STARKVILLE — Starkville High School football coach Jamie Mitchell has a pair of familiar faces joining his staff.
Mitchell announced Thursday the hiring of Chris Walters as defensive line coach and Justin Moss as offensive line coach.
Walters, who coached at Smithville last year, spent five years as the defensive coordinator at DeSoto Central, where he coached against a Mitchell-led Olive Branch team.
The Olive Branch connection played a role in Moss” hire, too. The former Aberdeen High offensive coordinator was a volunteer assistant for Mitchell at Olive Branch.
“Chris is a guy I tried to hire last year, but it just didn”t work out,” Mitchell said. “I know both of them very well, and I feel very good about both hires. They are getting here later in the process, and anytime you have turnover it”s not a good thing. You have to re-teach coaches like you do players. They”ve got to pick it up very quickly.”
Starkville High”s vacancies came open when former offensive assistant Rob Morgan accepted the offensive coordinator position at his alma mater, Warren Central, and offensive line coach Charlie Smith accepted the head baseball coach job at Meridian.
Walters and Moss bring more than 10 years of combined coaching experience, and both have served as coordinators.
Walters, who coached with Smith at DeSoto Central, served as the Jaguars” defensive coordinator before accepting the same position at Smithville.
Moss spent the past two seasons calling plays for Aberdeen and helped the Bulldogs to the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 3A title game in each of the past two seasons.
“It was tough to leave (Aberdeen),” Moss said. “I was really attached to a bunch of those boys, but I felt like this was a great opportunity.”
Despite the hurdle of getting to know new personnel just three weeks before fall practice begins, Moss said his familiarity with Starkville”s style of offense will help him transition quicker.
“As the offensive coordinator at Aberdeen, we ran for 3,219 yards last year,” Moss said. “I know coach Mitchell believes in running the ball. A lot of the stuff they did last year, we did with similar formations.”
The hiring of Walters and Moss will see several current SHS coaches switch roles. Brooks Oakley, who handled the defensive line last season, will coach outside linebackers and “float” wherever he”s needed, Mitchell said. Will Gillespie will switch from defense to offense.
Starkville is coming off a five-win season in which it finished a win shy of making the Class 6A playoffs. The Yellow Jackets lost five games by a touchdown or less last season, Mitchell”s first in charge.
“Jamie is a great coach and has won everywhere he”s been,” Walters said. “He”s turned programs into state contenders. That”s a plus to be able to work for him. The Starkville district is great, too. They”ve had titles there in the past, and Jamie is looking to get back to that. That definitely intrigued me.”
Starkville will begin practice Aug. 1. It will hold its first intra-squad scrimmage Aug. 6, and will scrimmage against McComb on Aug. 13 at Mississippi State.
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