SYLACAUGA, Ala. – Sylacauga native Doug Goodwin is joining Lane Kiffin’s staff at Ole Miss as a special teams analyst. Goodwin confirmed the move to RadioAlabama Sports on Friday. The move was first reported by 247Sports. He has been an Auburn staff member since 2014, serving as the Director of High School Relations and NFL Liaison. He also oversaw the walk-on program.
At Ole Miss, Goodwin will be responsible for breaking down opposition and helping the special teams coordinator with game planning. Goodwin said that he is excited to be back doing football in comparison to an administrative role.
Goodwin spent 29 years coaching high school football in Alabama. His teams made 22 playoff appearances, including a run of 20-straight. He won the state championship at Demopolis in 2004. He posted a 114-28 region record in high school football, spanning five different head coaching stops. He is the first coach in AHSAA history to take three different schools to the state championship game. Goodwin was inducted into the AHSAA Hall of Fame in 2015.
A coach that has been on both the high school and collegiate levels, Goodwin said football isn’t that much different between the two.
“Once you get into the larger ranks of high schools, football is football,” Goodwin said. “The players are very similar. College players respond to the same things that high school players respond to. It’s all about people and relationships. The players are bigger and faster and stronger, but they are still people, and there is a lot of similarities between the two. A lot more than people would realize.”
Goodwin is excited about his move to Oxford, looking forward to the prospect of new things to come.
“I think it’s a great place,” Goodwin said. “From what I’ve seen, it’s a really pretty place. Really quaint college town. I think they’ve got everything you’d want to do. I’m looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to being in a new place, meeting new people, and doing new things. I think that’s always exciting.”
