Main Street Preps
NASHVILLE WEATHER
physicians-mutual-dental-insurance-banners

Erik Davis brings wealth of playing, coaching experience to Maplewood





Erik Davis has been named head football coach at Maplewood High School.Courtesy of Erik Davis

Erik Davis has been named head football coach at Maplewood High School.Courtesy of Erik Davis

Maplewood has handed the reins of its football program to a Nashville native with plenty of playing and coaching experience.

The school announced Erik Davis as its new head football coach on Thursday. He replaces Arcentae Broome, who resigned in March to take the same job at Overton.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Davis said. “It’s exciting to have my first (head coaching) opportunity at Maplewood.”

Davis, who played high school football at Ezell-Harding in Antioch, was a wide receiver at Vanderbilt from 2002-05, spent time on the Tennessee State staff and was most recently an assistant coach at Stratford.

He also signed an undrafted free agent contract with the New England Patriots in 2006 but was released at the end of training camp.

Those credentials stood out to Maplewood principal Sonya Brooks.

“From the moment Coach Davis started the interview process, he impressed the team with his professional career in football, his commitment to student success on and off the field, and his plan to build Maplewood’s football program,” Brooks said in a release.

Maplewood players are all smiles after defeating Tullahoma in 2018.David Russell/Main Street Media/File

Maplewood players are all smiles after defeating Tullahoma in 2018.David Russell/Main Street Media/File

After his playing days ended, Davis stepped away from football and worked “all kinds of jobs” in hopes of finding another career he enjoyed. But his love for the game brought him back to the field as a coach.

“Once I got back into it, my addiction, passion and love for football just engulfed me all over again,” he said. “And I’ve been in it ever since.”

Davis landed a graduate assistant job at TSU in 2010 and remained on staff for the next five seasons as the assistant wide receivers coach, working closely with offensive coordinator Mike Jones.

He then jumped to the high school ranks as an assistant at Hillsboro from 2016-18.

Davis credited Stratford coach Thomas Porter for helping prepare him to be a head coach. Porter called Davis a “great hire” for Maplewood.

“Erik Davis has a great wealth of knowledge for this great game but also in the department of building the complete student-athlete,” Porter told Main Street Preps. “I’m very excited for the Davis family and the Maplewood community, not just (for) football but the entire school as Coach Davis will give his all to continue the great tradition and build his brand.”

Erik Davis and his wife.Courtesy of Erik Davis

Erik Davis and his wife.Courtesy of Erik Davis

Davis knows a challenge awaits him, though.

Maplewood finished 0-6 in a COVID-shortened 2020 season. The Panthers advanced to the playoffs nine times during Broome’s 11-year tenure but haven’t had a winning record since 2018.

“I’m hoping to be a fresh version of what Coach Broome was,” Davis said. “Those are big shoes to fill. My hat goes off to him for the level of success he had over the years. Hopefully I can bring some of that spark in there and get those guys juiced up.”

Leave a Reply