By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

For the first time in almost three decades, four head football coaching positions in the “Southern Six” remain open as January comes to an end.
However, if recent rumors in coaching circles across South Mississippi prove to be correct, then that number may begin to diminish in the near future.
Athletic administrators at George County, Hancock, Moss Point and Bay High all are still searching for the next leaders of their respective football programs.
According to several sources, Biloxi defensive coordinator Eric Collier is atop the list to become the next head coach of the Rebels. Collier came across the Alabama state line for his first job in Mississippi at the beginning of last season, after a long coaching career in the Alabama prep circles.

Collier accompanied Jamey Dubose in his trip from Lower Alabama to South Mississippi when Dubose took over as head coach at Biloxi. Prior to that, Collier spent one season on then head coach Kane Wommack’s staff at the University of South Alabama as Director of Football Development.

“You get to a point in the state retirement system where you need to go do something else,” Collier told Al.com last June. “I loved South. I enjoyed (new head) coach (Major) Applewhite. I loved everything I was doing out there, but I could go to Mississippi and get another retirement.”
Before that, Collier was a successful head coach at Theodore High where he went 71-41 as the Bobcats head coach over a 10-year span. The Bobcats were especially successful in his last three seasons, winning 33 of the last 38 games under Collier. The 2022 team went 13-1 and reached the Class 6A state semifinals before losing a rematch to eventual state champion Saraland. Theodore won three region titles in his last six years.

He also spent five years with the program as an assistant coach, and was also the head coach at Alma Bryant for four seasons well going 10-30.
In 2021, a South Alabama judge found Collier not guilty of assault charges stemming from a bayou brawl, but convicted two others.
Bayou La Batre Municipal Judge L. Daniel Mims found Collier not guilty on two misdemeanor assault charges. Mims also found Collier Sr.’s son, Hayden Collier, not guilty of the same charges.
Mims did find Wayne Eric “E.J.” Collier Jr. guilty on one count of misdemeanor assault and Collier Sr.’s brother, Shawn Jerome Collier, guilty on one count of misdemeanor assault and not guilty on another.
The incident happened on May 8th of 2021 on the west end beach area of Dauphin Island, according to a news release. It was a culmination of a dispute that had started earlier that day between Collier’s 19-year-old son and some other people who were boating.
One victim of the incident received around 10 stitches, while others received fractured bones to the face, contusions about the head, face and body and other injuries.

In other openings, Bay High is apparently down to two candidates to lead the Tigers, former Biloxi head coach Katlan French and Hattiesburg High offensive coordinator Archie Gibbs.
French is currently the defensive coordinator at Gulfport.
In Moss Point, the search for what will be the fourth head football coach of the Tigers in four seasons has reportedly centered on Perry Central defensive coordinator Derick Jenkins and Richton assistant coach Otto Crawford.
Crawford is a former Tiger player, who also currently serves as both the head boys and girls basketball coach at Richton. Jenkins has been in the same capacity for several seasons in New Augusta after serving as one season as DC at St. Martin.
Finally, at Hancock, the word is that several of the top candidates for the Hawks have turned down the position and HHS is back to ground zero in its search.
One name that has surfaced recently is current Greene County head coach Mikey King, a George County alum. King was also reportedly in the mix for the opening at his alma mater, but was recently eliminated from consideration according to sources.