West Monroe has found its 14th head football coach – Ouachita’s Todd Garvin. After completing interviews with the advisory committee on Tuesday, Garvin accepted the position. The school will hold an introductory press conference at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
“I just feel blessed,” Garvin said. “Without Mr. (Charles) Wright and Mr. (Todd) Guice giving me an opportunity to coach my former school, I wouldn’t be here. Without those players buying in and accepting change, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. I wouldn’t be the next man up at West Monroe. The decision I made five years ago based on what I felt was right has led me back to West Monroe High School. I’m just so blessed that incident occurred.”
In his two seasons as head coach, Garvin led the Lions to a 15-10 record. Prior to that, he served three seasons under Ruston’s head coach Jerrod Baugh and coached running backs and quarterbacks at West Monroe from 2007-2018. During his time with the Rebels, Garvin contributed to two state championships in 2009 and 2011.
After being demoted from his varsity coaching duties at West Monroe in July 2018, Garvin eventually found a new position on Ruston’s staff. He now sees that experience as a blessing, and he looks forward to his new role as West Monroe’s head coach.
“Because of that situation and that conversation, I was able to go to another program where I had an opportunity to learn another style and other ways to do things,” Garvin said. “That’s helped put me in this position. I used those experiences that I gained from West Monroe and experiences that I gained from Ruston. And now being a head coach at Ouachita, I’ll use those experiences and mold them for this job.”
In 2021, Garvin was honored as The Ouachita Citizen’s Coach of the Year for his remarkable turnaround of the Ouachita Lion team. From a 1-5 record, he led them to a 9-4 season, securing the school’s first quarterfinal berth since 2012 and ending a 27-game losing streak against West Monroe.
“Garvin brings to West Monroe a wide array of experiences and a vision that will elevate the Rebel football program to the next level,” West Monroe principal Dan Lane said. “The five seasons he spent away from the Rebels has only helped him develop into the head coach the program needs.”
Garvin has not disclosed any intentions about potential staff modifications.
“There’s still some work to do there,” Garvin said. “I’ve still got a lot of work to do in terms of the West Monroe job. Thirty days since they’ve had a figurehead in place, so I think we’re putting our foot down right now and getting to work. Those kids need a leader.”
West Monroe’s spring training will commence on Monday.
Garvin’s appointment as the Rebels’ head football coach is only the third such hire since 1989. On Tuesday night, he shared his plans to meet with the Ouachita players on Wednesday morning and express his appreciation for them.
“I’m going to provide some closure to them and tell those guys what they mean to me and how much I love them,” Garvin said. “Those things aren’t going to change. My love for those guys and what they’ll do for Ouachita… That’s still my alumni. I’m going to tell them what they mean to me and encourage them to continue to press on and move forward.”