Sailors hire Manatee High defensive coordinator Phillips as new coach

By Judy J. Beasley Last updated Jan 24, 2023

SARASOTA – Sarasota High was looking for its new football coach.

Sailors athletic director Shane Ahles announced on Monday afternoon that Josh Phillips was the new football coach.

“Coach Phillips brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to all levels of football,” said Ahles. “We are thrilled to have him leading our young men both on the football field and on campus.”

A former defensive coordinator at Manatee High, Phillips replaces Brody Wiseman, who coached the Sailors for the past three seasons.

“Good coach, good person,” Manatee High football coach Jacquez Green said in a text. “I wish him great success in every game except when we play.”

A harbinger that Phillips and Sarasota High were a good match: Phillips lived in Bradenton and his wife Traci lived in Sarasota. Traci owns a number of Airbnb properties. Before the couple were engaged, Traci bought a property about 50 yards from Cleland Stadium at Ihrig Field, the sailors’ football stadium.

“When the position opened up, I just have to apply and we’ll see what happens,” Phillips said. “Fortunately, I got the job. I’m excited about this.

Phillips applied for another football coaching job, this one in California where he placed in the bottom two applicants.

Then COVID-19 hit and Phillips returned to his home state of Florida.

“I viewed it as an opportunity to move back to Florida and be closer to my mom,” Phillips said.

After attending Lake Highland Prep in Orlando, Phillips went to Yale University where he played both sides of the ball (cornerback and running back), ran track and majored in psychology and minored in philosophy. religious. A 2001 Yale graduate, he earned two master’s degrees from an MBA from Wagner College (MBA) and Cal State Northridge (MS in Biomechanical Kinesiology).

Phillips, 43, has extensive experience coaching both sides of the ball and special teams at multiple levels: Granada High School (defensive play and passing coordinator), University of California Berkeley (strength and conditioning, defense) , Los Angeles Pierce College (defensive coordinator), Wagner College (defensive backs, special teams) and Santa Monica High (defensive backs).

“I coordinated everything, as well as strength and conditioning,” Phillips said. “That’s another reason why I feel ready to be a head coach. Some guys get stuck on one side or the other of the ball, but I got lucky.

“The last two years of my career I felt ready to be a head coach,” Phillips said. “If the right opportunity presented itself at the right time, I would put my name in the ring and see what happened.”

Locally, he also coached at Bradenton Christian School as offensive coordinator under former coach Greg Williford before landing at Manatee for a season.

He was hired just a year ago and has served as the Hurricanes boys’ weightlifting coach, strength and conditioning coordinator, and defensive coordinator.

“It was a really good experience,” Phillips said of his time at Manatee. “Coach Green is a really easy guy to work for. He put a lot of trust and faith in me. He let me coach.

“They have a really talented team coming back. it was hard to leave. It was difficult to say goodbye to these children, because I really care about them. This opportunity was just something I couldn’t pass up.

With Sarasota, Phillips plans to meet this week and plan goals with all of his players, whom he met on Monday.

“I told them my job was to help you succeed,” Phillips said.

The Sailors were 5-5 last season, reaching the Class 4 Suburban playoffs. Sarasota defeated Manatee High in the first round before losing to Riverview High in the regional quarterfinals.