Chargers round out coaching staff
Published 6:01 am Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Oxford has put the finishing touches on its football coaching staff.
The hiring of three coaches at the varsity and freshman levels was approved at the Oxford School District board meeting Monday, including veteran coach Sam McCorkle.
McCorkle, who will serve as the Chargers’ offensive line coach and offensive coordinator this fall, has decades of experience at the high school and college levels. His career has included stints as an assistant at Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and Kentucky and head jobs at Tennessee-Martin and West Alabama.
McCorkle, who was most recently an assistant at Carbon Hill High in Alabama, is replacing former offensive line coach Jason Russell, who left earlier this summer to take the same position at Lafayette.
“He’s a guy that brings ton of experience to the table, and we’re excited to have him,” Oxford head coach Chris Cutcliffe said. “Offensive line is a position that’s so technically complicated I guess and those five guys have to be so much on the same page that being able to bring a guy like him with that type of experience to serve that role is just huge.”
McCorkle joins a varsity staff that includes first-year defensive coordinator Matt McCrory, running backs coach Chris Baughman, receivers coach Logan Dodson, linebackers coach Bobby Sanders and defensive line coach Stan Robertson, who came over from Lafayette this summer.
“Our coaching staff is outstanding. A lot of experience,” Cutcliffe said. “We have some really veteran coaches that bring a lot of experience and a lot of knowledge to the table. We have some young guys that bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm. We have a great mixture of things. Most importantly, I think we have a group of people who all really care about our players and care about our kids.”
Joe Sabatier will take over as the head coach of the freshman team while former Charger Joey Walden will serve as a freshman assistant. Randy Taylor will help coach the eighth-grade team.
Public school teams statewide will open camp Monday.