Dade City, Florida – In a move to revitalize the Pasco High football program, athletic director Tracie Hicks announced that Cortez Stubbs has been hired as the new head football coach. Stubbs, 37, previously served as Pasco’s defensive coordinator during the school’s last winning season in 2022, a 9-2 campaign under head coach Alphonso Freeney.
The hiring comes after a series of struggles for the Pasco Pirates, who have had six different head coaches since the end of the 2018 season. The team went 2-8 in 2023 and 0-10 in 2024. Greg Miller was hired in 2025 but was suspended for recruiting violations and eventually resigned. Tom McHugh, who led the program from 2007 to 2018, returned but couldn’t restore the team’s former glory, and the roster has dwindled to around 20 players in recent seasons. A new stadium, replacing W.F. Edwards Stadium, is set to open in 2026.
Stubbs is known for his high-energy style and will look to build on the success of his previous tenure with the team. Pasco High’s first-year principal, Mark Feldman, seems committed to making the program strong again. The team’s roster exploded to around 70 players under Freeney but dipped dramatically in the last three seasons.
Stubbs’ appointment as head coach marks a significant step in Pasco High’s efforts to revive its football program. The team’s performance and roster size have been a concern in recent years, but with Stubbs at the helm and a new stadium on the horizon, there is optimism for improvement.
Originally reported by Hernando Sun
Sources: Hernando Sun
