Propst, USA Academy part ways despite coaching announcement

COOSADA, Ala. (WSFA) - Longtime high school football coach Rush Propst will not coach at USA Academy despite being officially announced as its head coach in early January. The reason for the about-face was not immediately clear.

“Coach Propst is an amazing football coach, and some program out there will be lucky to have him," said Dusty DeVaughn, an academy organizer. "He’s the kind of coach who is loved by his players and feared by his opponents. We wish nothing but the absolute best to Coach Propst and thank him for lending his guidance and expertise to USA Academy in our infancy.”

Propst was named the head coach on Jan. 2 and was to lead the football team at the new private school in Coosada upon its completion. USA Academy is short for Ultimate Student Athletes Academy, which plans to have a similar model to IMG Academy in Florida. The expected price tag for its athletic facilities is around $13 million.

At the time of the announcement, Propst, who served as a volunteer assistant at UAB this past season, called the move an “out-of-the-box-thinking situation," something he said was “what I do.”

Propst has a storied past, one that includes five state title wins and resignation from Hoover High School, as well as being fired from Colquitt County High School in Georgia.