Tyler Legacy has added Mount Vernon head football coach Brad Willard as its new offensive coordinator, new Tyler Legacy head football coach Beau Trahan confirmed on Monday.
The move was first reported by Matt Stepp of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football.
“I am really appreciative of the kids and administration at Mount Vernon,” Willard told Stepp. “This wasn’t an easy decision. My family was blessed for Mount Vernon to take a chance on me and we’ll remember our time fondly.”
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 this past season.
“Brad is a very good football coach,” Trahan said. “He’s well-versed in what I want to run. I coached him in college and worked with him when he was a GA at Baylor. He runs the same offense I’ve been running the last 20 years. He’s called plays the last few years at Mount Vernon and been very successful, and it aligns with what I want to do offensively. It’s a home run hire.”
Willard was a graduate assistant coach at Baylor when Trahan was on staff with the Bears under then head coach Art Briles, who Willard took over for at Mount Vernon.
“I’m pumped to work with Coach Trahan again,” Willard told Stepp. “I really enjoyed my time at Baylor with him. He’s an incredible man and is great for kids, and I couldn’t be more excited to work with someone like that.”
Trahan said the new Legacy offense is what Briles ran during his time in college and at Mount Vernon.
“It’s the Art Briles system,” Trahan said. “It’s about spreading it wide, playing fast, getting our athletes in space and scoring a lot of points. Brad has done that at a high level where he’s been, and he knows the offense through and through. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Willard was also an offensive coordinator at Red Oak High School before going to Mount Vernon.
Trahan was announced as the new head football coach at Tyler Legacy on Jan. 26 and officially started on Jan. 30 after spending the previous 15 years coaching collegiately at Baylor and Tulsa.