STARKVILLE — Starkville High School head football coach Chris Jones was named the new head coach at Hinds Community College on Monday, ending an eight-year run with the Jackets.
The Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District extended its thanks to Jones for his time at the helm, leading the program to several successful campaigns and a state championship.
“Coach Jones has done an outstanding job leading the Yellow Jacket Football team,” Superintendent Tony McGee said in a statement on Monday. “He’s produced consistent playoff runs, a State Championship, and grown many of our student-athletes to be able to compete at the next level. We are proud for Chris and his family, and we look forward to watching him coach with success at the collegiate level. We wish him all the best.”
Jones arrived in Starkville as head coach in 2017 after four years with Kemper County, where he won a Class 3A state championship. He had an 84-25 overall record and a 16-6 playoff record in eight seasons at the helm in Starkville. He oversaw North State championships in Class 6A and 7A, as well as the 6A state championship in 2022.
In 2024 the Jackets finished 7-5, losing to eventual 7A champions Tupelo in the second round of the playoffs.
Jones’ move to Hinds earned the compliments of Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby and Jackson State head coach T.C. Taylor, the latter of whom was a teammate of Jones’ with the Tigers in 2001.
“Chris is someone that I’ve known for a long time as a former teammate and coach,” Taylor said. “He really loves and respects the game of football and will do great things at Hinds. He is one of the rising stars in coaching and I have no doubt that he will build a great program.”
Starkville now begins a search for its next head coach and will look to bring in the highest caliber candidate to continue a strong football tradition.
“The search for the next Yellow Jacket Head Football Coach will begin immediately,” SOCSD Director of Communications Haley Montgomery told The Dispatch. “We are committed to continuing the Jacket Athletics tradition of excellence. We want someone with a proven ability to win while also sustaining and building positive team culture and shepherding student-athletes to pursue their dreams of playing at the next level.”
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