VANCLEAVE, Mississippi -- Kevin Fant says when he started his coaching career he really didn't envision becoming a head coach. But after 15 years as a successful high school assistant coach, with stops at Moss Point, Pascagoula and most recently East Central, he said he thought the time had come. "We all get a little older and different things begin to spark our interest," Fant said Thursday, two days after the Jackson County school board officially approved him as the new head coach at Vancleave High School, replacing Lavon Capers, who left to take the reigns at Resurrection Catholic. "My wife and I talked about it," he continued. "It just seemed like the stars aligned -- it's a great opportunity, a great school, a lot of potential -- Vancleave just checked all those boxes. I felt like I was led to go into it." An All-State quarterback at Moss Point in the late 1990s, Fant went on to play four years at Mississippi State and remains third on the school's list for all-time passing yards with 5,631. After graduating from MSU, Fant joined Lewis Sims' staff at his high school alma mater and then followed Sims to Pascagoula, with 11 total years as an assistant at the two schools. In 2015, he joined the staff at East Central, working first as the secondary coach and then the defensive line coach. Fant acknowledged his time spent working on the defensive side of the ball better prepared him to take over as the Bulldog head coach. "It definitely helps," he said. "Even as a quarterback, there were a lot of things I needed to know on the defensive side of the ball and I was always a guy who wanted to learn other positions, but until you get on that side of the ball -- there's so much you learn once you're over there. Given his status as a former quarterback, there might be an expectation he will open up the Bulldog offense. He didn't rule it out, but said personnel and situations will dictate his approach. "I'm a multiple guy on offense," Fant said. "When I say multiple, I mean we'll be able to do a lot of different things depending on the situation we have. One game you might see us in a four receiver set; the next you might see us in a two-back set. "I've had years where we stayed in two-back more. Then other years we stayed in the spread more. In high school, you don't recruit players. You make the best of what you have to work with. I can't promise I'm going to throw it so much, but I also can't promise I'm going to run it all the time. We'll take what's there." As an in-district transfer, Fant -- who teaches physical education and a Drug/Safety Education class -- is required to finish out the year at East Central. He is driving from Hurley to Vancleave each afternoon to oversee offseason workouts with the Bulldogs. Fant said it isn't "set in stone," but expects spring training for his new team will begin in late April.