USJ hires Pritchard as next football coach, AD

University School of Jackson has its next football coach, and it’s a familiar name in Jackson high school football.

Derrick Pritchard comes to USJ after having been the associate head coach, defensive coordinator, softball coach and associate athletic director at Ensworth, one of the larger private schools in Nashville.

“After an extensive search process to find the best person to continue our great tradition at USJ, I am honored to welcome Derrick to our leadership team and to have him leading our student-athletes and coaches. Coach Pritchard’s character and professionalism are integral in advancing our mission on the football field and our administrative team. I could not be more pleased to have him and his family joining our USJ family, nor more excited about the next chapter of Bruins athletics and football with him at the helm,” shared Head of School Don Roe in a statement to the USJ community.

Pritchard is a native of Decatur County and graduated from Riverside.

He spent a few years as the defensive coordinator at Trinity Christian under former Lions coach Michael Hodum and helped lead the Lions to the Class 2A championship game in 2010.

He went with Hodum to Chester County before taking a similar job at Riverside that preceded his job at Ensworth.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the University School of Jackson football program and Athletic Department,” Pritchard said in the statement. “My family and I could not be more excited to return to Jackson and join the USJ community. I am grateful for the last eight years I have spent in Nashville with the Ensworth community. We will miss the relationships we created there, but we are excited to rekindle old relationships in Jackson and forge new ones in the Bruin community. I look forward to continuing to help our students grow and flourish, guiding them in finding success and becoming active members of their communities. I would like to thank Head of School Don Roe, the search committee, and the Bruin community for the opportunity to lead these respected programs into the next chapter.“