Former Fairhope assistant coach Joel Williams is heading back to the Eastern Shore after he was announced as the new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach of the Spanish Fort Toros. This season will be his 44th as a football coach.

Most recently, Williams held the same position, as well as assistant head coach and offensive line coach spots, for the Mississippi College Choctaws then suddenly found himself back in the job-search pool when the school discontinued the program on Nov. 18, 2024.

In its final season, Mississippi racked up 2,700 yards of total offense and converted 61.5% of its red zone trips. Fairhope alum Preston Godfrey was named the Gulf South Conference Co-Offensive Freshman of the Year with 834 all-purpose yards where 649 of them came on offense, including 526 rushing yards which ranked sixth in the conference.

Before Williams’ time with the Choctaws, his college alma mater, he served as the offensive coordinator on Tim Carter’s staff in Fairhope for three seasons where the Pirates registered more than 30 points and 350 yards per game over that span. Williams recently reunited with the quarterback from his first season, Riley Leonard, at Senior Bowl practice alongside Carter.

Williams’ coaching career started as the offensive line coach at Pace High School in Florida as a fresh graduate of Mississippi College in 1981.

He held head coaching positions at Georgia’s Cherokee High School (1986), T.R. Miller (1987-1988), Florida’s Milton High School (1989-1990), UMS-Wright (1994-1995), Gadsden (2001) and Straughn (2019). Williams also made collegiate stops at Ole Miss (outside linebackers in 1991), Samford (tight ends from 1993-1994; OC and quarterbacks from 1999-2001), Delta State (OC and offensive line from 2002-2004 and 2013-2018) and Birmingham-Southern (OC from 2006-2008).

His lone season in the professional ranks came as tight ends coach of the Birmingham Fire in the World League of American Football in 1992. Other high school assistant coaching stops came at Florida’s Woodham High School (offensive line from 1983-1985), Mountain Brook (OC and quarterbacks from 1996-1998) and Foley (OC and quarterbacks in 2005; OC from 2009-2012).

The Spanish Fort Toros went 9-3 overall last year with their 17th-straight playoff appearance following a 6-2 mark in Class 6A Region 1. Spanish Fort has scored at least 300 points every season since its postseason streak began in 2008 where the last eight years in a row have seen at least 330 points per season.

Aaden Shamburger racked up 1,554 total yards with 14 touchdowns between 853 passing yards and 8 touchdowns through the air and 701 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns on the ground as a junior last year. He was a first-team all-county selection in his second season as the Toros’ starting quarterback and is set to return alongside other weapons including receivers Justin Bonner and Damien Tate who are fellow rising seniors.

Spanish Fort was also recently added to the list of teams needing defensive coordinators after Brian Turner was announced at the same position for Enterprise. Turner spent four years on the Toros’ staff and owns 17 seasons of collegiate coaching experience. Former Spanish Fort head coach Ben Blackmon leads the Wildcat program in Class 7A Region 2.