Despite the high school football season ending more than a month ago in the Lone Star State, there has still been significant news on the gridiron in the Texas Panhandle.
Tulia head coach Fred Jordan revealed he was stepping away from his role, and Stratford head coach Jon Murphy was hired as Canyon’s offensive coordinator earlier in January.
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On Jan. 28, another coaching move was announced in the Amarillo area as Floydada ISD publicized its hire of West Texas High School head football coach and boys athletic coordinator Jeff Smith on social media.
Smith will be the Whirlwinds’ head football coach and athletic director, according to a social media post from the school district.
Smith has been at the helm in Stinnett since 2023 after serving as an assistant for WTHS from 2014-17. The veteran coach has also held a number of other jobs in the area, including a stint at Bushland, where Smith was Falcons offensive coordinator in addition to coaching baseball.
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In 2025, Smith led the Comanches to a 14-1 record and the team’s first Class 2A Division I state semifinal appearance since 1995. West Texas’ state semifinal roster featured two of Smith’s sons, Deacon and Dayne.
Deacon, a senior, is set to continue his career on the gridiron at Hardin-Simmons, while Dayne is a freshman in high school.
The Comanches were 3-6 the year before Smith’s arrival, but went 25-12 during the new Floydada head coach’s tenure in Stinnett. The Whirlwinds, on the other hand, went 0-10 in 2025.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: West Texas football coach Jeff Smith leaving Comanches for Floydada