The Sunday Story | The End of Choctaw Football
Happy Memorial Day! This week, we're delivering an update on Choctaw football in the aftermath of the program's discontinuation.
May 18, 2025 marked six months since the MC Board of Trustees announced the end of Choctaw football.
The shock of the unprecedented decision was felt across campus for several weeks and into the end of the fall 2024 semester. Reactions to the decisions were mixed. Supporters of the change cited MC’s strategic plan and new opportunities for the other 17 sports. Many disagreed with the decision, objecting and voicing their concerns about the widespread effect it would have on athletics, students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Regardless of opinion on whether or not the November decision was ‘the right move,’ the widespread impact and effect left behind is undisputed.
At the core of this impact are the former players and coaches, all of whom were forced into a crucial decision-making process concerning their athletic career and education.
With extensive research, Blue & Gold Media was able to track the landing point of each of the 97 players who made up the roster. As of January 2025, 29 players successfully transferred to another college football program. The other 68 either returned to MC for the spring 2025 semester or withdrew. These numbers were broken down even further, showing that most who transferred did so to another Division II program. Seven players transferred to a Division I (FCS) program. The remaining 10 transfers went to a Division III, NAIA, or JUCO level program.
For coaches, finding the next step may have been more urgent, as they determined where they would find employment. Former Head Coach Mike Kershaw accepted a position as the General Manager of Kennesaw State University (KSU) Football in Kennesaw, Georgia. Former coach Will Paruta joined Kershaw at KSU as a linebacker coach.
While these primary stakeholders in the program may have shifted their gaze in an effort to move on, many others in supporting roles have had to ask the same difficult questions. For Aidan Castillo, a sophomore from Gulfport, Choctaw football was more than entertainment from the bleachers. A kinesiology major, Castillo was hired as an athletic trainer and tended to players’ needs and ensured their well-being while on the field. Castillo worked every day, including Saturday games. During his shifts, the trainer would provide athletes with proper resources, respond to and assess injuries, and maintain training equipment. Castillo was asked to travel with the team for the final three away games.
“I came here to study athletic training, which is exactly what I wanted to do,” Castillo said. “Just finding a place where I could learn, shadow, and use my capabilities on and off the field.”
After the season, Aidan and other trainers were offered one opportunity to continue their work. He and his team determined the opportunity to be impractical, it was unanimously declined.
For Clayton Jackson, a sophomore from Anchorage, AK, football was another event that he got to help with. Jackson, a sports media communications major, was the main broadcast producer for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Jackson would spend countless hours setting up the studio, prepping cameras, and making scripts to ensure a productive and successful broadcast. “I was torn up,” Jackson said.
While heartbroken about the decision, Jackson was confident in continuing his sports media major. “We are going to put more effort and time into other broadcasts,” Jackson said, “There will be other opportunities for students, including myself, to help produce and do play-by-play for football.”
While the immediate effects of last year’s decision are clear, the ongoing effort within the MC athletic department is one oriented towards growth and success. MC Director of Athletics, Kenny Bizot, recalls that while change has been hard, the department is focused on one thing – winning. “At MC, we want to compete for national championships, and this allows us to pursue excellence in our athletic program,” Bizot said.
The AD provided examples of how MC Athletics is currently making waves around the Gulf South Conference. In late April, the women's tennis program brought home their first-ever conference title. The red-hot softball and baseball teams are also looking to dominate their respective postseasons in early May.
“Our ability to compete and win tournament championships is a testament to how our programs are performing, and it’s the first step in competing for national championships,” Bizot said.
The transition to 17 sports has not been an easy process for athletics. Just as former players and coaches were at the center of impact, supporting members of the athletic department were right there with them.
“Change is hard, and doing hard things is challenging. Late November and December were challenging months,” Bizot said. “...I’m very proud of the way our department and our student-athletes have come together and worked together to support our student-athletes who wanted to stay and those who wanted to transfer. I’m just really proud of how we’ve come together in the past several months.”
As college football and the NCAA have entered unprecedented times with their rapid change, the GSC has been supportive of the school through the discontinuation process.
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