Raleigh, N.C. — Jason Dinwiddie will replace Chip Williams as the next head football coach at Wakefield High School.

WRAL confirmed the hire with Wakefield athletic director Dexter Cooley on Wednesday morning.

Dinwiddie, 31, will be making his second appearance as the head coach at  Wakefield after a brief step to the top in 2004 when Steve Rivers, father of former N.C. State quarterback Philip Rivers, stepped down. Rivers returned the following season, and Dinwiddie became an assistant once again.

The first time head coach was 27 at the time of his promotion, and he admits he didn't know what he was getting into. "“Being a first year head coach – especially at that age – you think you know it all. You want to think you’re prepared, but you’re really not," he said. “It humbled me quite a bit."

This time is different, though. "This time I know I’m ready," Dinwiddie said.

With five coaching changes in the last five years, consistency is one thing the Wakefield football program knows little about. Dinwiddie, however, is one of the few consistencies inside the program. The former assistant coach has been with the Wolverines since their first varsity season in 2001.

“We’ve had four or five different philosophies, so our kids never really get comfortable," the newly promoted head coach said.

This coming season, Dinwiddie hopes to implement some new policies.

"Our big focus is going to be just establishing some continuity and consistency in our program. We haven’t had that in as long as I can remember," Dinwiddie told WRAL. "It’s going to be a process, but its going to be something that I think will be really beneficial to our program.”

Dinwiddie also has big plans to help his players off of the field, and in life in general: a character education program that will be a requirement for any player who wants to play football at Wakefield.

"In this day in age, the off the field stuff seems to be more of an issue than on the field stuff," Dinwiddie said on Wednesday evening.

While at the Virginia Tech coaching clinic in April, Dinwiddie learned of a national character education program called Changing Lives. The program has been around for more than 20 years, and a coach speaking at the clinic said it made "a world of a difference."

Dinwiddie plans to have a different topic regarding character education every day at practice, and he said his practice plans will incorporate that topic.

“I expect our kids to give a professional, positive image of Wakefield football and being positive contributors to the community," he said.

Dinwiddie started coaching football at age 18 while he was in college in Ohio. He moved to Raleigh in 2000, and he has been at Wakefield ever since. This coming season will be his 14th season as a football coach.

After moving to North Carolina, Dinwiddie admits he had reservations about the crowds at the games.

"It’s religion [in Ohio]. You have a town of 8,000, and you’re going to have 8,000 at every football game," he said.

The Wakefield students have impressed Dinwiddie over time, though. "Our students are phenomenal when it comes to Friday night football," Dinwiddie said.

Last season, Dinwiddie had the chance to work with one of the most respected football coaches in North Carolina. While working under Chip Williams, who left the program after one season to take over at Scotland County, Dinwiddie said he learned a lot about recruiting, as well as strength and conditioning.

"He does a really good job of getting kids exposure and getting them recruited," he said. "That’s one thing I learned from him.”

Wakefield was 6-6 last season, but all six losses came inside the Cap-Seven Conference. Football season begins on Aug. 22.