Four local football players who graduated from Baldwin County high schools are among the Mississippi College Choctaws who are suddenly searching for a new home after the school announced it was eliminating its football program.

Three Fairhope Pirates, including running back Preston Godfrey, center Barrett Cain and long snapper Clayton Noblitt, and one St. Michael Cardinal, running back Martin Corte, have announced their entrance into the transfer portal after the school notified the team of its decision. Additionally, Choctaw assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Joel Williams, who had most recently served as offensive coordinator at Fairhope and previously coached at Foley, is also in search of a new home.

Mississippi College becomes the latest football program featuring Baldwin County alumni to cease operation after Birmingham-Southern College closed the whole school in May. St. Michael graduates Luke Edmiston, Austin Maloney and Carson Maloney all landed at Belhaven for the 2024 season after BSC shut down.

Official word

On Monday it was announced that Mississippi College would change its name to Mississippi Christian University as well as reorganize its academic and athletic initiatives. The school said the decision to discontinue the football program that played its 117th season this fall was to help “further its commitment to excellence in intercollegiate Division II play across its remaining 17 sports and pursue needed facility upgrades,” it says in a Monday release.

The Choctaws won two-straight games before they narrowly lost the season finale, which now serves as the final game in program history, to finish 2-6 overall and 1-5 in the Gulf South Conference.

Mississippi College won conference championships in the Gulf South Conference in 1979, 1988 and 1990 as well as in the American Southwest Conference in 1997 and 2009. The Choctaws made NCAA Playoff appearances in 1979, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 and 2009 with a national title in 1989 that was later revoked due to recruiting violations.

Freshman phenom

Godfrey, alongside Marcus Williams and LaMonte James, helped Mississippi College register 400-plus rushing yards in the two wins where the former Pirate was also named the GSC Freshman of the Week after the second win over Northeastern State. Godfrey became the first Choctaw to win the weekly honor since John Henry White did so in October 2022.

The do-it-all man who also took over quarterbacking duties his senior season at Fairhope, Godfrey transitioned to a Wildcat quarterback for the Choctaws the final five games of the year.

On the season, racked up 123 passing yards on 3 completions with 1 touchdown on top of 526 rushing yards on 129 carries with 2 touchdowns and 93 receiving yards on 14 catches as well as returned 9 kickoffs for 185 return yards and recorded 2 tackles. Godfrey’s 526 rushing yards ranked sixth in the Gulf South Conference, his 804 all-purpose yards were seventh and his average of 20.6 yards per kickoff return was ninth.

Coach’s reaction

Mississippi College head football coach Mike Kershaw posted on X (Twitter) Monday afternoon that he did not expect that day’s news.

“Sitting here shocked would be an understatement of the news our team received today from our administration. It is horrible for these kids that because of poor decisions from people, now 105 kids and coaching staff’s lives are about to change,” Kershaw wrote. “My number one thing is to find these kids a new home to play the game they love. I have kids on this team that can play at all levels. Please reach out to me if you have any questions about any of them. These kids are good kids that will make your program better on and off the field.”

As of Wednesday, Kershaw had helped compile a contact list of 81 Choctaws for college coaches to reach out to.