New South Florence head coach Scott Braswell sat down with Movin' The Chains hosts Kevin Thomas and Jerel Hendricks to talk about stepping into one of South Carolina's most successful programs, the staff he built from scratch this offseason, and what he's asking of a Bruins roster that has played for a lot of state championships lately.
Braswell was hired in February after five seasons as defensive coordinator at Dutch Fork under Tom Knotts. Before that he coached at Ave Maria, UNC Charlotte, Methodist University, and Woodberry Forest School, following in the footsteps of his father, a longtime high school coach in North Carolina. This is Braswell's first head coaching job. Watch the full conversation below, then read on for the highlights.
Who Is Scott Braswell, South Florence's New Head Coach?
Braswell described the jump from longtime assistant to first-time head coach as "drinking from a fire hose" and "juggling 10 balls at once." He said the most consistent bright spot has been the players themselves, who he said bought in quickly and worked hard through the transition.
His path to South Florence runs through his father's program at Wilmington Hoggard High School in North Carolina, where Braswell played and won a 4A state title his senior year with his younger brother on the roster. From there he played Division III football at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., before starting a coaching career that took him through a graduate assistant stint on Brad Lambert's first UNC Charlotte staff, a full-time job at Ave Maria in Florida, a return trip to UNC Charlotte, and two years at Woodberry Forest working alongside his father again. When Nick Pelham left the defensive coordinator job at Dutch Fork, Braswell's father encouraged him to reach out, and Tom Knotts hired him. He spent five seasons there before this February.
Braswell said he had made a couple of runs at head coaching jobs in years past without landing one, and had mentally settled in for another season at Dutch Fork when South Florence's former athletic director, Cody Slaughter, called him out of the blue about the opening left by Drew Marlowe's departure. Braswell said his first instinct on the phone was to say yes even as he was thinking no, and that after a follow-up call and a visit, meeting the coaches, players, and then-principal, he felt like the fit and the timing, including being closer to family in Wilmington, all lined up.
The Staff Scott Braswell Built at South Florence
With so many assistants from the previous staff following Marlowe elsewhere, Braswell said filling out a full coaching staff through March and April, ahead of spring practice, was one of the biggest early tasks of the job.
On defense, he brought in Neal Boozer, who worked alongside him at Dutch Fork for three years. He also brought back David Robinson, a South Florence guy who had coached at the middle school level and now coaches the school's girls' basketball team, along with Stan Adams, a Clemson alum whose father played at South Florence, to help with the defensive line. Troy Biddy, a South Florence graduate who has coached there his entire career, also stayed on with the defensive line and happens to be Braswell's neighbor. At linebacker, Braswell hired Sam Montgomery, the former LSU All-American and NFL player, whose energy he credited with picking up the tempo on tired summer practice days.
On offense, Braswell's first hire was his own father, who came out of semi-retirement expecting a minor role and ended up coaching the offensive line after more staff turnover than Braswell anticipated. His offensive coordinator, Patrick Koone, came over with a background at Riverbluff and Lexington and a youth ministry history that Braswell said convinced him Koone was in coaching for the right reasons. Rounding out the offensive staff are Adam Rice on special teams, John Gathings coaching tight ends after serving on the interview panel that hired Braswell, Michael McManus helping with wide receivers, and Hassan Wilson, a former South Florence player who ran back at UNC Charlotte and UTEP, now coaching running backs.
New Quarterback, Same Ground-and-Pound Identity
Braswell said he expected the defensive install to be the bigger challenge coming in, given how much of the Dutch Fork scheme he planned to bring with him. Instead, continued staff turnover meant the offense ended up needing a full new system too, while the defense had a head start since Braswell had been on the ground since his hire talking technique and calls with the players.
He singled out quarterback Derrick Davis, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound junior who Braswell said can both run and throw and has grown exponentially since spring. Braswell said Davis stays after practice for an hour and a half watching film and has become close to a "surrogate offensive coordinator" on the field.
Braswell said South Florence will still lean on its run-first tradition, led by running back Cameron James, a smaller back at around 5-foot-7 and 165 to 170 pounds who Braswell said plays with a low center of gravity that makes him hard to tackle. On the perimeter, he pointed to Malik Robinson and Deont Spears as bigger, physical receivers, a rising 10th grader he referred to as Mai as a shifty slot threat, and Isaac Ortiz as one of the most reliable-handed receivers on the roster through summer seven-on-sevens. Braswell also mentioned Sage Parker, who was limited through the spring and summer while recovering from a double collarbone break, as a player the staff is anxious to get back to full speed.
