The Putnam County football team recently welcomed two new coordinators in Kyle Wilson and James Lal for the 2025 season.
War Eagles head coach Joel Harvin said he’s happy to have the help.
“We’re excited to have Coach Wilson and Coach Lal here at Putnam County,” Harvin told The Eatonton Messenger. “We’re excited to get them going and know they will positively impact our team.”
Wilson was hired as Putnam County’s new offensive coordinator, replacing Todd Cooper, who left for a new position after one season with the War Eagles.
Wilson brings a wealth of experience to the team after spending the past eight seasons in South Georgia at Brooks County, where he helped the Trojans win the 2021 Class A Public state title. He’s also coached in various roles at Camden County, McIntosh County Academy, Brunswick, Appling County, and Long County.
“Our new offensive coordinator, man, he’s got a lot of good experience,” Harvin said of Wilson. “He’s used to coaching smaller football and knows what kids are capable of doing. Having that experience as a play caller helps. He’s been in big games, so we’re excited about having him here.”
Wilson helped guide the Trojans to the state title game three other times, including last season.
After struggling to find consistency on offense last season, Harvin feels like Wilson is a “good fit” for Putnam County.
“We’re going to mesh everything that we’ve done well in the past with what he brings,” Harvin explained. “It’s not real complicated stuff, so I think it’ll be a good fit for our kids.”
Meanwhile, Lal will lead the Putnam defense, which gave up 24.1 points a game last season. He replaces Derrick Arrington, who held his position of defensive coordinator for one year. Lal will also coach inside linebackers, taking over for Chase Lundy.
“He runs the same defense that I run and calls just about everything that I call,” Harvin said of Lal. “He’s just a good fit, and it’s great to have him here.”
Lal has prior coaching experience in various roles at Eagle’s Landing, Jackson, Ola, Dutchtown, and Stone Mountain, where he served as head coach for three seasons.
Lal also served as head coach for the Georgia Doom, a professional indoor football team based in Macon, and worked as an assistant at a school in Florida after playing for Union College at the collegiate level.
“[Lal] works well with the kids for having been around them for a short amount of time,” Harvin said. “I can see him doing pretty well for our program.”
Harvin knows coaching turnover isn’t easy to manage, but he praised his players for adjusting to the changes made around the War Eagles’ program.
“These kids have seen a lot of turnover in the three years I’ve been here,” Harvin acknowledged. “You know, we’re looking for some consistency for these guys. They’ve faced a lot of adversity and just about everything that you can imagine, having to learn a new system, really, for almost three years now. So, I think they’re going to adjust well because they’ve had to adjust in the past.
“We’re going to be able to get guys into positions that they may not have played before,” he continued, suggesting a change may even put them in a better position for recruitment to the next level. “And it can also be successful for us. So, I think the kids are excited about it.”