Arab elevates familiar faces to coordinator positions

Arab, AL – Arab will have a pair of new coordinators on the sidelines when the Knights take the field this fall.  Following the departures of offensive coordinator Michael Darden and defensive coordinator Buddy Pell, Knights head coach Lee Ozmint chose to promote from within to fill the program openings.

RELATED NEWS | Arab High School SportsPlex to get a major facelift

Current Arab head baseball coach Chad Hudson has been elevated to offensive coordinator.  Kyle Routon, who serves as the Knights’ head wrestling coach will coordinate the defense.  

“We’ve got great coaches on staff and I didn’t think we needed to go outside (to hire new coordinators). We’re certainly not going to change terminology because Michael did such a good job with the offense and Buddy did such a good job with the defense,” Ozmint told The Arab Tribune‘s Archie Anderson. “We’re not going to change anything and we’ve got good coaches who were willing to step into those roles. They had understudied our coordinators for two years and were ready and anxious to assume those positions.

Darden, a former Albertville Aggies standout, who came to Arab from Oxford with head coach Lee Ozmint prior to the 2019 season, resigned in May to take the offensive coordinator position at Muscle Shoals.  Pell stepped down following the 2020 season to accept the DC job at Hartselle

The Knights closed out 2020 at 5-6 and ended with a loss to eventual 6A state champion Pinson Valley in the first round of the AHSAA postseason.