Former NFL player Darryl Williams Jr. takes up Alabama high school football coaching position 

Coaching changes and additions occur across all levels of sports, from high school to college and professional leagues. Coaching circuits are particularly evident in football. Recently, a former NFL offensive lineman accepted a coach position with a new team.

Former Mississippi State Bulldogs center Darryl Williams Jr. accepted a coaching job for the offensive line at Hoover High School in Hoover Alabama. It was announced via X (Twitter) on January 25th, 2025.

Darryl Williams Jr responded to the tweet by saying,

"Let's get to work Sails up"

Hoover High School in Alabama has a historic football program, having won 13 Alabama Football State Championships, 23 Region championships, and holding a total record of 550 wins, 189 losses, and 7 ties to date. They were also featured on the show "Two-A-Days" on MTV in 2006, which highlighted Hoover's 2005 high school football season. Now they have a new offensive line coach, Darryl Williams Jr.

Darryl Williams Jr breakdown:

Darryl Williams Jr. was a class of 2015 offensive line recruit out of Bessemer City High School in Alabama, was rated as a three-star prospect and the 13th-best player in the state by 247sports. He received 9 offers from schools such as Auburn, Kentucky, and Florida State but committed to the Mississippi State Bulldogs where he played college football from 2015 to 2019.

Darryl started for the Bulldogs for three years, playing in 45 games and having 38 starts. In 2019, he was elected as a team captain and named to the 2019 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll. He was also invited to the 2020 East-West Shrine Bowl and NFL Scouting Combine.

In the NFL, he spent time with the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Former player to coach breakdown:

Darryl Williams Jr is one of many former NFL players who transitioned to high school football coaching. Former Baltimore Ravens safety and NFL Hall of Famer Ed Reed became the new offensive coordinator at Chamblee High School in Georgia in January 2025.

Former New York Jets and Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington became the head football coach at Sayre High School in Kentucky where they went undefeated and won the State Championship in 2024.

It's become a trend for former NFL players and even some active players, like Teddy Bridgewater, who won a state championship at Miami Northwestern in 2024, to become high school football coaches.