Brandon Smith has been named the new football coach at South Warren High School, athletic director Chris Decker announced Wednesday.

Smith – previously the Spartans’ defensive coordinator – replaces Mark Nelson, who resigned last month as the program’s only coach in its four-year existence.

“It’s really a tremendous honor,” Smith said. “Coach Nelson built this program up and really laid the foundation and did all the hard work that comes with starting a program. I saw it all firsthand, and he’s leaving it at a high level. I’m flattered they chose me to take it over and move it forward into the next phase.”

Smith, 27, will be formally introduced at 2 p.m. Friday in the SWHS auditorium.

The former Western Kentucky quarterback takes over a program that went 11-2 in its third year at the varsity level in 2013, suffering a tough 8-7 loss to Paducah Tilghman in the third round of the Class 3A playoffs.

Smith joined the Spartans’ staff when the school opened in 2010 after finishing his playing career at WKU in 2009.

His South Warren defense allowed a state-best 56 total points in 2013. The Spartans allowed 78.1 yards per game, including 17 rushing yards per contest.

“It was a pretty easy decision, to be honest with you,” Decker said. “He runs the strength and conditioning here at the school and just does a super job for us. He’s kept things together for us since coach Nelson resigned, and he does a phenomenal job inside the school building. He has a lot of intangibles that people don’t see.

“He had several places he could’ve gone, and we’re very lucky to have him stay here with us.”

That defense produced South Warren’s first two Football Bowl Subdivision signees this season – defensive lineman Adrian Middleton (Kentucky) and linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe (Western Kentucky). 

Smith took the lead on handling the recruitment for both players, Nelson said.

“The thing that he brings to the table is that he’s ready for it,” Nelson said. “He’s not going to have to go through too many things that are going to upset him. He’s even-keel. I’m elated that he got the job, and I can’t wait to see his product.

“Brandon does a great job of motivating. He expects it after the first time he explains something or goes through it. He doesn’t get outwardly frustrated and remains the same, and that’s hard to do. That was hard for me to do over my whole career.”

Smith’s father, Chuck, led Boyle County to five consecutive state titles from 1999-2003 and was a defensive assistant at the University of Kentucky for eight seasons until 2012. 

Brandon Smith played for his father and led Boyle County to three state titles and a 55-5 record in a four-year span at QB. Chuck Smith is expected to return as head coach at BCHS next season.

David Elson, Brandon Smith’s former coach at WKU, told the Daily News in an email during the 2013 season that Smith’s drive and commitment serve him well as a coach.

“His dad is a phenomenal person and coach,” Elson said. “I think the fact that Brandon played QB is another asset for him as a defensive coach. He understands what offenses are looking at and trying to do. More important than scheme/knowledge of the game is the fact that Brandon is as fierce a competitor as I have ever been around, which means he is going to always be striving to outwork his opponent.

“That competitiveness and his toughness will rub off on his players, and they will take on his mentality, which in my opinion is what playing great defense is about more than anything else.”

Smith also will likely lead South Warren through a transition to a higher class of competition.

The initial projections for the KHSAA’s 2015-18 realignment show the Spartans making a move to Class 4A. They went 4-7 in their first varsity season in 2011, then 9-4 in 2012 before last season’s breakthrough.

“It would’ve been really easy for this program to reel off a couple four- or five-wins seasons, and no one would have thought anything of it,” Smith said. “There was a built-in excuse there, but the guys decided that wasn’t good enough. They laid a foundation for success early on. Carrying that on is going to be a job, but I’m excited to start, and the players are as well.

“As far as the classification goes, that’s not really a surprise. It’ll be a jump up, but the good news is we’ll get to play some local schools, and there’s a lot of good football in this area. I’m excited to try to take on that challenge.”

— Follow prep sports writer Zach Greenwell on Twitter at twitter.com/zach_greenwell or visit bgdailynews.com.