Stellar recruit
New Titans head football coach eager to rebuild program
JACKSONVILLE — The Jacksonville Titans football program hired a new coach who has brought instant credibility to the program.
Maurice Moody, who was the coach at Little Rock McClellan High School, was hired by the Jacksonville North Pulaski School District during a special board meeting Jan. 9.
Moody coached at McClellan for seven years, leading the Crimson Lions to four playoff appearances, three 10-win seasons and two Class 5A state runner-up appearances.
The Titans have struggled in recent years. They have not made the playoffs since 2014 and have not had a winning season since 2012.
However, the program moved into its new stadium at the new high school facility during the 2019 season, which was led by interim coach Jordan Johnston, who took over for Barry Hickingbotham, following his resignation and hiring as the transportation director for the school district.
Moody said he’s excited for the opportunity to coach at Jacksonville.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to build
up another program,” he said. “Jacksonville is in a unique situation. It’s a little bit different from what I’ve been accustomed to the past seven years. There is only one school in the town. The facilities are amazing. The support from the administration and the buy-in has been second to none.
“Those are some of the things that drew me to this program. I’m excited about it.”
Moody, 41, was previously head coach at Earle, his alma mater, and Blytheville. He was also an assistant at both Earle and West Memphis.
Moody coached against his new boss, Athletic Director Scott Waymire, when Moody was at Earle and Waymire was at Carlisle.
“You just look at his track record,” Waymire said of Moody. “I like Maurice a lot. Being from Earle and me being from Parkin, I always kept tabs on him, even after he left Earle. Just seeing him grow as a coach is great. Seeing what he’s done at McClellan — and that’s not the only place, but what he did there speaks for itself.”
Moody’s job at McClellan was up in the air because the Little Rock School District is combining McClellan and Fair into one school, Southwest High School.
“My decision to leave Little Rock was in this order — God first, family second, then football,” Moody said. “I went to my family, and we all just agreed that this was the right thing to do and the right time to do it.
“It had nothing to do with the Little Rock School District. It was all about my faith and family.”
Waymire said the district had several good applicants for the position at Jacksonville.
“Jacksonville has the potential to be a very good job,” he said. “A lot of the things that I think are important for a football coach to be, [Moody] checked every box.”
Waymire said Moody, who started at Jacksonville on Jan. 10, wants to visit with every boy in grades seven through 11 to tell them about his program.
“It’s going to be different for our kids,” Waymire said. “He’s going to demand a lot out of our kids. His expectations are going to be set higher than they have ever been. There will be no days off.”
Moody said the transition to Jacksonville has been smooth.
“The community and everyone welcomed me with open arms,” he said. “There’s excitement around the program and around the city. It’s been really good. I’m extremely happy so far.”
Moody said his defense will run an odd front. His offense will be multiple. In the past, his teams have run the Single Wing and the Flexbone.
Moody is a 1996 graduate of Earle High School. He played two years of football and ran two years of track at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. He has a bachelor’s degree in physical education and a master’s degree in educational leadership from ASU.