For more of the state's top talent heading into the fall, check out MTC's player spotlights and Player of the Week coverage, and see where South Florence lands in our rankings.
Defensive Playmakers to Watch for the Bruins
Braswell also highlighted several defenders. Zack Gordon, who he said wasn't sure of himself early on, has emerged as one of the most improved players on the roster and the vocal leader of the defense. Up front, rising 10th graders Zamori Gathers, Cam Hilton, and Carlile Jones will rotate on the defensive line, alongside Jaden Thompson, a slighter but fast edge presence, and Josh Gant and Jeremiah Waiters in the same rotation.
At linebacker, Braswell pointed to Dwayne Felder and Drayton James, and in the secondary, Juel Washington and Dylan Boatright, who he said are ahead of the group mentally in understanding checks and calls. He also mentioned Benjamin Dixon, a 10th grader starting at field corner who Braswell said has already shown leadership as a young player.
Instant Credibility From Dutch Fork
Asked how the South Florence community has received him, Braswell said he expected to take over a losing program and build it up, not step into one that had already played for four state championships under Marlowe. He credited his time at Dutch Fork under Tom Knotts with giving him instant credibility to start preaching standards and a bit of a culture shift without having to prove himself from zero. Getting on campus early, in the weight room and around the building before the first practice, helped him build relationships before he had to start coaching hard, which he said paid off in a spring where the players kept grinding without much pushback.
Off the Field With Coach Braswell
Asked about his pregame playlist, Braswell said a long bus ride to an away game usually means something slower, like Charlie Crockett or a little reggae to help him reset mentally, while a home game close to kickoff calls for early 2000s rap and hip hop. For food, he pointed to Tubs Seafood as a family favorite and King Cafe downtown as his and his wife's date night spot, joking that he has been on more Friday nights with Kevin than with his wife over the years.
Scott Braswell's Goals for the 2026 Bruins
Braswell said the staff has talked to players about winning multiple seasons within the season: the scrimmages and non-region schedule, a tough region slate, and then the postseason. He said a loss or two in non-region play isn't the end of the world as long as the team is clicking by the time region play starts. He added that Tom Knotts never shied away from talking about state championships at Dutch Fork, and given South Florence's recent history, that conversation isn't off limits here either, even with a long way to go to get there.
FAQ: Scott Braswell and South Florence Football
Is Scott Braswell a new coach at South Florence? Yes. Braswell was hired in February 2026 as South Florence's new head coach, and this is his first head coaching job after five seasons as defensive coordinator at Dutch Fork.
Where did Scott Braswell coach before South Florence? He spent five seasons as defensive coordinator at Dutch Fork under Tom Knotts, and before that coached at Woodberry Forest School, UNC Charlotte (twice), Ave Maria, and Methodist University.
Who is South Florence's starting quarterback in 2026? Braswell pointed to a 6-foot-4, 225-pound junior quarterback he called Derrick Davis in the interview, describing exponential growth from spring through summer.
Will Scott Braswell continue calling the defense at South Florence? The interview did not pin down play-calling duties directly, but Braswell said he installed much of Dutch Fork's defensive scheme himself since arriving, giving the defense a head start over an offense that ended up needing an entirely new system due to staff turnover.
Who is on Scott Braswell's coaching staff at South Florence? Key hires include Neal Boozer and Sam Montgomery on defense, Patrick Koone as offensive coordinator, and Braswell's own father coaching the offensive line, alongside returning South Florence staffers David Robinson, Stan Adams, and Troy Biddy.
What are South Florence's goals for the 2026 season? Braswell said the plan is to win each "season within the season," starting with scrimmages and non-region play, building toward a tough region schedule, and making noise in the postseason, following the same never-shy-about-championships mindset he learned under Tom Knotts.
Watch the full interview above, catch every episode on YouTube, and follow along all season on the Movin' The Chains blog. Meet the crew behind the coverage on the team page, and reach out with tips, questions, or corrections through contact.
This episode of Movin' The Chains is brought to you by Founders Federal Credit Union. See the full 2026 South Florence staff list on MaxPreps.
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