Football in the Jackson area will look different this season.
There are several coaches in new places heading into the 2024 TSSAA football season and some coaches new to West Tennessee. Before the season kicks off, The Jackson Sun ranks the top 10 new coaching jobs in the area for the season.
New school: Milan
Comer had plenty of success at McKenzie, winning over 200 games and a state championship. He brings that success to a Milan program that, itself, has been solid in recent years with 10 playoff appearances in a row and looking for more with a new coach to lead the way. Milan is searching for its first state championship since 1999 and last made a state championship game appearance in 2020.
New school: McKenzie
Hodge’s offensive firepower at Dresden last season ended with the Lions gaining over 5,600 yards and putting multiple players on the 2023 All-West Tennessee football teams, including first-team quarterback Cameron Schlicht. Hodge takes over for Wade Comer, who left McKenzie after 23 seasons for Milan.
Lexington
Why chosen: Carr has moved around West Tennessee a bit over the last five years, including the last two at Milan. He left the Bulldogs with an 18-7 record and some playoff success to take over for Lexington long-time coach Bryant Hollingsworth. The Tigers were 4-7 in 2023 and dropped out of the TSSAA Class 4A playoffs with a 42-2 loss to Pearl Cohn.
Westview
Why chosen: McConnell struggled in his four years at his alma mater, Camden Central, with a 12-29 with the Lions. Prior to Westview, McConnell spent five seasons as the Waverly coach. Going back to Westview may be a big step for both him and the Chargers. McConnell coached the Chargers with then-quarterback Ty Simpson, who is now at Alabama. Simpson’s younger brother, Graham, is now a freshman quarterback with the Chargers.
Humboldt
Humboldt has been struggling as of late. Williams could be one of the biggest factors in bringing the program back around to a place where the Vikings can be competitive. At Bolivar last season, Williams led the Tigers to a 6-4 record to cap off a solid three-year stint. The Vikings were 0-10 last season and lost their star lineman, Stephon Shivers, who transferred to Brentwood Academy.
Hardin County
Seaton has been a staple of the Tigers’ program over the last 10 seasons, with the last nine serving as the defensive coordinator and racking up an 88-29 record in the last 10 seasons. The Tigers have made the TSSAA playoffs every season since 2012 with quarterfinal appearances in 2019 and 2020.
Scotts Hill
Hooper can make offenses work, as evident by South Gibson’s offense last season scoring 31.5 points per game. Hooper’s experience around West Tennessee programs is also a bonus to add to his versatility. The Lions struggled in 2023 under former coach Rennard Woodmore, who was let go from the position in February, going 3-7.
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Dresden
Why chosen: Cruse steps into a Lions program coming off one of its better seasons, advancing to the TSSAA Class 1A state semifinals. Cruse spent the last seven seasons at Ripley, going 36-46, and makes the move to what looks to be a high-powered Lions offense in 2024.
West Carroll
Dowland has moved around the country as well as West Tennessee to coach. As the War Eagles’ defensive coordinator for the last two years, Dowland has built the relationships with the team and put him in a position to succeed with the familiarity. West Carroll has gone 10-11 in the last two seasons with Dowland on the staff, with five wins in each season, while giving up 25.7 points per game.
10. John Ross Hudson
Camden Central
Hudson was the defensive coordinator for the last two seasons at Lexington and has versatility with his experience as the special teams coordinator for the prior 10. The Tigers allowed an average of 273.5 points per season and 11.4 points per game in the last two seasons, including three shutouts in 2022. Lexington went 13-11 in the last two seasons.
Austin Chastain is a high school sports writer covering West Tennessee. Reach him by email at achastain@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ChastainAJ.
This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Ranking top 10 Jackson area high school football coaching hires for 2024 TSSAA season
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