By: Jason Bishop

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The Wayne County Yellow Jacket Football Program is a very proud program full of tradition and fan fever.

The Yellow Jacket program has fallen on hard times the last few years and is looking to get back to being a perennial state power.

Two seasons ago the Yellow Jackets hired John Mohring who had been the head coach at Calvary Day. Mohring did not survive his second season in Jesup.

Mohring resigned midseason after an 0-4 start to the 2025 season. Mohring’s only full season came in 2024 in which the Yellow Jackets ended up 1-9 and that one win was a forfeited win over Appling.

So overall, Mohring’s short stint in Wayne County saw the Yellow Jackets go 1-13 under his leadership.

After Wayne moved on from Mohring they stunned Warner Robins 32-10 but were unable to build any momentum after that and finished 1-9.

If you do the math the Yellow Jackets come into 2026 with a 2-18 record in the past two seasons and remember one of those games was not an actual win but a forfeit by Appling for playing an ineligible player. Appling did win the game on the field.

The Yellow Jackets made a big time hire snagging Scott Roberts away from Swainsboro.

Roberts had two stints with the Swainsboro Tigers. First in 2008-2009 and then again in 2017 through 2025.

Roberts comes to Jesup with an overall record of 92-43. Most importantly the Yellow Jackets are looking to Roberts to supply some stability to the program; Roberts will be the fourth Yellow Jackets Head Coach in four seasons.

Wayne County will not have an easy road in 2026 to right the ship. The Yellow Jackets will play in Region 1-5A for the next two seasons. Region 1-5A will consist of Benedictine, Jenkins, Ware County, Statesboro, Groves, Richmond Academy, and Evans.

Wayne’s 2026 schedule is as follows:

8/21 v. Liberty

8/28 @ Bradwell

9/4 Bye

9/11 @ Appling

9/18 v. Richmond Academy

9/25 @ Evans

10/2 v. Jenkins

10/9 v. Groves

10/16 Bye

10/23 @ Benedictine

10/30 v. Ware

11/6 @ Statesboro

This is a pretty tough schedule for a program in rebuild mode. However, it is not completely unmanageable. I can see a possibility for a 6-4 season for the Yellow Jackets if they find some fortunate bounces in a couple of games.

A 6-4 season would likely mean a playoff berth for the Yellow Jackets and their first trip since 2023.

I definitely see four concrete wins on the schedule for Wayne and as I said, with a little luck six wins is a possibility.

Even if Wayne only wins four games it would be a great step forward. The Yellow Jackets would double their total win number from 2024 and 2025 combined.

Scott Roberts will return Wayne County back to respectability at the bare minimum.