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Winless Alabama high school football program finds new head coach

Wg0vf-nP_400x400by:Keegan Pope•03/24/25•

bykeeganpope

NCAA Football: USA TODAY Sports-Archive
Jan 1, 1993; New Orleans, LA, USA: FILE PHOTO; Alabama Crimson Tide tailback Sherman Williams (20) carries the ball during the 1993 Sugar Bowl at the Superdome. Alabama defeated Miami 34-13 to win the national championship. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

After a winless season in 2024, a long-struggling Alabama high school football program has a new head coach.

On Monday, Mobile’s Murphy High named former NFL running back and one-time Alabama Crimson Tide star Sherman Williams to lead its program. Williams replaces Justin Hannah as the team’s head coach — Hannah was relieved of his coaching duties in September, and the program ultimately floundered to an 0-10 record last fall.

Williams has not coached at the high school level previously, but brings experience playing both in the SEC and the NFL to Murphy.

“Murphy High School is pleased to announce the hiring of Sherman Williams as the new head football coach of the Panthers,” Murphy principal Ed Sanderson said in a statement. “Mr. Williams brings a wealth of football knowledge and experience to the program. More importantly, he is committed to serving as a positive role model and mentor for all students on campus. We look forward to his leadership and the positive impact he will have on both the athletic program and the school community.”

Williams played his own high school ball at Eight Mile’s Blount back in the late 1980s into 1990. As a senior, he ran for 3,004 yards and 31 touchdowns while leading the Leopards to the Class 5A state title in 1990. He was named the 5A Player of the Year.

He signed to play collegiately at Alabama and finished his college career with 2,486 yards and 27 touchdowns on 535 carries. After his time in Tuscaloosa, Williams was picked by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1995 NFL Draft. He played five seasons in Dallas, rushing for 1,162 yards and 4 TDs on 302 carries.

He will have a major challenge ahead of him, as the Panthers have won just four games in the last three years combined, haven’t reached the playoffs since 2019 and haven’t won a playoff game since 2011.