39^th Alabama-Mississippi Classic set for December 13 at Southern Miss

   MONTGOMERY –  Benjamin Russell High School head football coach Kirk Johnson, who was named the Alabama All-Stars head coach for the 2025 Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football Classic earlier this summer, is one of the youngest head coaches in all-star game’s history.
    In fact, at age 35, he just may be  the youngest head coach every selected to coach in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic – and the coaching staff he has put together is indeed the youngest overall in AHSAA history.
    Johnson is 35 years old. The Classic is two years older. And Johnson’s staff includes two other coaches, Jake Ganus of Moody High School Frank Warren of Parker High School, who were not born when the Alabama All-Stars won the first game of the Classic over Mississippi 24-21 in the three overtimes at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile in 1988.
    The average age of Alabama’s coaching staff is just 41 years old. None of the 10 coaches set to coach the all-stars have posted 100 career wins and all but one coach, Mars Hill Bible’s Darrell Higgins, is under the age of 50.
    Don’t be alarmed by this collection of young coaches. Six of the 10 on the staff compiled  by Johnson won state championships last season, and collectively they compiled a 119-18 record in 2024 for a winning percentage of 86.9 percent.
   “This year’s Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football coaching staff brings a fresh, dynamic energy to the sidelines featuring some of the best rising high school coaching talent in the state,” said J.T. Lawrence, Director of the Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association. “Three of the coaches on staff are still in their thirties but already have experience leading a championship program as a head coach. With a blend of innovation, energy, and championship pedigree, this staff represents the some of the best coaching talent we have in the state, and they’re ready to make their mark in this historic game.”
     Alabama heads into next December’s Alabama-Mississippi Classic set for Hattiesburg’s M.M. Roberts Stadium located on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi holding a 27-11 edge in the series. Alabama’s All-Star team will be selected this fall.
    Johnson is in his first season at Class 6A Benjamin Russell High School. The former Shelby County High School and Huntingdon College standout served as head coach at Montgomery Catholic over the last four years –compiling a 55-2 overall record winning the state  title in Class 4A in 2023 and in Class 5A in 2024. The Knights are currently riding a 29-game winning streak heading into the 2025 season. Johnson served as assistant coach at Sidney Lanier and Sylacauga before joining the Knight’ staff as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator for seven years before moving up to head coach. Catholic was also 27-0 in region play under Johnson’s guidance.
    He was named the Alabama All-Star head coach last spring and finalized his all-star staff in July.  Joining him as defensive coordinator is Jake Ganus of Moody, the youngest coach on the all-star staff at 31. Ganus led his Blue Devils to the Class 5A state finals last December falling to Johnson’s team in the championship game. He is 31-8 as a head coach and his teams are 16-2 in region play over the last three seasons.
    Offensive coordinator is Juan Johnson, who led Baker High School to a 9-3 season in Class 7A last season. He is now the head coach at James Clemens High School. He turns 41 on August 19. Rounding out the squad are Reeltown’s Matt Johnson; Jackson’s Cody Flournoy; Mars Bible’s Darrell Higgins; Beauregard’s Shenan Motley; Parker’s Frank Warren; Spanish Fort head coach Chase Smith and assistant coach Aubrey Blackwell.
   Matt Johnson, 35, led the Rebels to the 2024 Class 2A state championship. Flournoy, 45, led the Aggies to the Class 4A state title last season; Motley, 45, directed Wadley to it first state title last season before moving to Beauregard this year; Warren, 36, directed Parker to the 6A state championship – the Thundering Herd’s first-ever football state title. Higgins, 55, the oldest coach on the staff, guided the Panthers to the 3A state championship in 2024. He has a 92-27 career record – most wins of any coach on the All-Star staff, and he has guided Mars Hill Bible to three state titles – in three separate classes (1A, 2A, 3A). 
    Spanish Fort’s Smith, 41, has compiled a 39-26 career record, and Blackwell,  43, who served as Kirk Johnson’s head coach at Catholic in the last decade, led Saint James School in Montgomery to the 4A state playoffs in 2024. He has an 80-40 career coaching record. Reeltown’s Johnson, 40, is 82-29 and became the third coach in Reeltown history to lead the Rebels to a state crown. His team has won 23 straight region games.
     Flournoy, 45, is 67-29 overall, Warren, 36, is 50-15, and Motley is 52-31 overall and 29-6 in his tenure at Wadley. He left that program with a 14-game winning streak intact heading into this season.
    Overall, the Alabama all-star coaches have combined for a 557-163 won-loss record – a wining rate of 77.4%. Johnson’s 96.5% winning percentage as a head coach is the best of any head coach chosen for the All-Star Classic.
    Along with Ganus, the DC, Matt Johnson will work with linebackers, Flournoy with defensive backs, Motley with the defensive line. OC Juan Johnson will have Blackwell working with quarterbacks, Higgins with running  backs, Smith with the offensive line and Warren with receivers.
    Alabama won last year’s All-Star Clash 35-29 over Mississippi at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of the University of South Alabama. This year’s game will be played on Saturday, Dec. 13 at Hattiesburg. Alabama’s All-stars are riding a five-game winning streak in the series.