Wes Dodson will be the new head coach at LaGrange College, the school announced on Sunday.
LaGrange College is a Division III school in LaGrange, Ga. The Panthers compete in the Collegiate Conference of the South, and went 1-8 in 2022. LaGrange announced last month head coach Earl Chambers and three assistants would not return for the 2023 campaign.
"From a very deep and qualified applicant pool of more than 150 candidates, Wes rose to the top," said LaGrange president Susanna Baxter. "We are confident he will fulfill our vision for an excellent DIII football program committed to our student-athletes and their academic and athletic success."
Dodson joins the program from Division III Hampden-Sydney College, where he'd coached since 2007. He spent 15 seasons as defensive coordinator, producing eight All-Americans, 33 first team all-conference honorees, three Old Dominion Athletic Conference defensive players of the year, and one ODAC rookie of the year.
"My family and I are extremely excited to join the LaGrange College family, Panther Athletics and the LaGrange community," Dodson said. "I want to thank President Baxter and Vice President Terlynn Olds for believing in me and giving me this opportunity to lead the Panther Football program. It is their vision for LaGrange College and Panther Football that excites me about this opportunity.
"We are going to build this program on the foundation of family, professionalism and citizenship. There will be an emphasis on academics with the purpose of obtaining a meaningful degree, as well as personal development. We are going to build and mold great men that the college and community will be proud of—with the ultimate goal of being a championship football program that is committed to excellence in everything we do.
"I am eager to meet the team and get started building a program together that will excite LaGrange College, the alumni and the community of LaGrange."
Dodson was a four-year letterwinner at Western Michigan as a quarterback and free safety, then started coaching as a WMU GA in 2002. He then spent 2005-06 coaching defensive backs at William & Mary before joining the H-SC staff in 2007.
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