As another football season approaches, there is a growing sense of excitement surrounding Southwest Mississippi Community College as the Bears prepare to build on the foundation established during Head Coach Les George’s first season.
George enters his second season leading the Southwest football program after a first year that was largely about laying that foundation. Last season, the Bears entered the year with an entirely new coaching staff and nearly an entirely new team. Much of the roster was made up of freshmen recruited by George and his staff during their first recruiting cycle.
Even with such a young roster, Southwest finished the season with three wins, defeating Holmes, Jones College and Pearl River. More importantly, many of the freshmen who were learning college football a year ago now return with a full season of experience behind them.
This year, George has continued building around that foundation with a coaching staff that brings experience from several levels of the game.
Returning coaches include Earvin Moore and defensive line coach Terrence Cody, who are both entering their second season with the program. New additions include Blake Frazier as defensive coordinator, former Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace as quarterbacks coach and former NFL defensive back Tremaine Brock as defensive backs coach. Dawson Robertson works with the running backs, while Max Courtney coaches the tight ends.
There are certainly some recognizable names on the Southwest sideline this season, but the bigger story may be what those coaches are working together to build.
Junior college football comes with constant change. Players typically have only a short time within a program before moving on to the next level, making recruiting, development and culture especially important. For Southwest, last season was about putting those pieces into place.
This season offers an opportunity to build on them.
The freshmen who arrived with a new coaching staff a year ago are now experienced college football players. The coaching staff has continued to grow, and another recruiting class has joined the program. With a year of experience and another offseason of work behind them, the Bears have plenty to look forward to as kickoff approaches.
Wins and losses will ultimately tell part of the story, but year two offers Southwest an opportunity to show just how far the program has come since George and his staff arrived in Summit.
The Bears will kick off the 2026 season at home on Thursday, August 27, facing East Mississippi Community College at 7 p.m. in Summit.
For Bear fans, there’s plenty of reason to be excited to see what comes next.
