Discovery Middle School names Drew Lawson new football head coach

23-year-old college student takes over middle school program, aims to prepare players for high school

Published on Mar. 4, 2026

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Drew Lawson, a former two-sport athlete at Bob Jones High School who is currently pursuing a master's degree and working as a graduate assistant football coach at the University of North Alabama, has been named the new head football coach at Discovery Middle School in Madison, Alabama. Despite his young age and ongoing college commitments, Lawson is tasked with rebuilding the middle school program and preparing players for the transition to the high school level.

Why it matters

Lawson's appointment as a college student is an unusual circumstance, but the school and local high school coach see it as an opportunity to better align the middle school and high school football programs and improve the pipeline of talent. Lawson's experience as a successful high school athlete himself, as well as his coaching under respected mentors, make him an intriguing choice to lead the Discovery Middle School program.

The details

Lawson, who just completed his final season of college football eligibility at the University of North Alabama, will balance his graduate studies and graduate assistant coaching duties with leading the Discovery Middle School football team. He plans to install the same schemes and fundamentals taught at the high school level to ease the transition for players, and will focus on developing basic football skills, knowledge, and discipline during spring workouts and summer training.

  • Lawson just completed his last eligible season of college football at UNA.
  • This spring, Lawson is working as a graduate assistant for the UNA football team and pursuing a master's degree in Secondary Education (Math).
  • This fall, Lawson will be a student teacher in a school near UNA.

The players

Drew Lawson

A 23-year-old former two-sport athlete at Bob Jones High School who went on to play college football at Southern Miss and North Alabama, and is now the new head football coach at Discovery Middle School while completing his master's degree.

Matthew Sweatman

The athletic director at Discovery Middle School who previously coached Lawson in wrestling and football at Bob Jones High School.

Seth Parker

The newly hired head football coach at Bob Jones High School, who has visited with Lawson and Discovery Middle School players to help align the programs.

R.T. Lawson

Drew Lawson's younger brother, who was an assistant coach for the Discovery Middle School football team last season and will now join his brother's staff.

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What they’re saying

“I'm not sure how common this situation is, but I'm not concerned and neither is the school as the school reached out to me behind school athletic director Matthew Sweatman, who coached me in wrestling and football while I was at Bob Jones.”

— Drew Lawson (themadisonrecord.com)

“My main priority is to get these players prepped for high school as I'll take the high school schemes Coach Parker has in place, simplify them for my players and mold these players with basic football knowledge and ability.”

— Drew Lawson (themadisonrecord.com)

“I want my players to know what it looks like to be a student- athlete and pay attention to details and understand certain expectations and responsibilities there are to be that special person.”

— Drew Lawson (themadisonrecord.com)

What’s next

Lawson plans to install high school-level schemes and fundamentals during summer workouts, which will include more on-field skills training and 7-on-7 competitions to prepare the Discovery Middle School players for the transition to the high school program.

The takeaway

Lawson's appointment as a young, college-aged head coach is an unconventional move, but one that the school and local high school program see as an opportunity to better align the middle school and high school football programs and develop players who are better prepared for the rigors of high school football.