Fayette High School head football coach Kole Hinton last week announced his resignation from the team after three years on the job.

Hinton was named head coach in April 2023. It was his first head-coaching job after serving as an assistant coach at Battle, Hickman, and Rock Bridge high schools in his native Columbia.

The announcement was posted on the team’s Facebook page on Wednesday, Nov. 19.

Hinton told this newspaper on Friday that he considered stepping down last year after the team went 2-8 for the second season in a row.

“Obviously, those first two years were tough, going 2-8 back-to-back,” Hinton said. “But we also knew year one was going to be rough, losing that many seniors. Our culture and buy-in, and the things that we needed to do to be successful, just weren’t there. And ultimately that falls on me as a head coach.”

The Falcons struggled and wins were hard to come by over the last three seasons. Hinton won his first game as a head coach against Carrollton in front of a home crowd on Aug. 25, 2023. But the Falcons only won two games that year and two games the following season. This year, Fayette won four games, including their first district victory since 2022 with just 20 players suited up.

“Ultimately, we need more than just 20 kids,” Hinton said. “The guys who stuck it out this year did a phenomenal job, and our culture increased. I think we succeeded in the things we wanted to do, but long-term, there just weren’t enough things in place to feel comfortable to keep going on.”

Hinton said that while he is stepping down from coaching, he plans to continue teaching high school English in Fayette.