- March 3, 2025
Patrick Turner said he is impressed with the administrators at Flagler Palm Coast High School. The feeling is mutual. FPC announced on Monday, March 3, that Turner will be the Bulldogs’ new head football coach.
“We are thrilled to welcome coach Turner and his family to Flagler Palm Coast,” FPC athletic director Scott Drabczyk said in a statement. “His dedication to strategically building highly successful football programs centered on integrity and hard work coupled with his commitment to student-athletes and an ability to develop a winning culture make him the perfect fit for our football team.”
Turner is no stranger to football in Northeast Florida. He was the head coach at Palatka High School the past four years, leading the Panthers to a 7-4 record and a playoff appearance in each of the last three seasons. He was also the head coach at Pedro Menendez in St. Augustine for five seasons (2013-17) before serving as the Falcons’ athletic director for three years.
“I heard really good things about FPC and the admin over here,” he said of his decision to apply for the Bulldogs’ job. “I was really impressed with the athletic director, the principal and everyone involved. Their facilities are top notch and they want everything to be top notch. When you meet opportunities and facilities with a vision, special things happen.”
Turner said he will have his first meeting with the players on Tuesday, March 4, and begin his new job on March 31.
“During my conversations with Coach Turner, it was clear that he would prioritize the full student-athlete experience and continue the positive momentum around FPC football,” Principal Bobby Bossardet said. “Through my conversations with those who know Patrick, I learned he is a respected teacher, leader and mentor of young men — all the qualities FPC values and FPC student athletes deserve.”
Turner becomes the Bulldogs’ fourth head coach in the past six years. He takes over a team that went 9-2 last season under Daniel Fish, who was dismissed as head coach on Jan. 21.
“They did some really good things, but they lost quite a bit of talent,” Turner said of the Bulldogs. “The first thing I’m going tell the kids is last year was last year. I expect them to work hard every day. The standard has been set. My job is to raise the bar.”
FPC will be Turner’s fourth high school head coaching job. Before taking over at Menendez, he was the head coach at Harnett Central High in Angier, North Carolina for three years (2010-12).
He also coached in college as a graduate assistant at Northern State in South Dakota and as the defensive backs coach at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas.
Turner graduated from Fuquay-Varina High School in North Carolina and played college football at Wingate for one year before transferring to North Greenville College in South Carolina. He was the defensive coordinator at James Island Charter High School in Charleston, South Carolina, before getting his first head coaching job at Harnett Central.
His first team at Menendez went 8-3 in 2013. In 2017, he led the Falcons to an 8-4 record including a playoff win. He stepped away from coaching after that season to become athletic director. But after three years as an AD, he decided to return to the sidelines.
“I was the AD during Covid and trying to navigate all that was very diffcult,” he said. “But at the end of day, I enjoyed coaching football. I’m very, very passionate about that.”
