St. Xavier hires former Kentucky assistant as school's new head football coach

Brian Landis, who served as an assistant coach on the 2016 Kentucky football team, has been hired as the new head coach at one of the most prestigious high schools in the Bluegrass.

Louisville’s St. Xavier announced on Thursday that Landis will replace longtime head coach Kevin Wallace, who retired last month after serving as a head coach for 40 seasons in the state of Kentucky. Wallace posted a 72-28 overall record across eight seasons at St. X, including one Class 6A state championship in 2021.

“I am incredibly grateful and honored to lead the next generation of Saint Xavier Men,” Landis, who was introduced on Thursday afternoon, said in St. Xavier’s press release. “The history, tradition, and standard of excellence are second to none. I am proud to carry that forward with great effort, a winning attitude, and the toughness that defines the Tiger Tradition.”

Landis will take over for the Tigers after most recently serving as the head coach at Alpharetta High School in Georgia. He posted a 2-8 record during his lone season at Alpharetta.

St. Xavier football names Brian Landis the 20th head coach in program. @StXTigerSports @StXTigersFB pic.twitter.com/Ijsf6ShEx1

— Preston Harvey (@Pharveytv) January 8, 2026

A Cincinnati native, Landis spent 11 combined seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Georgetown College, where he was a three-time all-conference honoree at safety and captain of the 2000 squad that won the NAIA national championship. He was named the Defensive Player of the Game in the title game. Landis also played for the now-defunct Lexington Horsemen arena football team back in 2004.

After short coaching stints at Eastern Kentucky (2015; safeties coach) and Kentucky (2016; quality control), Landis was then named the first-ever head football coach at Lexington’s Frederick Douglass High School in 2017. He spent three seasons with the Broncos, compiling a 35-5 record with an appearance in the Class 5A state championship in 2019.

Landis moved back to the college ranks in 2020, serving as an assistant for four seasons at Georgia State (2020-23), then one more at West Georgia (2024; defensive coordinator) before making the leap to Alpharetta. But now he’s back in Kentucky and taking over a program that has 13 state titles to its name, tied for fourth-most all-time.

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