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By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

Tanner Glisson is ready for the challenge.

Glisson arrived at Troup High as the head football coach in 2015, and he has helped the program thrive.

Now, Glisson is hoping to guide another program to success.

Earlier this week, Craig Garner announced that he’s leaving Troup to become the head baseball coach at Northside-Columbus.

Garner’s replacement at Troup will be Glisson, who will now be the head coach in football and baseball.

“The timing of it’s good,” said Glisson, who has led the football team to 35 wins over the past four seasons and four straight appearances in the state playoffs. “I don’t think we could have done this at this program three years ago. I think we’re to the point now where with the staff we’ve hired and with the quality of coaches that we have, that if there’s ever a time to do both, now’s the time.”

Glisson has a baseball background.

Glisson was a baseball standout at Manchester, and he later played the sport at Gordon College.

After graduating from Columbus State, Glisson returned to Manchester and became the head baseball coach.

“The year before I took them over, they had a very poor season, so we were able to flip that and have back-to-back winning seasons, so that was good,” Glisson said. “I played baseball at Gordon, so that was good as well, and I have a son coming up in the sixth grade who wants to play baseball. I’ve been a life-long baseball guy. I’ve always enjoyed it.”

Niki Watts, Troup’s principal, is happy to see someone she has such respect for take over the baseball program.

“As the THS principal and a lifelong Tiger, there’s nothing I want more than to see our programs excel and our students thrive,” Watts said. “Coach G has the knowledge, passion, experience, and leadership to take Troup High baseball to the next level and I’m pumped that he is taking on this role.”

Andrew Calhoun, Troup’s new athletics director, said “we feel very confident in coach G’s ability to have a good positive influence on the program moving forward. He’s very excited. He’s a former college player, and he has experience as a head coach in baseball and was successful in revitalizing Manchester baseball. We’re very excited about him coming on board and bringing some excitement and passion and continuing the great tradition of baseball at Troup High School.”

Glisson, after spending two seasons as Manchester’s baseball coach, led the football program at the school in 2013 and 2014 before coming to Troup.

The 2015 season was a difficult one for the Tigers, who went 1-9, but they’ve been flying high since.

Troup is 35-13 over the past four seasons, and it went 12-2 in 2018 and reached the semifinals of the state playoffs.

“We’ve had opportunities, my family has had opportunities to leave here, but we have chosen to make this our home, and if I’m capable and can help, why not help?,” Glisson said. “The deal is I’m hired to be an educator, and there’s a good classroom down there on the baseball field. We’re excited, and hopefully some of these baseball and football guys will cross over and play multiple sports.”