![Matt Brunson (right) with his son Joe after the 2020 FHSAA Class 1A State Championship game at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla. [Joshua Wilson/FloridaHSFootball.com]](https://i0.wp.com/floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_0627.jpeg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1)
The Baker alum returns after two years removed from stepping down as head coach and spending 2023 in Alabama
BAKER, Fla. – A familiar name and face is returning back to the Sunshine State after a year away in Alabama and two years removed from being a head coach in the state.
On Tuesday afternoon, Powerhouse Sports in Alabama and later further verified by WTVY-TV in Dothan, Ala. on Wednesday revealed that Matt Brunson is returning to be the head coach at his alma mater at Baker in Okaloosa County where he won the 2020 Class 1A state championship during the COVID-19 pandemic and was 114-21 overall as the head coach during that stretch of time. The Gators were also de facto Class 1A state champions for the 2016 after Pahokee was stripped of the official FHSAA title due to ineligible athletes on the team at the time.
Brunson returns to the state after leading Opp High School in Opp, Ala. to a 4-7 record including a playoff birth in the Alabama High School Athletic Association state playoffs.
During his coaching career, Brunson has also coached at other Florida programs including Vernon, where he first became a head coach and at Crestview where he lead the Bulldogs to a state title appearance in 2002. Overall he has a record of 213-73 in Florida and is 217-80 overall as head coach.
Brunson will take over from Barry Gardner who succeeded Brunson after the 2021 season. Gardner was let go after two seasons going 3-6 during the 2023 season that saw the Gators miss the playoffs for the first time in almost a decade.
This is a breaking story. Stay tuned to FloridaHSFootball.com for more information and details.
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