Buford's Simpson resigns to take Georgia State post

Jess Simpson, who won seven state championships at Buford, is leaving high school football to join the staff at Georgia State.

Buford has reached the state finals a state-record 10 straight times. The Wolves lost to Rome 16-7 in the Class AAAAA final last week.

Simpson’s Buford record is 164-12. Three of the losses were games that Buford won but were overturned by forfeit for the inadvertent use of ineligible players.

Simpson’s move continues a recent trend of successful high school coaches who have left for the college rankings. Others moving include Grayson’s Mickey Conn (Clemson), Valdosta’s Rance Gillespie (Georgia Southern) and Carver-Columbus’s Dell McGee (Georgia Southern and then Georgia).