Chargers set to promote Cutcliffe to head coach
Published 6:04 am Sunday, January 24, 2016
Oxford is set to promote Chris Cutcliffe to be its next head football coach, a source close to the hiring process confirmed Friday.
The move was first reported by Fox 40 News in Jackson.
Though nothing is official until the school board approves the hiring, school officials will recommend Cutcliffe to be hired at an Oxford School District board meeting Monday night, the source said. Cutcliffe’s name is on the meeting’s agenda.
A special-called board meeting to approve Cutcliffe’s hiring was originally scheduled for Friday afternoon before an introductory press conference later in the day, but that meeting was canceled while the press conference has been postponed after inclement weather forced area schools to close.
The school district announced Friday that the press conference will be rescheduled and that school officials will announce those details when they become available.
Cutcliffe, the son of former Ole Miss head coach and current Duke coach David Cutcliffe, will replace Johnny Hill, who retired after this past season after more than 20 seasons coaching at Oxford and 40 overall. Cutcliffe, who played quarterback at Oxford in the early 2000s, has coached wide receivers for the Chargers since joining the staff in 2011, according to the school’s official website.
Cutcliffe and offensive line coach Jason Russell served as interim coaches while athletic director Mike Martin headed the search for Hill’s replacement. Martin said shortly after the job was posted in early December he’d like to have the new coach in place by January.
Should he be approved, Cutcliffe will take over a program that’s been to three straight MHSAA Class 5A state championship games. The Chargers are 39-5 over the last three seasons.