Brothers, who started the football program at Pope John Paul II when it opened eight years ago, has accepted the head coaching position at Nashville Christian, a K-12 school.

“This was an opportunity my wife and I had talked about, that it would be great if I could be at a place where they could go to school with me as well,” he said, referring to his daughters, who are 6 and 4. “I wasn’t looking for this, but I was contacted about it and became interested.

“This being a school where my children could be a part of what’s going on is an overriding key.”

JPII is for grades 9-12.

Nashville Christian, which has not had a winning season since 2000, went 2-8 under Charlie Lansdell last season. Lansdell resigned last month.

“We have some very passionate people on our campus,” Nashville Christian President Connie Jo Shelton said. “They wanted me to contact someone that could impact, not just our football program, but our school. Coach Brothers’ reputation speaks for itself.”

Brothers played at Brentwood Academy and Vanderbilt, where he was an All-SEC defensive back in 1992. He was 30-45 since JPII began varsity play in 2003. Over the past three seasons,the Knights won six games.

“I wasn’t under any pressure (to leave),” Brothers said. “There are a lot of things in place (at JPII) for great success in the future.”

“Jeff has been great for our school and great for our kids,” JPII Athletics Director Julie Rollins said. “We areexcited about his new opportunity but we are going to miss him dearly.”