A Southern Florida guy who moved to the countryside of Michigan
By Brennen Draper
Coach Harbison is the current football coach for the Hamilton Hawkeyes in the 26-27 season. He became the Varsity Head Coach in the 2025 season. He moved to Michigan after coaching in Florida. Aside from coaching, he also teaches Physical Education and Health.
Coach Harbison makes practice beneficial but still makes sure the players have fun. He makes offense and defense time even for both JV and Varsity. He makes all of his players feel welcomed and loved. Every time a player makes a good play in practice or a game, he hugs or high-fives them. When a player makes a good catch or run, he says two words that make everyone laugh; he says, “ barbecue chicken!” Even when players mess up, he checks with the player to figure out why they did it wrong to see if it was a mistake on his part or the player’s.
The Hamilton Hawkeyes had a rough record in 2025 with a record of 2-7 during the first year under Zach Harbison, but in 2026, Zach Harbison helped improve the Hawkeyes’ record from 2025 to 3-6.
I asked the players what they think of Zach Harbison. Brycen Bailey, a freshman, said, “he was very intense at first, but the sooner you get to know him, you realize he’s very nice and an important member of the community.¨ that answer continued when I asked a new addition to the team, Noah Granty. He said, “ Coach Harbison is very nice and energetic but overall a great guy.” If that isn’t enough to prove he’s a good guy, I asked two Varsity football players, Teague Bruursema and Carter Sexton, what their first impressions of Coach Harbison were. Teague Bruursema said his first impression of Coach Harbison was ¨ very well. ¨ I also asked Carter Sexton what his first impression of Coach Harbison was; he said, “he was very nice.” After asking some players how it was meeting Coach Harbison for the first time. I´ve come to a conclusion that he´s an easy person to get along with and he´s a considerate person.
What impact did Zach Harbison make? The football players say he’s a good coach, a good teacher, and overall a good person. He brought good to the team by helping, supporting, and coaching.
