By Kyle Coppola
Joe Burnett Named Head Football Coach at Eustis High School
EUSTIS, FL – Eustis High School has announced the appointment of Joe Burnett as the new Head Football Coach, succeeding Frank Scott, who recently assumed the head coaching position at Leesburg High. The change comes in the wake of former Leesburg Head Coach Steven Moffett’s departure to The First Academy in Orlando.
Principal Clark expressed enthusiasm in welcoming Coach Joe Burnett to lead the Panthers’ football program, citing Burnett’s extensive experience, expertise, and values that align with the Panther Family.
“I am thrilled to announce Joe Burnett as the new Head Football Coach. Joe represents the best in everyone, and we believe he will contribute significantly to the legacy of our program,” Principal Clark stated.
(Burnett during his playing days with UCF. Much like Steven Moffett, Burnett was one of the many players to help elevate UCF to the eventual BIG12 which is one of the five power conferences in the USA.)
A proud graduate of Eustis High School’s Class of 2005, Burnett returns to his alma mater with a rich football background. As a UCF graduate and Hall of Famer, Burnett played football for the university and went on to have a career in both the NFL and CFL.
“I’m back to revamp Panther Pride and respect in our football program,” Coach Burnett declared. “As a product of Eustis High School, Coach Burnett is deeply invested in its success. His goal will be to build upon the foundation set forth by Coach Frank Scott and elevate Eustis Football to new heights. The Panthers have won two district championships in a row and look to make it three in a row in 2024.
(Tymir Gaines runs the ball for Eustis. Photo credit to Joe Ott Photography.)
In addition to his accomplishments on the field, Coach Burnett emphasized his commitment to family, stating he is a proud husband and father to his boys and daughter. Eustis football have appeared in three state title games in 1963, 1965 and 1983. The 1963 and 1983 teams were state champions. With two back to back district championships coach Burnett is looking to build the Eusits program further, hoping the Panthers can win a playoff game in the near future.
Eustis High School looks forward to the positive impact Coach Joe Burnett will bring to the football team, and the community is eager to witness the next chapter of Panther football under his leadership.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
