After spending the past 12 seasons as an assistant coach at Largo, Jeremy Frioud finally takes the reins to a program.
Northeast hired the Largo defensive coordinator as head coach. Frioud replaces Mike Jalazo, who resigned after three seasons. This season the Vikings were 1-9.
“I thank them for taking a chance on me. Everyone thinks I’m a psycho guy with a bunch of tattoos,’’ said Frioud, who played at Tarpon Springs and Western Kentucky.
There were 60 applicants for the position and the list was whittled to eight finalists, three of whom were interviewed in the past week. Principal Kevin Hendrick said the decision was made Thursday night.
“Jeremy has tremendous passion for football and for kids,” Hendrick said. “I know he will be a great ambassador for our school. At Largo, he was asked to be the commencement speaker at graduation the past three years. That says a lot.”
Frioud has applied for several head coaching jobs over the years and was a finalist at Gibbs and Seminole last year.
“I finally got a gig,” Frioud said. “I’ve been real close before. My father always said the best job is one you end up getting. And this is it. I have a principal I believe in and this was one of the dominant programs for years. I want to get Northeast back to where it once was and compete for a state title.”
Frioud will teach physical education but might not be able to do so until the fall. He also will have the opportunity to bring coaches on campus, which could include several Largo assistants.
One of the first things Frioud plans to do is bring back the old-school Northeast uniforms with the numbers on the helmet, which were reminiscent of Alabama.
“I’m just stoked to get started,” Frioud said.