Mark Hastings is headed east — about 30 miles east, to be exact.

Hastings, who has spent the previous four seasons at Lynn, is set to take over Addison’s football program — his hire approved Monday by the Winston County Board of Education.

The longtime coach, who sports a 160-125 record and 16 playoff berths across 26 seasons, is looking forward to the next journey.

“When you think about Addison, you think about football,” Hastings told The Times in a phone call. “There’s an excitement just being able to step into a school with good tradition. This will also be the first program I’ve taken over that’s had a winning record the season before, so the expectation is to win soon. I can’t wait to get started.”

Hastings began his career with AISA stints at Tuscaloosa Academy (1998-00) and Warrior Academy (2001-02), respectively, before spending five seasons (2004-08) at Holy Spirit. 

He eventually found himself at Oakman, guiding the Wildcats to eight playoff appearances and two region crowns in 10 seasons (2009-18). Hastings followed with a brief pit stop at Hale County (2019-20) before accepting his most recent gig at Lynn.

Following a 2-8 debutant campaign in 2021, Hastings led the Bears to 32 wins over the next three years, including three region championships and two quarterfinal appearances in the Class 1A playoffs. He had landed a coaching job at Tennessee’s Hickman County in January but ultimately found his way back to familiar territory.

“We’ve really enjoyed it here in Tennessee, but if you get a chance to work at a place like Addison … it’s such a good job that I couldn’t turn it down,” Hastings said. “The thought of not having to rebuild is attractive, too. I think we’ll be able to hit the ground running.”

Hastings attributes that positive thinking to Addison’s “top-notch athletes,” some of whom he noticed during a fall jamboree in 2024.

Sprinkle in a bit of what he likes to do as a coach and the season can’t get here quickly enough.

“We want to get them the ball in space,” he said of those returning standouts. “We like to spread you out but still play a physical and disciplined game. I think my teams in the past have done that and I expect this to be no different.”

Hastings replaces David Smothers, who accumulated a 104-46 record and 12 playoff appearances across 13 seasons with his alma mater. 

“David did a good job,” Hastings said. “We just want to continue to build on what he was able to do.”