Is there any way Meridian can bring Shelton Gandy back next yr?

[ccbulldog]

I haven't heard anything out of Meridian yet but man were they horrible the past two seasons. I don't see how they can allow him to continue.

[s1nglewing]

6 minutes ago, ccbulldog said:

I haven't heard anything out of Meridian yet but man were they horrible the past two seasons. I don't see how they can allow him to continue.

Two wins vs. 7A competition in two seasons, with the majority of their 7A games blowouts.

But who would want the job?

[ccbulldog]

26 minutes ago, s1nglewing said:

Two wins vs. 7A competition in two seasons, with the majority of their 7A games blowouts.

But who would want the job?

I don't know but the 9th grade gym teacher could do a better job than Gandy has the past 2 years.

[slicklizard]

It would be a waste of money. I don't know how he keeps getting hired.

[ManCoverage]

I'm not sure you can blame it all on Shelton.  It is very hard to get good assistants at Meridian and that is more important than 1 head guy.  If marcus hadn't had Danniel Hill and ran him 35 times a game he would have had the same season.  

[Rebel Bert]

Meridian is like Jackson. The talent has moved to the surrounding schools. I figured Hattiesburg was heading in that direction. They h Ave found a wY to keep their program rolling. It could be the talent at Meridian is sitting in study hall.

[Football In MS]

19 hours ago, s1nglewing said:

Two wins vs. 7A competition in two seasons, with the majority of their 7A games blowouts.

But who would want the job?

Marcus Broyles did & took them to playoffs and a road win vs #1 Ocean Springs. Granted that was with Hill under center. But still… Meridian was a dumpster fire before MB and returned to one immediately after he left. And now he’s back at Petal and Petal is back to relevance. 
An up & coming coach who wants to prove himself could do a lot, but it’ll take someone with the power to change hearts and change culture. When kids don’t even come to practice because it’s “fall break” that’s a coaching issue and something school admin needs to address.

[Rebel Bert]

They need to make an offer to Vance, an assistant at West Point, Starkville, Tupelo, or Louisville or somewhere like that.

[ManCoverage]

16 hours ago, Football In MS said:

Marcus Broyles did & took them to playoffs and a road win vs #1 Ocean Springs. Granted that was with Hill under center. But still… Meridian was a dumpster fire before MB and returned to one immediately after he left. And now he’s back at Petal and Petal is back to relevance. 
An up & coming coach who wants to prove himself could do a lot, but it’ll take someone with the power to change hearts and change culture. When kids don’t even come to practice because it’s “fall break” that’s a coaching issue and something school admin needs to address.

Funny how it went back that way when Marcus and Hill left.... I know he's a good coach and you cant say that he isn't, BUT i'm not sure he could do anything with what is on the field at Meridian either and that is what he ran back to Petal as fast as he could when Hill went to play for the Tide.

[Vott]

13 hours ago, Rebel Bert said:

They need to make an offer to Vance, an assistant at West Point, Starkville, Tupelo, or Louisville or somewhere like that.

Vance is extremely happy at Theodore High School in Alabama as their offensive coordinator and also being able to see his son play at South Alabama.  

[Football In MS]

6 hours ago, ManCoverage said:

Funny how it went back that way when Marcus and Hill left.... I know he's a good coach and you cant say that he isn't, BUT i'm not sure he could do anything with what is on the field at Meridian either and that is what he ran back to Petal as fast as he could when Hill went to play for the Tide.

Meridian has issues top to bottom. If they can get the head coach right & admin/district support, the other things could fall into place. But there’s gonna have to be an ideological shift for that area to experience sustained success.

[ccbulldog]

To know what Meridian used to be and what it is now is truly sad.  That big old stadium that was once the center of the city on fall friday nights now seems like a mausoleum  on friday nights. None of the numerous white alumni from years past go to the games any more. And it seems like the current student body couldn't care less about football. They have become a basketball school, just like the Jackson city schools. At this point I don't know if anything will change it.

[Football In MS]

2 hours ago, ccbulldog said:

To know what Meridian used to be and what it is now is truly sad.  That big old stadium that was once the center of the city on fall friday nights now seems like a mausoleum  on friday nights. None of the numerous white alumni from years past go to the games any more. And it seems like the current student body couldn't care less about football. They have become a basketball school, just like the Jackson city schools. At this point I don't know if anything will change it.

I’ve been to games there in years past - not since the blue field. It doesn’t feel like a safe area after dark. Especially for kids. Was actually told not to hang out and talk after a game - get in the car & LEAVE. That’s hard to overcome 

[Bulldogs4]

Area is safe and they have plenty of security. A few years ago, there were a few incidents but that is not a really problem. But I get it that perception dominates reality these days.

 

IMO, there is still plenty of football talent at the high school. Now CC is right that very few of the white alumni attend games anymore which is sad. Unfortunately the school does not have many white students anymore either. Like a lot of cities, those kids are in private schools or the county schools. That is a discussion for another day.

 I do believe a young , energetic coach could revitalize the football program. There is still pride here and the support could return. Boyles had actually galvanized that in the community and he had people excited again about  the football team. There is a solid youth program in place and the middle schools are doing well. With the right hire, the program can make a comeback. We will see what happens. But for sure, Shelton Gandy is not the answer. 

[Guntriple]

[Rebel Bert]

Who really wants the job?

Will a coach be asked to come out of retirement?

Which direction will AD go?

 

[Mac7633]

Meridian needs to find a former player or someone in that area that has coaching experience 

Edited November 14, 2025 by Mac7633

[DrownInEtown]

Locally, Carter from Heidelberg could be a good hit

[pancho]

I'm not sure Daryl wants all the trouble of trying to rid the place of the shambles it is in.  I've known him since his Tupelo fire ant days and coaching at Shannon. He won't just dive into a mess unless there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

[PineBelter]

https://www.wtok.com/2025/11/14/meridian-high-school-football-coach-resigns/

[Chunky6617]

I think Carter would be a really good fit at Meridian or Wayne County. Good luck getting him to leave Heidelberg though. He’s making the same kind of money there that he would at these larger schools. Unless he is just wanting to move himself up the coaching ladder, I don’t know why he would leave Heidelberg. If he can turn around Meridian, I could see some JUCO’s giving him some looks. 

[EnterpriseBulldogsFan]

I'm sure Meridian can offer more than Heidelberg and Meridian has a stadium with a Jumbotron and being a 7A program with many more students can potentially offer much more than Heidelberg; Heidelberg will fall off in 2027 not much behind the junior class.

[Mac7633]

1 hour ago, EnterpriseBulldogsFan said:

I'm sure Meridian can offer more than Heidelberg and Meridian has a stadium with a Jumbotron and being a 7A program with many more students can potentially offer much more than Heidelberg; Heidelberg will fall off in 2027 not much behind the junior class.

Heidelberg has a great freshman/sophomore class trust me I know 

[ccbulldog]

Hallelujah!!!!

[DrownInEtown]

I think there’s a 50% he goes 3/4 on State Championships in the next 4 years. A big salary can’t buy that. That’s probably what keeps him in Heidelberg for a while. But he’s still a big candidate for some bigger schools