Brad Willard

Tyler Legacy will be in search of a new offensive coordinator.

Brad Willard is departing after one season with the Red Raiders to be the head football coach at Liberty-Eylau High School in Texarkana.

The move was first reported by Matt Stepp of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football.

Prior to coming to Legacy for the 2023 season, Willard was the head coach of Mount Vernon for two seasons, leading the Tigers to a record of 23-4. Mount Vernon went 14-1 in 2021 and advanced to the state semifinals. The Tigers were 9-3 in 2022.

Willard was a graduate assistant coach at Baylor when Tyler Legacy head football coach Beau Trahan was on staff with the Bears under then head coach Art Briles, who Willard took over for at Mount Vernon.

Willard was also an offensive coordinator at Red Oak High School before going to Mount Vernon.

Legacy went 3-8 this season and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2021. The Red Raiders scored 34 points twice in district wins over Mesquite and Royse City.

Liberty-Eylau went 3-7 this past season and was eliminated by Carthage, 42-0, in the bi-district round of the playoffs.

The Leopards reached the playoffs in all four seasons under head coach Dewaski Davis and have been in the postseason 18 times since 2003.

Liberty-Eylau competed in a district this season with Spring Hill, Gilmer, Pleasant Grove, Pittsburg and Paris North Lamar in Class 4A Division II, but the Leopards will move down to Class 3A for the next two school years and will find at its new district with UIL Realignment in February.