WEST POINT, Mississippi (WCBI) — West Point’s football team is starting a new chapter. Head coach Chris Chambless retired after 25 years. Longtime assistant Brett Morgan is taking over as head coach. The program is focusing on the “Next Man Up” mentality.
“When Coach Cham decided to retire, I told the guys it was like a senior walking out the door,” Morgan said. “Every year, juniors come in. Myself and a whole coaching staff are ready to take on this next challenge.”
The Green Wave have had one of the most dominant running games in the state for over a decade. Even though there has been a coaching change, the approach and scheme are still the same.
“I say it’s going smoothly,” senior cornerback Marcus Mukeba said. “We’re a program, everything we do is going to be consistent and we’re always going to meet the standard and coach Morgan keeps it high.”
West Point finished last season with its 12th championship title, which is a state record, but the team knows that 2023 doesn’t mean anything for this year yet.
“It just makes me hungrier and I hope it does the same for my teammates,” senior tight end Mac McGee said. “We can’t get complacent. We just have to be hungrier for it.”
The Green Wave lost two of their strongest offensive players last year, running back Khanen Daniels and quarterback Qunterion Tillman-Evans, who will now play at the college level, but Morgan is confident his players can fill the void.
“We lost all of our point scorers in KD and Q, but we have guys who have been in the program since seventh grade and now this is their chance and they have to make the most of it,” Morgan said.
West Point begins its title defense on August 30 at home against Louisville.
