Joel McCarty and Corey McLaurin are the latest additions to head football coach Tommy Clopton’s Brookhaven varsity staff. They came aboard this summer and are busy preparing the Panthers for the 2013 campaign.

     “We are excited to have both coaches with us,” said Clopton. “They bring valuable experience to our staff and team. They have both been associated with good football programs.”

     McCarty will coach running backs and McLaurin will coach the secondary.

     McLaurin, 27, is a 2004 Collins High School graduate. He played quarterback, cornerback and safety, helping the Tigers win back-to-back state championships in 2002-03. The team went 30-0 under Coach Bruce Merchant.

     He played for Alcorn State University and was a 4-year starter, spending time at safety and cornerback. He obtained a master’s degree in guidance education. He played three years for Johnny Thomas and one year for Earnest Collins.

     McLaurin began his coaching career at A.H. Parker High School in Birmingham, Ala. He then coached under Louis Sims and Kevin Jackson at Moss Point, working with outside linebackers and running backs. He also coached baseball.

     “I’m most comfortable coaching defensive backs and corners,” said McLaurin. He has a 1-year-old son, Corey, and is engaged to be married.

     “I want to thank Coach Clopton for giving me a chance to be part of Ole Brook football,” said McLaurin. “We have some very good kids who are hard workers. They will be successful in life at the next level.”

     McLaurin also will work with Darian Dorsey and the track team. He said, “The coaches here are wonderful. They have made my transition easy.”

      McCarty, 37, is a 1994 graduate of West Jones High School. A former offensive lineman, He also played second base, outfield and pitcher. He will assist Ole Brook baseball coach Randy Spring with his team.

     A graduate of Jones County Junior College and Southern Miss, McCarty majored in coaching and sports administration. He was an assistant football and baseball coach at Taylorsville for one year. He then served as head baseball and assistant football coach at Bay Springs for one year.

     He moved to Magee and worked as head baseball coach and assistant football coach for two years. He coached four years at McLaurin, working as offensive coordinator in football and assistant athletic director. He also coached the fastpitch softball team for two years and the girls soccer team.

     “I love Brookhaven,” said McCarty. “We have some great kids and some very good prospects at running backs. All the kids have a good attitude and they give a great effort.”

     McCarty said Ole Brook’s rich football history attracted him. “Knowing Brookhaven’s tradition in one thing that brought me here. Winning is expected and that’s a good thing.”

     He and his wife, Amanda, have three children: Benji, 18; Emily, 9; and Bailey, 6. He will teach Mississippi Studies and World Geography. She will teach English at BHS.