Jamie Abrams has big shoes to fill at Bowdon High School as he replaces four-time state champion Rich Fendley, but he brings a winning resume as a head coach, a family connection, and an understanding of the team from spending last season as the Red Devils Defensive Coordinator.
Bowdon High School will officially introduce Abrams as its head football coach Wednesday, February 4 with a reception in the school media center at 4 p.m.
People in West Georgia are probably most familiar with Abrams as head coach of the AAAA Cedartown Bulldogs. He went 50-12 in five seasons with 3 region championships, reaching the playoffs each year and losing by a single point on the goal line as time expired in the 2022 state championship game.
Abrams coaching experience, though, is much richer than that. He spent 2014 and 2015 seasons as head coach in Lamar County, finishing 15-7-1 there and making the playoffs each year. Early in his career he was head coach at Wadley High School in nearby Randolph County, Alabama.
He’s held the Defensive Coordinator position for six seasons including at McEachern High School and Ware County High School, with defensives that routinely ranked in the top 10 in their classes. He’s also coached track and field including a state championship track team at Lamar County in 2013.
His defensive expertise is what brought him to the state champion Red Devils at the start of the 2025 campaign.
“We were fortunate to be able to hire one of the top defensive minds in the state last year in Jamie Abrams. His leadership on the defensive side of the ball was one of the keys to another state championship.” Bowdon High School Principal Jeff Bryant said. “Coach Abrams is a proven leader, and we are excited to see how the Red Devils will continue to excel under his leadership.”
Abrams holds a bachelor’s degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato where he also played football, and both master’s and specialist’s degrees in physical education from Jacksonville State University.
He’s a family man. His wife, Katie, is the high school intervention specialist in the Teaching & Learning Department of Carroll County Schools and their three sons — Jett, Drake, and Trace — are enrolled in Bowdon schools. Jett saw playing time last season on offense and defense. Their daughter, Maggie, will start Pre-K at Bowdon Elementary in the fall.
True Red Devil fans may know that Abrams’s mother, Margaret, is a Bowdon High alumna and his grandfather played for the Red Devils in the early days of Bowdon football. In fact, Jamie Abrams spent most of his formative years just over the state line in Woodland.
“My family and I are excited for this new opportunity in Bowdon,” Abrams said. “Bowdon has always been a special place with great people. I grew up coming to a lot of games in Bowdon, and Friday nights in Bowdon have always been special. I am grateful to Mr. Bryant, Coach Huggins, Mr. Cowart and everyone within Carroll County Schools for entrusting me in this position.”
As the Red Devil faithful gather Wednesday to welcome Abrams as the Red Kingdom’s new leader, one thing is certain, the future of Bowdon football is in good hands with a proven winner. Coach Abrams can point to six state titles and 21 region titles in the trophy case and add his own magic to the Bowdon tradition.
