State Championship coach Patrick Browning leaves Pike Road to become Greenville’s head football coach.

The move was announced this morning.

“I love Pike Road,” Browning said AL.com. “It’s a great place. It was great for me and my family. We started with nothing but a few rubber soccer balls and worked it into a state championship program, but God is calling us to a new opportunity.

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Browning, 35, replaces Josh McLendon, who resigned at Greenville last week after seven seasons. McLendon said AL.com it was the administration’s decision to go in a different direction.

Browning has spent the past six years at Pike Road, building the program from its inception through the Class 5A state championship in 2021. In four college seasons, the Patriots are 42-7 overall, including a 36-2 mark over the past three seasons.

The 2021 squad went 14-0, beating Pleasant Grove 51-14 in the state championship game in Birmingham.

“At Pike, we achieved the goal we set for ourselves,” Browning said. “We won a state title. The last three senior classes went undefeated in the regular season. We broke several scoring records and defensive records. It really was like a movie. You couldn’t write a better script. Now we are excited for a new challenge and a new opportunity.

Browning takes over a Greenville team that went 8-4 last fall, losing 14-12 to UMS-Wright in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs. The Tigers will compete in Class 5A, Region 2 in 2022 with Carroll, Charles Henderson, Eufaula, Headland and Rehobeth.

“I think Greenville is a sleeping giant with a ton of potential,” Browning said. “I can’t wait to get out there and get to work. They have excellent facilities. They are building a new stadium in the fall. I think there’s a ton of untapped potential. I love creating programs and doing everything I can to improve them.

Browning grew up in Ashland and played high school football for legendary coach Danny Horn. He was a volunteer student assistant at Auburn, spent three years as an assistant coach at Beauregard, three years as an offensive coordinator at Dadeville and a year as quarterbacks coach at Prairie View A&M before taking over at Pike Road.

The Pike Road 2021 team averaged 46.4 points per game, while giving up just 10.1. The team included Alabama DT signee Khurtiss Perry, Ole Miss RB signee Quinshon Judkins, and UAB signee Iverson Hooks, among others.

“Football is about relationships,” Browning said. “That’s what we’ve made the basis of our goals. You need great discipline and excellent relationships with children. No child wants to listen until they know how much you care about them. The programs will change depending on the staff, but there will always be a love base for the children. This core of our plan will never change.

Browning said he would work with the superintendents of both schools to determine a start date in Greenville.