NFL legend set to make coaching debut at Chamblee

NFL Hall of Famer and Super Bowl champion Ed Reed is set to make his high school coaching debut as the new offensive coordinator for Chamblee High School’s varsity football team on Aug. 15.

Hired on Jan. 13, Reed stated that he’s excited about the opportunity to not only win games for the Bulldogs but to help the players grow.

“I’m excited man. When coach [Bob Swank] told me there was an opening, I jumped at the opportunity,” stated Reed. “I get the chance to pour into these kids, see the things that people saw in me. I’ve been around kids a long time, but this is a little different coaching high school ball. It’s an awesome journey, it’s not a job to me, it’s football.”

This is not Reed’s first stint on a coaching staff since his retirement from the NFL in 2013. He was part of the Buffalo Bills coaching staff in 2016 as the team’s defensive backs coach. In 2020, Reed joined the coaching of his alma mater University of Miami as the team’s chief-of-staff. In 2022, Reed was set to become Bethune-Cookman’s next head coach, but according to CBS Sports, the contract negotiations fell through. Now Reed is the new offensive coordinator for the Bulldogs after a 2-9 season in 2024.

Reed stated that many people have questioned why the Hall of Fame defensive back chose to switch sides of the field and become the offensive coordinator for Chamblee.

“That’s all they ask me, but I spent my whole career studying offense,” said Reed. “I don’t know everything to be on this side, I’m not going to sit up here and tell you that I know everything about being an offensive coordinator, but I’m learning. That’s never going to stop. As a coach, player, as a human being, you’re always learning.”

Some Chamblee players are still in awe of being coached by an NFL legend, including Bulldogs’ defensive end William Tate, who stated that he has a poster of Reed on his bedroom wall.

“That’s crazy, but I still want them to understand that I’m still their coach,” said Reed. “Everything is about communication, you know, meeting the kids on their level, talking to them while at the same time still having my high standards. I tell them all the time that I’m not lowering my standards, I want you to raise your standard and raise the bar to help this team.”

Reed will join coach Swank and his former teammate from the Baltimore Ravens, Jamal Lewis, who joined Chamblee’s staff in 2024 as its director of college recruitment.

“Just being around him … it becomes very obvious really quickly that he is a football expert,” said Swank. “He’s a legend as a player, but people don’t realize he’s a genius level football person. I’ve been coaching since 1991, and he’s one of the sharpest guys I’ve been around.”

The Bulldogs will put their new coaching staff to the test this season, with a chance to return to the playoffs after missing the mark in 2024. Swank said he and his staff will rely on a multitude of returning players to help reach the team’s goals.

Chamblee will host Pace Academy for its first game of the 2025 season on Aug. 15 at North DeKalb Stadium.