Larry Weems, who led the Meridian High School football team to the state championship in 2008, is returning to the Wildcats and will serve as defensive coordinator this coming season, head coach John Douglass confirmed. 

“Just his reputation, and the people in this community who knows who he is — everybody on that team probably has an uncle or a cousin or a dad, or somebody that played for him — so on many different levels he brings a lot to the table, and we’re excited to have him back in our program,” Douglass said. “He’s going to bring some credibility and recognition on the very first day of practice.”

Weems served as head coach at Meridian from 2006-15, compiling a 107-31 record while guiding the Wildcats to winning seasons all 10 years. He resigned in 2015 and became head coach at Jackson Academy, where he has been since. The Wildcats have gone 23-28 since Wees’’ departure, finishing last season at 2-10 in Douglass’ first year at the helm. Calvin Hampton was hired as Weems’ replacement and spent three years at Meridian from 2016-18.

Douglass said he and Weems have kept in touch over the years as they were on staff together in prior roles at Meridian and Pearl. They began serious talks about a return late last year, and Douglass said Weems’ presence should aid in the effort to restore the Wildcats’ football program to its original dominance.       

“We’re a young team. We were a young team last year — I don’t think people realized how young we were — and we’re going to be young again, and our numbers aren’t quite where we need to be, so him being a part of what we’re doing will help us in those areas,” Douglass said. “We’re going to try and capitalize on that as much as possible.”

Weems earned a 31-17 record in his four seasons at Jackson Academy, reaching as far as the semifinals of the MAIS Class AAAA Division I tournament. Prior to his tenure at Meridian, he also served as head coach at Pearl and Biloxi. He led the Wildcats to a 14-1 record in their run to the MHSAA Class 6A state championship in 2008, defeating South Panola 26-20 in overtime in the title game. The performance earned him the Mississippi Association of Coaches Coach of the Year award. He was inducted into the MAC Hall of Fame in 2016.

“He brings so much to the table,” Douglass said. “He sees the field and the film as good as anybody I’ve ever been around. He understands both sides of the ball.”