to the Midlands to lead another high school football program.

Barr has been named the the new coach at CA Johnson. He replaces Scotty Dean, who left to become the defensive coordinator at Brookland- Cayce.

A press conference to introduce Barr will be held Wednesday afternoon.

Barr had been the athletic director at USC Salkahatchie since September, but most of his career has been coaching on the high school level.

Barr was at Ridgeland – Hardeeville in Jasper County for four years as the district athletic director and head football coach. The school split into Ridgeland and Hardeeville high schools this year.

Before going to Lowcountry, Barr spent one season at Scott’s Branch (2020) after a successful run at Lower Richland in Columbia .

Barr spent four seasons at Lower Richland and led the program to a pair of region titles. After going 0-10 the first season, Lower Richland was 20-17 the next three years including 8-5 in 2020. Lower Richland made it to the second round of the playoffs in 2019 and third round in 2017 after upsetting Myrtle Beach .

Barr was named The State newspaper’s Coach of the Year in 2017. The 2017 season was LR’s best season in 26 years. The Diamond Hornets won seven games after winning just seven combined from 2013 to 2016.

CA Johnson went 2-9 in 2024 and lost in the first round of the playoffs, snapping a streak of four straight winning seasons before that. The Green Hornets made it to the second of the playoff in 2021 and 2022.

SC football Coaching Openings

School – Former Coach – New Coach

Academic Magnet – Mitch White – Austin Miller

Aiken – Dwayne Garrick – Steve Hibbitts

Airport – Shane Fidler – Chris Napier

Allendale – Fairfax – Tristain Armstrong – Travis Lewis

American Leadership – Robin Bacon – Kemper Amick

Brookland- Cayce – Rusty Charpia – Louis Clyburn

CA Johnson – Scotty Dean – Rodney Barr

Cardinal Newman – Cory Helms – Jared Shaw

Daniel – Jeff Fruster – Chris Stone

First Baptist -Jamaal Birch – Kevin Mapp

Gaffney – Dan Jones – Donnie Littlejohn

Greenville – Jaybo Shaw – Steve Watson

JL Mann – Steve Watson – Bryce Smiley

Keenan – Ray McCleod – Jarrett Neely

Kingstree – Brian Smith – TBA

Lamar – Stephen Burris – Tyler Boyd

Landrum – Brent Bridges – Mike Reid

Laurence Manning – Robbie Briggs – Jimmy Noonan

Lexington – Dustin Curtis – Stewart Young

Lugoff – Elgin – Leon Boulware- Jarvis Littlejohn (interim)

Midland Valley – Earl Chaptman – Brent Dorn

Nation Ford – Michael Allen – Jake Bentley

Oceanside Collegiate – John Patterson (interim) – Brent LaPrad

Orangeburg Prep – Don Shelley – Brooks Smith

Pelion – Dann Holland – Cory Helms

Porter-Gaud – Brad Bowles – Matt Neighbors

River Bluff – Blair Hardin – Perry Parks

Rock Hill – Randy Birch – Leon Boulware

Saluda – Stewart Young – Greg Woerner

Southside – Roy Ravenell – AJ Millis

Southside Christian – Mike Sonneborn – Jonathan Gess

Spring Valley – Nygel Pearson – Norman Washington

Trinity Collegiate – Jared Amell – Shawn Fagan

Westwood – Rob O’Connell – Stephen Burris

West Ashley – Donnie Kiefer – Rashad Graham

West Florence – Jody Jenerette – Chad Wilkes

Whale Branch – Jerry Hatcher – Willie White (interim)

Wilson – Daryl Page (interim) – Brian Wilson

Woodmont – Ty Sutherland – Malcolm Boyd

May 14, 2025 | State, The: Web Edition Articles (Columbia, SC)
Author/Byline: Lou Bezjak, The State | Section: high_school