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Graham Family
By Sam McClanahan
On December 14, Pendleton County High School broke the news that 34-year-old Jaegger Graham of Savannah, GA had been hired as the new head coach for the Wildcats football program.
Graham is no stranger to the area as he is originally from the Northern Kentucky area and has spent previous years climbing the coaching ranks at multiple schools. He has served as an assistant at Bishop Brossart, Newport Central Catholic, Newport and Bellevue. Since 2020, he has been the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at Islands High School in Savannah. He says that he is looking forward to coming back to Kentucky and beginning a new chapter of his life along with his family.
“I definitely call this a dream come true opportunity and something that I have been working towards for over 10 years,” Graham said. I applied for the coaching position in late October and I feel like I was hired because they saw that I value building players up into becoming solid, young men and making sure all the little things are done that will result in bigger goals being reached,” he added.
Pendleton County High School athletic director Jon Wirth shared his thoughts on what made Graham the best fit to take over the football program.
“Coach Graham stood out from the others by showing us in multiple ways how much we wants to be a part of both Pendleton County football and our community. He has coaching experience at multiple schools learning from some great head coaches. He has a very detailed plan and vision for our football program,” Wirth explained.
Coach Graham takes over a program that has gone winless in each of the past two seasons and will begin play in 2024 with the longest active losing streak in the state. Despite an uphill battle, he is eager to begin the climb in returning the Wildcats back to respectability.
“I want to be someone that the players can look up to. The most important aspect is skill development and creating a true love for the sport. I know their numbers have been around 35-40 players and many of them solely play football only. I’d like to see more multi-sport athletes involved in our program going forward and I look forward to developing relationships with our coaches at Pendleton County. I also think it’s important to have a great relationship with the youth programs in the county, both tackle and flag-football. Those young men are the future Wildcats that we all want to be successful.”
Coach Graham says that his coaching style will reflect an “air raid” style on offense, spreading formations out and throwing the ball down the field. But says that he’s also going to evaluate the roster and cater it to the talent he has.
Graham said that he and his family are excited about moving to the area that he feels has a strong sense of community. And he’s also looking forward to being closer to his family once again.
“When my wife and I relocated to Savannah a few years ago, we just had one child and was excited about living close to the beaches and warmer weather. But now we have three children and the idea of the kids being closer to their grandparents and cousins is so important. We’re also ready to be apart of the Pendleton County community that is known for being tight-knit and welcoming. My wife is also very excited about checking out the Kentucky Wool Festival too.”
Graham says that he and his family plan to move back to the area sometime in late spring. He is also a science teacher and will assume that same role at PCHS next school year.
When the 2024 season kicks off, not only will the team have a new head coach but also a new home as construction has already gotten underway near Sharp Middle School for a new football field and athletic complex. Graham noted how proud he is to be able to usher in a new era of Wildcats football.
“I’m really excited for our fans to be able to see a new and improved field and a new product on the field.