At clinic for coaches
Winona Christian football coach Junior Graham is excited about the lineup of speakers he has for Friday’s Football and Fellowship 2020 Coaches Clinic.
Kicking it off at 9 a.m. will be Starkville Academy’s own Chase Nicholson.
“You talk about a super star coach they have at Starkville Academy in Chase Nicholson,” Graham said. “He’s a ball coach and there’s no doubt about it.”
Nicholson said he was “very appreciative of the opportunity,” and hopes to be of some help some of the younger coaches and gain knowledge from others as well.
As the season is scheduled to begin in less than two months, Nicholson said being able to gather in this setting will be a plus.
“This should be a lot of fun for coaches,” Nicholson said. “Looking forward to getting together with a lot of my colleagues. To be listed as a speaker with these coaches is an honor.“
Along with Nicholson, the coaches scheduled to speak are Kenny Burton of Benton Academy, James Courtney of Nanih Waiya, Lance Pogue of Jackson Academy, Tyler Peterson of Brandon, Bryant Thomas of Leake Central and Joey Thompkins of Winona High School.
Graham said it’s a good mix of state championship coaches and others who know their business well. The opportunity was not turned down by any coach he asked to speak.
“I think we’ve got a knockout of a lineup as far as speakers,” Graham said. “You’ve got a state championship coach in Chase. You’ve got a state championship coach in James Courtney at Nanih Waiya; and you’ve got a national coach of the year in Lance Pogue. Kenny Burton was on the ground floor of the Ridgeland staff that carried that program all the way to the North Half Championship appearance, then you throw in there Joey Thompkins, who played for a state championship at Winona.
“Bryant Thomas is a phenomenal young coach. He hasn’t turned that program around at Leake Central yet, but he’ll get it right when he gets his staff finalized. It’s going to grow and he’s going to get it in the right direction. Tyler Peterson is from that Peterson pedigree. He’s very articulate, organized and he’s going
the SEC.
At left guard, Dareuan Parker has that spot locked down for the second-straight year. Parker got hurt in the first game of the season last year as he became a starter for the first time and it set him back for a game or two, but he followed through with a solid season. He’s another senior that is playing for NFL opportunities this season and hopes to follow in the footsteps of other interior lineman at MSU in recent years that have advanced to the big show.
The former and current staff were really high on redshirt freshman Nick Pendley, who jumped on board late in the 2019 class and earned some playing time last year while also redshirting. He’s a mauler in the interior and could give Parker a run inside even this year. While he likely won’t be starting, don’t be surprised to see him get many reps this year in some big moments because he’s slated to be a starter sooner rather than later.
The Bulldogs got a late signee this summer in former Warren Central and Pearl River Community College lineman Reed Buys. He essentially replaces former Bulldogs Brevyn Jones who transferred to Illinois this year. Buys has four years to play three and will likely redshirt this season.
Center is a bit of a mystery to this point both in who will start and the impact. Darryl Williams was a huge part of the offensive line last season after moving over from guard with the departure of Elgton Jenkins. Replacing his leadership and productivity will be difficult.
One player that seems to be catching Miller’s eye is LSU transfer Cole Smith, who sat out last year. Smith was brought in from LSU to eventually be the Bulldogs’ center and the Mississippi native appears to be the front runner for that position. If he doesn’t handle it, then another option is to move Sharp inside and have Lashley at right guard. There’s also junior James Jackson who has been tossed back and forth from the offensive and defensive line. He seems to be settled in on offense moving forward.