McAdams High School recently hired Jim Risen to be their next football coach after former head coach Priest Crockett left to take another position in the Metro Jackson area. Risen, who graduated from Buckatanna High School in 1984 and Southern Mississippi in 1990, comes to the Bulldogs after a three-year stint as the offensive coordinator at McLaurin High School in Rankin County. “I’m not a hunter and I’m not a fisherman; I’m just a football coach,” said Risen. “I think these kids have a lot of spunk in them and I think they have a good work ethic; they are hungry and I think they have potential and integrity. I am going to try to instill discipline and work ethic, you know, and go from there and try to make these kids believe and have respect for the little things.”
Risen, 49, began his coaching career in 1990 at Wayne County as an assistant football coach where he taught history and physical education. He was named head coach at Kemper County in 1999 and stayed in that capacity until 2001 before taking an assistant coaching position with the Jones County School District (South Jones) in 2001. In 2004 he was named athletics director and head coach at Fruitdale High School and left there in 2007 to take an assistant football coaching position with the Harrison County School District. He was named head coach at Richton High School in 2009 and left that post after the 2010 season to coach in the Amite County School District. In 2011 he was named head football coach and athletics director in the Benton County School district before taking his last position before McLaurin in the Stone County School District as an assistant football coach in 2012.
“I believe in work and the little things that go with it,” added Risen. “I believe in building on character and building on charisma and everything. I’m a high-level coach and I am one of those guys that believes in trying to push these kids to work hard and be disciplined. I’ve always believed in character and I’ve always tried to push kids to build on morals and to work hard not only in the classroom but in that weight room as well.”
Risen feels that the Bulldogs have the talent to be a good team, and he just wants to instill his work ethic and discipline on the program. Offensively, he will probably run a Wing-T formation and will try to spread it out some, and on defense he likes to run a four-man front. “I will run a 50 with a nose guard; that’s old school football,” said Risen.
Risen is looking forward to summer workouts and 7-on-7 drills with area football teams as well and recently worked out with Kosciusko High School in 7-on-7’s and likes for his team to see the different looks they will get offensively and defensively. “With all this stuff we have here to build from, it’s going to make it fun for these kids,” concluded Risen.
The Bulldogs open their season on August 25.
