MC's New Head Football Coach Seeks to Improve Team Strategies, Game Day Culture
MC's New Head Football Coach Seeks to Improve Team Strategies, Game Day Culture
Coach Mike Kershaw lays out his plan for a successful football team.
For the first time in ten years, Mississippi College has a new head football coach. Mike Kershaw, formerly the wide receivers coach at Rice University, was introduced as the Choctaws’ next head coach on Dec. 19. He joined the program following the Owls’ appearance in the First Responders Bowl on Dec. 26.
Kershaw took a unique path to becoming Mississippi College’s head man. Following his playing career, Kershaw worked as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Delta State, before leaving the sport to found his own insurance agency in Austin, Texas. In 2018, the offensive coordinator from his playing days at DSU, Mike Bloomgren, pulled him back into coaching after Bloomgren was named head coach at Rice University.
“Haves and have-nots” is an often-repeated phrase in college football. Kershaw knows that Mississippi College is considered by many to be a have-not, particularly when it comes to funding and prioritizing winning. However, he believes that he was brought in to change that and that collaborating with University President Blake Thompson and Athletic Director Kenny Bizot will make that possible.
“If we're good with winning just two, three, or four games, then obviously I’m not the guy for the job,” Kershaw said. “I’m not here to win three games. I’m here to win all of them.”
The Mississippi College job is one that Kershaw has had his eye on for quite some time, and in speaking with him, it is apparent that he knows exactly what he wants to do during his time in Clinton.
At Rice, he was in charge of recruiting in Mississippi. Kershaw said that he regularly asked around in Mississippi about the job. He viewed Mississippi College as a sleeping giant. Citing the highly successful past of the MC program, which had periods of dominance in the 70s and 80s, Kershaw feels that, because of the location and resources MC boasts, there is no reason decades like those in the past should not happen again.
Game Strategy
He plans to do so by changing both the game plan and the culture surrounding the program. When asked about game plan differences, Kershaw did not mince words. He said the Choctaws would absolutely not be an option team anymore and would be throwing the ball around more in 2024. He also acknowledged that the team would not be abandoning the run.
Team Discipline
Two themes became common throughout all three phases of his game plan: aggression and discipline. Discipline was something the team directly asked for in meetings according to Kershaw, with players saying they wanted their new coach to hold them accountable. It was immediately on display for the team as soon as Kershaw arrived on campus.
“The first true in-person meeting we had here was different because everyone had an assigned seat, they were told not to have their hood up or their earbuds in or hats on,” Kershaw said. “When you come from a program that hasn’t won a lot of games, those kids want something different.”
Recruiting Changes
His first task will be using his connections in Mississippi to replenish the roster. “In a perfect world, our roster will have 75-85% Mississippi kids,” Kershaw said.
He plans to rely heavily on Mississippi talent, a departure from the 2023 team that was only 42% from Mississippi. Kershaw reported that since his hiring, the reception to the Choctaws’ reemergence in the Mississippi recruiting scene has been positive, with coaches happy to see MC recruiting their players again. These promises haven't been all talk either, as Kershaw was hired on Tuesday, Dec. 19, and got his first two in-state commitments on Wednesday, Dec. 20.
According to Kershaw, there are a variety of good reasons to recruit Mississippi heavily, including the Speed Scholarship and the potential attendance boost from local players’ families.
Game Day Culture
That's not the only way Kershaw plans to improve the gameday experience. He wants to make games in Clinton so fun that students will no longer want to go to Starkville, Tuscaloosa, or Oxford, but rather spend their Saturdays in Robinson-Hale Stadium. While this starts on the field, Kershaw plans to engage the entire community surrounding the team, from on-campus organizations to local schools.
“We have to build a brand where people from Clinton want to come support this team, where the businesses want to support and sponsor this team,” Kershaw said. “It's important to us that our kids feel wanted in their college’s city.”
Alumni Engagement
Another benefit that Kershaw wants to see from improving the team and the game day experience is engaging with alumni from the team and university. Competing at the Division II level, Mississippi College does not have the benefit of the large budgets seen at some of the other schools in Mississippi. Alumni support can help offset that disadvantage.
“We have to have help from alumni,” Kershaw said. “We have to have them cut a couple of checks because they have the same jobs as the guys who give money to Ole Miss and Mississippi State, but their money will go a lot farther here than it will over there.”
Strong Rivalry
Finally, Kershaw spoke on the importance of the rivalry with his alma mater, Delta State. He is no stranger to the importance of the rivalry; he knows that a win against “the team up north” can often determine whether a season is successful. The rivalry extends off the field as well, with Kershaw referring to signing former Delta State commits as win number one.
“We are going to be the premiere Division II college in the state of Mississippi,” Kershaw said. “We are not going to go and disrespect them, we are going to respect everything they do, but we are not going to fear them when we walk on the field, I can tell you that.”