Brookhaven Academy  has welcomed Jaymie Palmer onto the football staff as offensive coordinator for the 2018 season.

Most recently, Palmer was the head football coach at Lawrence County High School from 2014 through 2018. Palmer will begin working with Cougars student-athletes immediately.

Palmer began as a graduate assistant at the University of Alabama under Mike Dubose in 2000 before taking the offensive coordinator role at Brookhaven High School under Tucker Peavey.

That led to the offensive coordinator position at Lafayette County High School in Oxford under Anthony Hart and then Lawrence County High School.

“Jamie and I have been friends for a long time, and his experience and organization will be invaluable for our football program,” said Ron Rushing, BA’s director of athletics and head football coach. “He’s been a head coach before. He’s one of the best coaches in the area. He’s great with the offensive line, and he’s great with the defensive line. He’s a very good offensive coordinator. Everything that he brings is going to be positive for us.”

Rushing also announced that Jarrod White and Patrick Nottingham are joining the Cougars football coaching staff.

White, a 2018 Southern Miss graduate, served as a volunteer coach at Brookhaven Academy in 2017. White will also teach Social Studies classes at Brookhaven Academy and handle receivers, linebackers and special team duties.

“It’s his first year full-time to coach, but he’s had a lot of experience coaching at the higher levels at Southern Miss and Southwest,” Rushing said. “He’s excited and young and energetic, and with him being here that’s just going to add to the excitement. His youth is a big positive for us, and we’re excited about having him on our coaching staff.” 

White has been a student assistant with tight ends and inside receivers at Southern Miss, manager and student coach at Southwest Mississippi Community College and an offensive and defensive line coach at Perry Central High School.

Nottingham, who will soon serve in a custodial and maintenance role at Brookhaven Academy, will serve as an assistant football coach with offensive and defensive line duties for 2018.

“With Patrick, he’s young as well and he’s really excited about being able to help us coach,” Rushing said. “He loves being around young kids, and he’s got a great work ethic which will be good for us.”

Cougars head to Mobile in August for SECIS Classic

Brookhaven Academy will travel to Mobile, Alabama on Aug. 11 to take part in the Southeastern Conference of Independent Schools Classic.

The Cougars will play a four-quarter game, their first of the season, against Thomas Heyward Academy of South Carolina at 4 p.m.

“We’re really excited to take part in this event,” Rushing said. “It’ll be a great experience for our kids, and we’ll learn a lot about ourselves. It’ll be a great memory for our players.”

The Cougars will be joined by Copiah Academy and Lamar School as Mississippi schools in the field.

“This is something that our kids will remember forever,” Rushing said. “With the Crampton Bowl, and all the renovations that they’ve done to it it’s going to be a great environment.”