MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama on Sunday announced the hiring of Tracy Buckhannon as an assistant football coach. Buckhannon will coach the Jaguars’ inside linebackers.
Buckhannon fills the staff opening created when Freddie Roach left South Alabama for a position at Alabama.
Ties to Travis Pearson
Buckhannon has 15 years of experience coaching high school football. He has previously worked with South Alabama defensive coordinator Travis Pearson at the high school level and is familiar with Pearson’s defensive system.
With Buckhannon’s arrival, assistant coach Mike Adams will shift to coaching the defensive ends and outside linebackers.
State Title at Colquitt County
Buckhannon spent the last three seasons at Colquitt County High School in Georgia. He coached the safeties in 2012 before serving as defensive coordinator the past two seasons.
In his first year as defensive coordinator, Colquitt County reached the state semifinals before losing to the eventual champion. Last fall, the Packers finished 14-0 and won the Class 6A state championship.
Elmore County Success
Before moving to Georgia, Buckhannon was defensive coordinator at Elmore County High School in Alabama for seven years. The Panthers made the Class 4A playoffs five times during that span and reached the quarterfinals in 2006.
That season began a three-year run in which Elmore County went 28-9, a stretch that ended with a 7-0 run to a region title in 2008. In 2007, the Elmore County defense allowed fewer than 14 points per game, and the following year Buckhannon was named Assistant Coach of the Year by the Alabama Football Coaches Association.
Buckhannon also served at Elmore County as a volunteer assistant from 1995 to 1996, running both the offensive and defensive scout teams, and as a full-time assistant from 2001 to 2003, when he coached linebackers and worked alongside Pearson.
Playing Career
Buckhannon lettered five years at Elmore County from 1987 to 1991 and was a member of the team that won the Class 4A state championship in his first varsity season. He earned all-county honors as a junior.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from Auburn.
South Alabama, coached by Joey Jones, competes in the Sun Belt Conference and plays home games at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
