North Lamar head football coach resigns

On Friday, February 16, 2024, Coach Brenton Whitaker resigned from North Lamar ISD as the head football coach. Superintendent Kelli Stewart stated, “Coach Whitaker has done an exceptional job leading the North Lamar Panther football team. We appreciate the love and support that he and his wife Abby gave to our athletes. We wish Coach Whitaker the best with his new position.”

North Lamar ISD announces the appointment of Patrick Watkins as head football coach for the 2024-2025 school year. Superintendent Kelli Stewart stated, “We would like to congratulate Coach Watkins on his new role and commend his dedication to North Lamar ISD. We are confident that under his leadership our football program will continue to thrive.”

Patrick Watkins joined North Lamar in the spring of 2014 as the Director of Sports Performance. His department oversees the athletic and nutritional development of all North Lamar athletic programs.

Coach Watkins received his BS degree from the University of Kansas in Health, Sport and Exercise Science and his MSE in Sport Administration from the University of Kansas. He has two national certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA-CSCS) and USA Weight Lifting (Sports

Performance Coach-1).

Watkins came to North Lamar after serving as an Intern and Interim Assistant at the University of Houston. During his time at UH, he trained in a wide variety of sports including Football, Volleyball, Golf, Track & Field, and Basketball. Before UH he served as a GA at MidAmerica University, a member of the NAIA as well as at the University of Kansas while finishing his master’s degree. He has spent the last 9 years at North Lamar in his sports performance role while also coaching Varsity football and track.

Coach Watkins has been married to his wife Haley (Krogman) Watkins of Paris for 6 years and they have two children, Mason and Klaire.