Kevin Kelley

Kevin Kelley (born June 25, 1969) is an American football coach who is currently the head coach at Sheridan High School in Sheridan, Arkansas. He formerly served as the head coach at Presbyterian College. Prior to his hiring at Presbyterian, Kelley was the head coach and athletic director at Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he won nine AAA state championships and employed an unorthodox strategy that involved rarely punting and almost always attempting onside kicks and two-point conversions.

Early life and education Originally a native of Hot Springs, Arkansas, Kelley attended Glenwood High School in Glenwood, Arkansas, which has since consolidated with a nearby school to become Centerpoint High School. He was the first member of his family to graduate from college.

Coaching career Carrollton ISD Kelley began his coaching career at the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District in Carrollton, Texas. From 1993 to 1997, in addition to teaching earth science, he served as the head coach of one of the district's 7th-grade teams while also serving as a scout for one of the senior high teams. He was promoted to head coach in time for the 2003 season. and two-point conversions. Kelley's teams were consistently competitive; the Bruins won nine Arkansas Activities Association state championships under his direction, were named to the list of the top ten Arkansas football dynasties, at No. 5, by MaxPreps in 2011, and as the No. 1 most dominant Arkansas high school football program of the decade in 2020. Additionally, Kelley's offenses own each of the top 12 highest single-season yardage totals in Arkansas high school history. Pulaski's four consecutive titles from 2014 to 2017 made them only the fourth team in Arkansas high school history to do so, and the first since Barton High School from 1986 to 1989.

Kelley was named the USA Today High School Coach of the Year in 2016 and was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in April 2021. Bill Belichick said of Kelley in December 2020 that he was "...probably the top high school coach in the country," and mentioned that he "[had] great respect for coach Kelley". Kelley's strategy has been the subject of reports by The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, The Wall Street Journal, and Time,

In an interview shortly after he was hired by Presbyterian, Kelley told Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports that he was most proud of his offensive acumen, and noted that his play-calling style was as heavily data-driven as his more publicized special teams idiosyncrasies. Kelley considers his offensive philosophy "intermediate", which he defines as geared heavily toward midrange passes in front of the safeties, with a high percentage of pass plays designed to generate yards after the catch. According to Thamel,

Presbyterian Following the conclusion of the 2020 season, there were some ideas that led to speculation that Kelley could be considered for a Division I job, namely the head coaching position at Kansas, a job Kelley supposedly said he would accept for $90,000 per win. He took over the Blue Hose program for their first full season in the Pioneer Football League after a shortened 2021 spring season under Tommy Spangler.

Kelley communicated his decision in an email to Pulaski Academy parents on May 6,

On December 4, 2021, Presbyterian College announced that Kelley had stepped down as head coach for personal reasons. He amassed a 2–9 record in his only year at Presbyterian.

Sheridan High School

On December 11, 2023, Kelley was named the new head football coach at Sheridan High School in Sheridan, Arkansas.

Personal life Kelley and his wife, Dana, have two children.

Head coaching record High school

College