Lake Oconee Academy recently announced that Patrick Stewart is going to be its new head football coach.
In addition, he will serve as the director of the schoolwide football program for the upcoming school year.
Stewart said he is very excited to have this opportunity.
“My No. 1 goal is to get young men enthusiastic about the sport that has had such a tremendous influence on my life,” he said in a press release. “Even though we are in the very early years of the program at LOA, I want to see our numbers grow. To try to accomplish this, we offer camps, clinics, speed and agility training, and off-season conditioning to all grades one through 12 throughout the year. With the facilities, administrative support, parent support, and student-athlete buy-in, I know that we can be a competitive program in the near future.”
LOA athletic director Chris Ingle is happy to have Stewart stay at the school.
“Coach Stewart is the type of coach that players love to play for,” he said. “He deeply invests in the student-athletes lives as a coach, mentor and role model. He brings an extremely positive approach to the game. Combining this with his high level of football knowledge and experience makes him a great fit to carry the football program forward.”
Stewart played football at Middle Tennessee State under Rick Stockstill. After college, Stewart was a defensive assistant for the University of Georgia under head coach Kirby Smart.
He also coached at his alma mater of George Walton Academy. Stewart served as the running backs and linebackers coach, as well as the special teams coordinator at GWA for a few seasons.
He was also the head coach for Loganville Christian Academy and earned the 2019 Coach of the Year award for Walton County before coming to Lake Oconee Academy last fall. In 2021, he served as a defensive coordinator and middle school head coach under former Lake Oconee Academy head coach Drew Anthony.
LOA CEO Dr. Otho Tucker sees the values that Stewart wants to instill in the program.
“Coach (Patrick) Stewart is the type of person that we want to lead and develop the young men of Lake Oconee Academy,” Tucker said. “We are excited that he has accepted the role of developing the football program and look forward to his success.”