The Birmingham News reported Tuesday afternoon that former Demopolis head football coach Doug Goodwin was the leading candidate to take a similar position at Homewood High.

Goodwin spent the last four seasons at Class 5A Russellville High, where he led the Golden Tigers to state title games in 2008 and 2009, losing those contests to Vigor and Demopolis respectively.

The school board was scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday night to receive and vote upon the recommendation of the coaching search committee.

At press time, no official decision regarding Homewood High’s head coaching position had been made.

Two hours prior to the scheduled meeting of the Homewood Board of Education, The Times Daily of Florence reported that Goodwin’s departure from Russellville and subsequent arrival in Homewood was a done deal.

The Times Daily reported that Russellville City Schools Superintendent Don Cox confirmed late Tuesday afternoon that Goodwin submitted his resignation earlier in the day.

According to the Florence paper’s report, Cox did not consider Goodwin’s resignation a surprise.

“Coach Goodwin has done a great job while he has been at Russellville,” Cox told the Times Daily. “He’s been pursued every year that he has been here. In today’s financial crisis, the more affluent school systems are able to pay coaches such as Coach Goodwin more than we can afford to pay.”

The Times Daily also listed Goodwin’s salary as approximately $80,000 per year during his tenure at Russellville.

If the reports are accurate, Homewood becomes the fifth head coaching job for the 24-year veteran head coach. Goodwin, who has amassed a 211-81 record in his career, began his career at Marion County before moving to Lineville in 1993 and then landing in Demopolis for eight seasons.

Goodwin won the Class 4A state championship in Demopolis in 2004, leading his team to a 15-0 record that season before relocating to Russellville following the 2006 season.

Goodwin’s teams have won at least 10 games eight times in the last nine years. His task as the Patriots’ head coach would likely be considerably more daunting as he would be tasked with getting Homewood to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.