Paul Bryant football needs new head coach after John McKenzie returns to Mobile area

Paul Bryant High School football is in search of a new coach less than a month before the start of the 2024 season, athletic director Malcom Gross confirmed to The Tuscaloosa News.

On Wednesday, the Mobile County Board of Commissioners approved John McKenzie as Vigor's new head coach. McKenzie came to Paul Bryant in 2023, leading the Stampede to a 3-7 mark last season and a sixth-place finish in 6A, Region 4.

It is a homecoming for McKenzie, who coached at Vigor from 2020-21, leading the Wolves to a Class 4A AHSAA championship in 2021. McKenzie was placed on administrative leave for undisclosed reasons following the Wolves' title run before being named the coach at Murphy ahead of the 2022 season.

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McKenzie served one season at Murphy, leading it to a 2-7 record, before taking over the Stampede in 2023. McKenzie owns a 24-20 career coaching record in Alabama.

The Stampede start their 2024 season on Friday, Aug. 23, hosting Percy Julian. Paul Bryant has not had a winning record or earned a playoff bid since the 2019 season. It will be the seventh head coach in the Stampede's 21-year history.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Paul Bryant football needs new head coach after John McKenzie returns to Mobile area