Wilmington native Coraey Houser hired as Laney football coach

Coraey Houser always knew he wanted to be a head football coach. 

That dream became a reality on Wednesday when Laney athletic director Fred Lynch announced that the school had hired Houser. 

A 2011 graduate of Hoggard, Houser has spent the past nine years working as an assistant coach at his alma mater and then New Hanover, where he served as the defensive coordinator last fall. 

“It’s always been a dream of mine to become a head coach,” Houser said. “I told my mom by year 10 I wanted to be a head coach, and here we go approaching year 10.”

Houser will be the Buccaneers’ third coach in three years. He takes over for Steve Brooks, who resigned after going 6-5 in his lone season. 

Laney has finished with a winning record every year since 2021, including going 10-3 in 2023. What has eluded the program is a conference championship. The last one came all the way back in 2001. 

“I feel like Laney could be one of the best programs in the state,” Houser said. “There is a lot of talent in that building. I think with the right guy, it could be something special.” 

Houser will start his new job on Monday. One of his first goals is to connect with the current players and share his vision for the program.

“I’m a big believer in building relationships,” he said. “You have to get in front of your players and make sure they trust and believe in you.” 

On the field, Houser is still working to put together his staff. He already has an offensive coordinator, and there is a chance he might continue to call defensive plays. 

“My core values for the team are trust, accountability, and toughness,” Houser said. “For the trust piece, the guy I hired to be the offensive coordinator, I completely trust him to do that job. I’ll probably be a little more hands-on with the defense. I’m a year out from being a coordinator, so I still love that aspect of it.”