COACHING NEWS: Smith resigns as Ridgeview head coach after two seasons

ORANGE PARK, Fla. — Ridgeview is searching for a new head football coach after Merlin Smith departed following two seasons with the program, the school announced on social media this past Friday.

The athletic department posted the news to Facebook and Instagram on Nov. 7, thanking Smith for his dedication to the Panthers program. The school listed the head coaching vacancy with the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) in their classifieds section.

Smith compiled a 3-17 record in two seasons at Ridgeview, according to The Florida Times-Union. The Panthers finished 2-8 in 2025, with victories over Englewood and KIPP Bold City.

Smith was hired in December 2023 after serving as head coach at St. Johns Country Day from 2009-11, the Times-Union reported. Before joining Ridgeview, he had been a successful junior high coach at nearby Oakleaf Junior High.

The Clay County program has struggled in recent years, the Times-Union reported. Aside from a 7-4 campaign in 2020, Ridgeview has endured six 1-9 seasons and one winless season in 2016 over the past decade. The Panthers have not won more than seven games since posting a 9-2 record in 2012 under Tom MacPherson, who is now the head football coach at Fleming Island, according to the Times-Union.

The new hire will become the eighth full-time head coach in program history, the Times-Union reported.

The school will be accepting applications for the position through Friday, Nov. 21, before the Thanksgiving holiday break for Clay County schools.

Ridgeview marks the seventh head coaching position to come open on the 2026 Florida Coaches Moving Van, and the first coaching change for Northeast Florida.

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