Cedar Grove hires Roderick Moore as football coach

This offseason, DeKalb County School District officials announced Cedar Grove High School hired Roderick Moore as its new football head coach.

John Adams—who won two state titles in three years—left the high school for the defensive back coaching job at Georgia State University, prompting Cedar Grove to begin a new era under Moore. This will be the first time the school has hired a coach from outside the program since its state championship run began in 2016.

Moore is familiar with DeKalb as a graduate from Druid Hills High School. He has also made stops as the football head coach for Redan and McNair high schools. With McNair, Moore led the Mustangs to a 26-18 record with three playoff appearances and one playoff win during his tenure. At Redan, he went 12-18 from 2014-2018.

DCSD officials also added that Moore helped Doughtery High School find success as an assistant coach in recent years. He was on the staff during Doughtery’s two most winningest seasons. He also made stops at Southwest DeKalb High School and Savannah State University.

“I’m excited man, I have been rebuilding programs for the past 25 years from ground zero to building them up into winning and playoff contention teams,” said Moore. “This is the first time, as far as a head coach, that I already have food in the pantry to cook with, and what that does is it incorporates our structure quicker as far as a win now mentality. So, I’m excited and ready for the season to start.”

Moore stated that he plans to implement the “Grove Heat” to Cedar Grove on both sides of the ball but especially on defense.

“Our defense is going to be stout,” said Moore. “We got these dogs on defense that should be able to shut people down. Fans should expect some intense defensive play with some ground control big-play ability on offense. We want to control the clock and the pace of the game, and when we have the lead, I want my defense on field.”

During his tenure, Adams went 33-11 in three seasons at Cedar Grove, elevating the program’s status with a semi-national out-of-region schedule and taking the Saints to three consecutive state title games. Under Adams, Cedar Grove won state titles in 2021 and 2023, and was a controversial call away from winning the title in 2022. That 2022 state title game, which Cedar Grove loss, prompted Georgia High School Association to implement instant replay in title games.

Adams will follow his successors—Jimmy Smith and Miguel Patrick, who also won state titles for the program—to the college level, starting his new journey as the defensive back coach at Georgia State University.

“I am more than grateful for having the opportunity to work at a football program that is leaving its mark on football in the state of Georgia,” said Adams. “Thank you to Cedar Grove and the Ellenwood community for your support … It has truly been an honor for me and my family.”

Adams’ Cedar Grove teams had student athletes signing college scholarships at a high rate, alums boasting commitments to University of Georgia, Auburn University, Florida State University, and other top tier university football teams.

Moore’s new look Cedar Grove Saints will take center stage on Aug. 4 when the team hosts Stephenson at Buck Godfrey Stadium at 7:30 p.m. for a fall scrimmage.