Mt. Pleasant, SC – No stranger to the Charleston area, Brent LaPrad joins the Oceanside Collegiate Academy staff for the 2023-24 school year, serving as a student concern specialist for the Landsharks.
LaPrad will also serve as a member of the Oceanside football coaching staff, working with Coach Chad Wilkes as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.
LaPrad comes from a family of educators. His mother, Beth, was a kindergarten teacher in Dorchester and his father, Steve, was a football and wrestling coach, and athletics director, at Summerville High School. He was the 1995 teacher of the year in that district.
Brent played at Summerville, earning All-Region honors as a safety, helping lead the team to a state title in 1998. He was also selected as a team captain for legendary coach John McKissick, and he was also an All-State wrestler and a team captain of the 1998 and 2001 state championship teams in that sport.
Following high school, Brent continued to play football while earning a bachelor’s degree in business management North Carolina State University. While a member of the Wolfpack football program, Brent was fortunate to participate in three post season bowl games. In 2001 and 2003 the Wolfpack played in the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, Fla., and in 2002, NC State played Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, defeating the Irish 28-6.
After college Brent began his own coaching career at Fort Dorchester High. He began as the defensive backs coach in 2005 and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2012. He helped the team win the 2015 AAAAA State Championship.
He switched sides of the ball in 2020 and, as offensive coordinator in 2022, he helped the Patriots to the State Championship game again but fell short to Dutch Fork. During his 17 seasons at Fort Dorchester the Patriots advanced to seven state semifinal appearances, eight region championships and had four players drafted to play in the NFL.
In addition to his coaching experience, Brent has worked in the screen printing and embroidery business for almost 20 years. He enjoys spending his free time with his son SJ.
About Oceanside Collegiate Academy:Oceanside Collegiate Academy (OCA), located in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., serves high school students in a safe, small and family-centered setting. Our students seek the opportunity and challenge of rigorous curriculum, high academic standards and elite athletics while earning up to two years of college credit. OCA serves students in grades 9-12 using an honors curriculum in 9th and 10 grades with a dual enrollment curriculum in 11th and 12th grades
Learn more about OCA by visiting our website at OceansideCollegiateAcademy.org and by following us on social media on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For video content, visit our YouTube channel.