Tra’Darius Goff is picking up where he left off in year two as Columbia Central football coach.
Last season, the former Columbia Central standout football player led the Lions to a 7-4 record and an appearance in the TSSAA Class 5A football state playoffs. This year, he’s looking to build upon the foundation set in year one.
“As a team man, my goal is always to win the region, win (a) state championship, that's my goal," Goff said. "And I told them I set my bar high because that's what I come from and I reached that success. So for me, anything short of that, you know, that would be selling ourselves short.”
A state championship game wouldn’t be unfamiliar territory for Goff, who won a state title as a player at Columbia Central in 2010, the Lions most recent state title. From Columbia, Goff went on to play at Tennessee Tech, where he became a key member of the Golden Eagles’ defense.
His experience playing in college has helped shaped how he coaches, with his practices reflecting those of his college playing days.
“He came in and changed the culture," said Columbia senior Jhrevious Hall, an Indiana commit. "Practices are different, practices are really more college organized. It's more organized practices, energy is better, it's just changed everything around here.
"You can tell from last year the way we played and stuff. And coach Goff, he doesn't want to lose, he wants to win too. I've just been around that my whole life, so playing for coach Goff is great. He's going to get onto you, but he's going to let you play at the same time.”
When Goff was hired, Columbia was in need of some stability after having had three coaches in the previous three seasons. Goff flipped the program around in year one, making the state tournament after the Lions went 3-7 the season prior.
Goff’s success as a player at Columbia has made his lessons that much more meaningful to the players, with Goff having been in their shoes before.
“A lot of kids these days (think), 'You got to show me, you can't just tell me. You've never done it before.' But I have done it before," Goff said. "And it was a different time, but I think that plays a big part in catching the kids' attention.
"And when you get to know them, they're like, 'Okay, he knows what he what he's talking about. He's done it before, he just not yelling at me to be yelling at me.'”
His experience at Columbia has given Goff and added level of respect, something that was necessary to revamp the program. As the process continues, Goff says he’s looking to build on last year’s momentum as he’s now more comfortable with the litany of roles and responsibilities that come with being the head coach.
“I was just an assistant and working them out in the weight room and they were already showing me the respect and being here for me and buying into what we were trying to do," said Goff of his time as an assistant. "And so when I did get the job, the head coach job, I think it just solidified it in their eyes and made them want to go even harder.
"So like I said, I don't necessarily look at it as a surprise, I just look at it as, it was the way the process played out. I had already put in the ground work with them and then when I got the job it was just, 'Okay he's our guy.'”
Harrison Campbell covers high school sports and more for The Daily Herald. Email him at hcampbell@gannett.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @hccamp.
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