In November, Kemper County head coach Chris Jones stood on the sideline at Mississippi State University’s Davis Wade Stadium and coached the Wildcats to their first-ever football championship with their 12-8 win against Charleston High School in the MHSAA Class 3A state title contest.

According to published reports, Jones is expected to return to Starkville next season, only this time, as head coach of the Starkville High School Yellowjackets. The Clarion-Ledger reported an announcement will be made Wednesday afternoon, and the decision was pending final approval of the district’s school board.

Jones commented last Friday that he had been in talks with the MHSAA Class 6A school, and mentioned he was a candidate for the position.

Jones, 34, was named Kemper County’s head coach in 2013 and took over an embattled program that won just one game the previous season. The following year, Jones guided Kemper County to a 9-4 record. He amassed 11 wins in both 2014 and 2015, and the Wildcats went 15-1 last season en route to a state championship.

Starkville’s vacancy was created when Ricky Woods stepped down from the position last November. Woods was named the Yellowjackets’ head coach in 2015 and led Starkville to its sixth championship after going 14-1 and defeating Petal High School 27-7 that year. Starkville under Woods went 7-4 this season. Woods was named South Panola High School’s head coach in December. 

Jones graduated from Noxubee County High School in 2000, where played quarterback. He played collegiately as a wide receiver at Jackson State University before landing on the Minnesota Vikings’ and Seattle Seahawks’ rosters. He also played for the Canadian Football League’s Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Arena Football League’s Kansas City Brigade prior to embarking on his high school coaching career.