COACHING NEWS: Kessel steps down at Sandalwood after two seasons as head coach

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Sandalwood has begun its search for a new head football coach after Brad Kessel stepped down following two seasons with the program, according to The Florida Times-Union.

The school posted the coaching vacancy with the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) on Nov. 11, the Times-Union reported. Kessel had notified the athletic department during the middle of the 2025 season that he would resign at its conclusion, according to the report.

According to the Times-Union, Kessel pointed to difficulties with workload management and challenges in recruiting enough assistant coaches to adequately staff a Class 7A program as reasons for his departure.

Kessel was hired in January 2024 and finished with a 1-19 record across two campaigns, the Times-Union reported. The Saints failed to win a game in 2024 before ending a program-record 29-game losing streak with a win over Terry Parker on Oct. 30, 2025. That losing streak was Jacksonville’s longest since Stanton dropped 30 straight games between 2012 and 2015, according to the Times-Union.

Before joining Sandalwood, Kessel held an interim position at Ponte Vedra in 2020 and worked as defensive coordinator at Nease, the Times-Union reported. He indicated plans to continue teaching at Sandalwood.

Athletic Director Frank Ancayan told the Times-Union that the school will collect applications until Nov. 21 and schedule interviews starting the week of Dec. 1.

The incoming coach will be Sandalwood’s eighth in the program’s 55-year history, the Times-Union reported.

The Sandalwood coaching change marks the ninth coaching change reported to the 2026 Florida Coaches Moving Van and the second for Northeast Florida this offseason.

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