Cody McCain is coming back to Cullman County.

The 2004 West Point graduate was hired as Hanceville’s football coach on Monday after spending the previous four seasons in the same capacity at Clements.

He takes over a position vacated by Craig Flanigan back in November.

“I feel like there’s a good tradition and history at Hanceville,” McCain said. “Overall winning record as a program. Several area and region titles. Playoff wins and appearances. Long list of great athletes and coaches. We played them the past two years, and I was really impressed with the number of natural athletes they have. Most of those guys are back. They’ve been young, but I feel like I can do some good things. I’m looking forward to it.”

Principal Jimmy Collins, who confirmed the hire early Monday, shared equal excitement.

“He brings a lot of character to the program,” he said. “We think he’s going to get us to where we want to be, and that’s back on the winning track. He’s been a head coach for six years. For his age, having that much experience as a coach is something we’re really enthused about.”

After graduating high school, McCain furthered his education at Wallace State, Athens State and Arkansas State before taking his first job at Excel (2009) in Monroe County.

He spent his next four years at Pleasant Home as the offensive coordinator (2010-11) and head coach (2012-13).

During that stretch, he helped the Eagles win 19 games and reach the playoffs on three occasions.

McCain then took over a struggling Clements program in 2014 and won just two games in his first two seasons.

However, the Colts garnered eight wins over the next two seasons — their best two-year stretch since 2009-10 — and improved their defense tremendously along the way.

After surrendering 438 points in 2014, the number dropped to just 158 last season.

“I felt like our effort at Clements was off the charts,” McCain said. “It’s one of the toughest jobs in the state to win at, and there’s 40 years worth of data to back that up. Our guys bought into the workout and offseason programs, though; and they really believed in what we were doing. They always played hard.

“And I think that’s the number one thing you owe to your team … getting the most out of your players. Fans will support a team that plays hard, disciplined and with class. We want to play with great effort, be good on defense and not make dumb mistakes. If you can do those three things, you can put yourself in a position to win games.”

While the season is still a few months away, McCain is nonetheless ready to hit the ground running.

He plans to meet with his new team on Tuesday and begin working on 2018 soon thereafter.

And the 31-year-old gets a crack at accomplishing those tasks in his own backyard.

“It’s always been home in Cullman County,” McCain said. “When you grow up in the county, you understand the rivalries in the county. It’s great to take part in those. I look forward to getting there, playing against those teams and bringing those victories back to Hanceville. It’s exciting, too, because spring practice is on the way. It’s likely going to be a whirlwind few weeks, but I’m looking forward to building relationships and getting back to work.”