By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

BILOXI — It’s taken a year, but it looks like Biloxi defensive coordinator Eric Collier will finally take over as a head football coach in South Mississippi.

Reports surfaced Wednesday that Collier is set to become the next head coach at Biloxi. He takes over the helm of the Indians from Jamey Dubose, who stepped down recently to take a similar post in Georgia.

Collier came across the Alabama state line for his first job in Mississippi at the beginning of the 2024 season, after a long coaching career in the Alabama prep circles.

Collier accompanied 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.

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.

He has served as Dubose’s defensive coordinator over the past two seasons, as Biloxi qualified for a berth in the Class 7A South State playoffs each year.

It’s the second time in a year that Collier had been named as a head coach in the “Southern Six”. Last January, Collier accepted the same post at George County High School.

However, less than a month later, George County Superintendent Wade Whitney resigned from his post suddenly. His resignation was accepted by the George County School Board at a hastily called special session.

The same board approved Collier’s new job as the Rebels’ head coach.

Collier had deep ties to the administration at GCHS, as both Whitney and principal Chip Menton worked with Collier previously in Alabama during his time at Theodore and Alma Bryant.

With Whitney’s departure, however, Collier quickly informed GCHS officials that he would be returning to Biloxi and not taking over as the leader of the Rebels.