Everything came together quickly for Matt Caldwell, who was named Presbyterian Christian’s new football coach on Tuesday.
Caldwell takes the job after Derek White stepped down last week to take a coaching job in Georgia.
“The head is still spinning,” Caldwell said. “It was last Friday that Coach White came in and decided he wanted to take a job in Georgia, and it worked pretty fast from there. We had some meetings going on Friday and Monday and here we are today, so it moved pretty quick.
“I did not see this coming at all. I’m really appreciative to Coach White for bringing me here. He’s done a lot for this program. We wish him nothing but the best. He’s been really good to me.”
Caldwell spent this past season as the Bobcats’ offensive coordinator, which saw the offense average 24.75 points per game.
“The pieces fell into place, any time you have somebody on staff like Matt Caldwell that’s got the years of experience that he’s got, and valuable experience,” PCS athletic director Rob Shillito said. “He’s been a head coach. He’s been an administrator. Looking at the fact that he has been successful everywhere he has been, the other piece that came into play is how well respected he already is here.”
Both Caldwell and Shillito were quick to praise White’s accomplishments at PCS. In the last two seasons, White went 15-10 after going 1-11 in his first year.
“Derek did a great job coming into a program that lost a huge number of seniors,” Shillito said. “He helped the rebuild process and got us heading into the right direction. That’s part of what Coach Caldwell is excited about, is stepping into a spot that has momentum heading into the right direction and keeping that moving forward.”
Caldwell had head coaching stints at George County, Taylorsville and North Forrest and holds a career record of 74-53.
Caldwell’s last head coaching job was George County, where he compiled a 20-28 record in four seasons and posted a 7-5 record in his final year. Prior to his stint with the Rebels, Caldwell led Taylorsville for four seasons and posted a 41-13 mark, which was highlighted by three 11+ winning seasons. His first head coaching job was at North Forrest, where in two seasons he posted a 13-12 record.
“I’ve been coaching for 26 years, and I’ve been around the Pine Belt for 20,” said Caldwell on staying in the Pine Belt area to coach. “It’s a relief for me and my family. It’s somewhere we know and that we are comfortable with. It’s a great school with great people. I’m excited.”
Football-wise, Caldwell said he plans to make some changes and hopefully find a way to be more competitive in their challenging district that features Madison-Ridgeland Academy, Jackson Academy and Jackson Prep.
“I think we are going to build our offense around what out talent is,” Caldwell said. “We have to take what we have got and build what we can do well around those guys. I think we would like to open it up some more and get the ball outside some more than we have in the past. Defensively, I’m a firm believer that you have to put pressure on the passer and create some havoc.
“This is a challenging job. Our region is as tough as it gets in MAIS football. Our challenge is to get better and grow every day so we can compete on a consistent level with those guys.”
