Aryvia Holmes looking to reinvent McAdory High School football program

MCCALLA, Ala. — Aryvia Holmes officially took on the head coaching gig at McAdory High School last January following the dismissal of Bart Sessions, who resigned following a combined 10-12 record (6-6 in regional play) as well as a pair of playoff berths over his two seasons with the Yellow Jackets.

While Sessions’ time in McCalla was met with mixed reviews, the local community is ecstatic knowing that Holmes is here and is ready to build something special at McAdory. This level of excitement is shared by Holmes as well, who expressed his anticipation since taking over as head coach.

“I’m excited about the opportunity of coaching and being in the community that I’m invested in,” he said. “You don’t get a lot of opportunities throughout the course of your coaching career – Midfield, Bessemer City, McCalla. I cut my teeth on this side of town and I feel like I’m home. My kids go to school here and my wife is the PTA. I think it’s a win-win.”

In his first season with the team, Holmes was able to flip the script and improve the team from their 4-7 record in 2020 to a 7-4 record in 2021 (4-2 in regional play). Holmes hopes to further build off this as the team has their sights set on the 2022-23 campaign.

With that being said, his road to McCalla is what’s truly astounding, and one that clearly shows his dedication and desire to commit to the McAdory Yellow Jackets for the foreseeable future.

Holmes was a prolific receiver at Samford University, where he set multiple records and remains one of the program’s all-time leading receivers. He even competed at the next level, playing for the AF2 Arena Football League’s Birmingham Steeldogs, and participated in preseason camps with the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes.

Following a career-ending knee injury with the Steeldogs, Holmes knew it was time to move on from the game, and officially took on his first coaching job with Miles College in 2003.

During his short tenure at Miles, he helped guide the Golden Bears’ receiving corps to new heights before returning to Samford to coach the running backs and receivers for the next four seasons, at which point he finally decided to step into the high school coaching ranks in 2007.

Holmes was officially offered his first high school gig at Clay-Chalkville under Brent Smith, who had previously coached Holmes in his youth football days in Midfield, Alabama.

After a successful run with Clay-Chalkville, Holmes moved on to spend the following four seasons as a wide receivers coach at Homewood High School under Bob Newton, then he spent four more years at Hoover High School under Josh Niblett where he took over on the defensive side of the ball for the first time in his career, this time as the team’s safety’s coach. That only lasted two years before he shifted back to offense once again as the wide receiver’s coach.

In Holmes’ time at Hoover, he played a pivotal role in the school, winning four Class 7A Championships between 2013 and 2016.

He also served as the offensive coordinator for Pinson Valley in 2017.

Holmes entered his run with McAdory High School with five state championships under his belt and a world of optimism of what the future holds for these young Yellow Jackets. Note how his sole focus is on building up the community and re-establishing a winning culture in McCalla.

“One of my main goals is to reestablish a winning culture, all while helping our student-athletes focus more on how things are accomplished rather than what is accomplished,” he said. “I want to leave a legacy in this community. My community. So people will remember my significance more than my success.”

Growing up in Midfield, Alabama (just a 20-minute drive from McCalla), Holmes always knew that he was destined to end up back home one way or another, helping to lead the next generation of young men to become better players and better people. Now he enters the offseason with two goals in mind: become the positive role model that these kids need, and hopefully win another state championship along the way.

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