Union High School has officially moved on from longtime football coach Travis Turner, nearly four months after he disappeared into the woods.
Jamie Harless has been named as the school’s new head football coach, as the search for Turner, 46, remains active.
“Everything has to be moving forward,” Harless told News 5 WCYB on Thursday, March 12. “You can’t look back.”
Turner was a long-tenured coach and teacher at Union High in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, prior to his disappearance on November 20, 2025. Shortly after going missing, Turner was charged with five counts of child pornography and five counts of using a computer to solicit a minor.
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Harless previously guided Lord Botetourt High School in Daleville, Virginia, to 134 wins, four regional titles and three state runner-up finishes in his 14 years as coach.
“My biggest point to anybody, if you’re going to be the leader of a football team, teach them how to be a real man,” Harless said. “You can’t be a great football player unless you know how to act like a real man.”
He added, “Kids need to know I’ll have fun with them. I want them to be men, but I want them to have fun.”
Union High principal Jerred Chandler explained the school made the decision to hire Harless because “he doesn’t just work at being a coach.”
“He works with the relationships with the kids,” Chandler told WCYB. “He studies the game, he knows the history of the game.”
Turner was not officially terminated as an employee at Union High until February 9. He collected $21,226.35 from the school district after the allegations against him were made public.
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“Payroll records may reflect compensation issued after board action due to standard payroll processing timelines, contractual obligations, statutory requirements, or the payout of accrued leave,” Wise County school district superintendent Mike Goforth told WCYB. “Such records do not indicate continued employment status.”
Turner was allegedly last seen by members of his family walking into the densely wooded area behind his home as authorities were on their way to question him.
In a statement to Us Weekly on March 9, Virginia State Police (VSP) said there have not been any “credible sightings” of Turner.
“This case is worked on every day. It’s two-fold: we have the criminal investigation and the search,” said VSP Captain J. Daniels. “Every single lead has been vetted and followed up on, and all have been unfounded. We need the public to continue providing information. Someone knows something that will lead to his whereabouts.”
