The Pace Academy football program has found its next head coach as the Knights appoint former NFL linebacker Sean Weatherspoon to lead the program.
Weatherspoon, an eight-year NFL veteran, spent several years playing for the Atlanta Falcons as well as the Arizona Cardinals during his NFL career.
A Texas-native that attended Jasper High School, Weatherspoon was a three-sport athlete, but excelled on the football field from his linebacker position. In his senior season in 2005, Weatherspoon recorded 98 tackles including eight tackles for loss and four sacks. While he is notably known as a linebacker, Weatherspoon played some offense for Jasper including 27 career catches for 428 yards and seven touchdowns. His play earned him an all-state second team selection.
Out of high school, Weatherspoon was rated as a 2-star recruit and ultimately committed to the University of Missouri after receiving offers from a handful of FBS programs.
As a Tiger, Weatherspoon appeared in 52 games and spent four seasons in the Missouri football program. In his four seasons, he totaled 406 total tackles as well as 45 tackles for loss, 12 sacks and four interceptions, while returning two of them for touchdowns.
Weatherspoon’s play earned him multiple accolades during his college career such as a two-time second-team all-American as well as a three-time first-team all-Big 12 Conference selection and was even a finalist for the Butkus award during his senior season.
Following his graduation from Missouri, Weatherspoon became the first-ever Tiger to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft, as he was drafted at No. 19 to the Atlanta Falcons in the 2010 draft.
During his NFL career, Weatherspoon was a respected linebacker around the league. He spent the first four seasons of his career with the Falcons before missing the 2014 season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon. He spent the 2015 season with the Arizona Cardinals before ending his career in Atlanta, spending his final two seasons in the league with the Falcons.
In 67 games in the NFL, Weatherspoon totaled 330 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, and two interceptions.
Weatherspoon is recognized as one of the greatest Missouri Tigers to come through the program as he was inducted into the University of Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017 as well as the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.
Weatherspoon will have to look to right the ship at Pace Academy in his first season as the Knights missed the playoffs for the first time in 10 years after posting a 4-6 a year ago. The Knights have yet to make it out of the first round since the 2015 season where they won their only state championship in program history.
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