JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Longtime Sandalwood football coach Adam Geis has stepped down after 21 seasons in two stints at the school.
Geis led Sandalwood to the regional final in 2020 against eventual state champ Seminole. The Saints were 5-5 the following two seasons before struggling to a winless season this year. Sandalwood also reached the regional final in 2006. He leaves with a career record approaching 150 career victories. Sandalwood is the largest public school in Duval County.
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“It was fun coaching a lot of good players, man,” Geis said. “My time has come to an end. It’s time to give somebody else a chance.”
Geis started his coaching career at Paxon in 2000 and went 7-3 in his second year there before going to Sandalwood in 2002 for a six-year stretch before stepping away in 2008. He returned in 2009 and was remarkably consistent with the Saints. Geis had eight seasons with seven or more victories.
Talent at Sandalwood was undeniable at Sandalwood under Geis. Eventual NFL draft picks DeMarcus Walker, Ameer Speed, Rusty Smith and Daryl Richardson played under Geis. Elite 11 quarterback Jeff Sims and NFL player Chris Jones also played there. A total of 17 Florida Times-Union Super 11 selections were at Sandalwood in that span, including running back Maurice Wells, who rushed for a then-state record 3,076 yards in 2003. Logan Wright, a career 4,000-yard rusher, also played for the Saints under Geis.
Sandalwood also appeared in nationally televised game on ESPN2 against DeLand in 2012, the first time a high school football game in Duval County was televised live nationally by the network. Sandalwood also faced Mandarin on ESPNU in 2019 in a showdown featuring Elite 11 quarterbacks Sims and Carson Beck.
Geis’ departure marks another offseason where one of the area’s longest-tenured coaches has stepped down. Last year, Bartram Trail’s Darrell Sutherland stepped down after 23 seasons and Keystone Heights’ Chuck Dickinson called it a career after 24 years.
Last season saw a deluge of coaching changes in the area with close to two dozen programs changing head coaches.