A familiar face is returning to the sidelines at LaGrange College. LaGrange announced that Brandon Sewell is returning as head coach of the Panthers men’s lacrosse program, bringing back the coach who helped build the program from its beginning and eventually guided it to back-to-back postseason appearances.

Sewell previously served as LaGrange’s head coach from the program’s inaugural 2020 season through 2024. Now, after two seasons back at his alma mater, Huntingdon College, Sewell returns to Georgia with the goal of rebuilding the Panthers into a contender.

“We are excited to welcome back Brandon Sewell to LaGrange College,” LaGrange Vice President for Athletics Matthew Hayes said. “We look forward to his leadership and effort in rebuilding this program to the level it was at when he left.”

Hayes also highlighted Sewell’s ability as a recruiter and his familiarity with both the program and the values of LaGrange College.

For Sewell, the opportunity represents a return to a program he helped build from the ground up. “I’d like to thank Athletic Director Hayes and President Baxter for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to return,” Sewell said. “LaGrange has always held a special place in my heart, and I’m excited to come back and lead this program.” Sewell added that his focus will be on establishing a culture built around commitment and accountability while returning LaGrange to being a competitive and winning program.

Sewell’s first tenure at LaGrange began under circumstances few first-time head coaches could have anticipated. He took over an entirely new program ahead of its inaugural 2020 season, only for the COVID-19 pandemic to disrupt college athletics shortly afterward. Despite those early challenges, Sewell steadily built the Panthers into a postseason team.

LaGrange eventually reached the USA South Athletic Conference playoffs in consecutive seasons in 2023 and 2024. The Panthers also developed individual talent under Sewell, with eight players earning USA South All-Conference honors during his tenure. Among the standouts was Isaac Bohrer, who earned All-Conference recognition twice and was named the USA South Defensive Player of the Year in 2023. Those results helped establish a foundation at LaGrange that Sewell will now be tasked with rebuilding upon in his second stint with the program.

Following the 2024 season, Sewell left LaGrange to return to his alma mater, Huntingdon College. His time with the Hawks continued a relationship with the program that stretches back to his playing career. Sewell helped guide Huntingdon to back-to-back playoff appearances during his most recent stint before accepting the opportunity to return to LaGrange. He had also previously served as an assistant coach at Huntingdon from 2017-18, helping the Hawks capture a conference championship in 2018.

Before taking over LaGrange in 2020, Sewell also served as chief operating officer for Southwest Lacrosse Company in Ferrum, Virginia. Long before becoming a head coach, Sewell put together one of the most productive playing careers in Huntingdon program history. A four-year starter at midfield and faceoff, Sewell finished his career ranked first in Huntingdon history in points, assists, ground balls and faceoffs won, while ranking second in career goals. He served as a team captain for three seasons and ranked among the top 25 nationally in ground balls per game for three consecutive years. Sewell graduated from Huntingdon with a degree in biology and was inducted into the Huntingdon Athletic Hall of Fame in 2024.

There aren’t many coaches who get an opportunity to return to a program they helped build from its first season. Sewell knows LaGrange. He knows the recruiting landscape. And, perhaps most importantly, he has already shown that he can build a winning program there. His first stint began with the challenge of creating a program essentially from scratch. His second begins with a different challenge: getting the Panthers back to where they were when he left and potentially taking them even further. For LaGrange, the next chapter of Panthers lacrosse will be led by the same coach who helped write much of the first one.