The Brookhaven School District released the news on Monday afternoon that it has found the next leader of Panther football, Darien Dorsey.

Dorsey is replacing longtime BHS leader Tucker Peavey, who announced his retirement last month.

“Coach Dorsey is a dynamic leader,” said Superintendent Dr. Roderick Henderson in a release by the district announcing the hire. “He is an energetic, hardworking, and community-oriented educa-tor who understands that building a successful football program starts with building strong relation-ships, a solid work ethic, and a culture of accountability.”

Most recently serving as the offensive coordinator for the Panthers, Dorsey was hired at BHS in 2012 to lead the receivers for then head coach Tommy Clopton.

In his 13 years at Brookhaven, Dorsey has helped build a powerhouse track and field program at the school, as the Panthers won both the boys and girls MHSAA 5A state championships last year, which was a third straight state title for the girls’ team.

A graduate of McLaurin, Dorsey played wide receiver at Belhaven University for Norman Joseph in the early days of Blazer football’s return. A business administration major who then earned a mas-ter’s degree in education, Dorsey began his coaching journey as a graduate assistant at Belhaven.

From there, he spent four years as a football and track coach at Central Gwinnett (Georgia) High before landing at Brookhaven High.

Dorsey and his wife Temeika are the parents of Tia, Taylor, Layla, and DJ.

“I feel humbled and blessed to be chosen to lead the Brookhaven High football program going for-ward,” said Dorsey. “I’m very excited and anxious to get to work because we have a really good group of returning players and coaches that are very passionate about the game of football. I would like to thank Dr. Henderson for trusting me to lead this program and Coach Tucker Peavey and Tommy Clopton for preparing me for this opportunity.”

Brookhaven High is returning much of its roster from a 2024 season in which the Panthers reached the semifinals of the MHSAA 5A playoffs and finished 11-2.