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The state of Alabama is the latest to crack down on high school football recruiting, with Mary G. Montgomery head coach Zach Golson suspended for the upcoming season.
You might be wondering what type of recruiting violations would end up getting a coach escorted out of school after being placed on administrative leave when the charges started flying.
Well, in my neck of the woods in Semmes, Alabama, keeping a secret or not running to social media to blast the latest gossip is basically a rite of passage.
Located just outside of Mobile, home to Hank Aaron, Ozzie Smith, Jake Peavy, JaMarcus Russell, Tee Martin, Satchel Paige and plenty of other legends, Mary G. Montgomery has made plenty of noise over the past four years under coach Zach Golson.
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During his time as head coach, Golson had accumulated a 37-10 record at the Division 7A level in Alabama high school football, which also put a target on his back from opposing area and state coaches.
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MGM head coach Zach Golson (Mary G. Montgomery Athletics)
Honestly, during my time at Davidson High School, MGM was one of those games that you knew was going to be an easy night on the field, even though I’m not going to act like I was playing.
You could catch me on the football field, and even then I didn’t get on the field until we had secured at least a three-score lead.
OK, back to why Mary G. Montgomery doesn’t want her head coach this coming season.
While home last month for a visit with family, along with a trip down I-10 against a college that shall not be named (future story), the MGM Vikings were brought up several times as the latest shot of strange inappropriate injustices in high school recruiting.
Just think of the show ‘Friday Night Lights’ and ‘Buddy Garrity’
According to a few people who couldn’t resist the opportunity to spread some gossip about things I’d missed, MGM head coach Zach Golson reportedly held an event for eighth graders who intended to play for the high school next season.
FOX10 News in Mobile, Alabama, reported that a principal from an opposing school applied to the MGM football program.
The problem is that the location of MGM also coincides with schools like Blount High, Baker and even Vigor, which leads to some interesting recruiting tactics being used if you are not within a certain zone area. If you are in the Blount residential zone, this is the school to attend.
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So if a coach had to maybe maneuver a few things to get a player into his district, and I’m not suggesting that Zach Golson did this, you can see how opposing coaches would be upset.
Just think of that scene from the show “Friday Night Lights” when “Buddy” put in a fake mailbox so he could allow some talented players to use the ‘house’ as their home address so they could play for the Dillon Panthers. If you recall, this was the reason Luke Cafferty had to play for East Dillon, which turned out to be a blessing for coach Eric Taylor.
Brad Leland portrays Buddy Garrity and Kyle Chandler plays coach Eric Taylor in episode 12 of “Texas Whatever” from Friday Night Lights. (Bill Records/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank)
So apparently MGM had to file for recruiting violations
In the case of head coach Zach Golson, the signing ceremony that included youngsters not in his district and plastered across social media ended up costing him a year of coaching.
As it turned out, this would be all the evidence opposing schools needed to indict Golson, which led to him being placed on administrative leave along with being told to leave school grounds. He was then suspended for the entire 2026–2027 season.
I know what you’re probably thinking, and yes, it seems a little over the top. But high school football is obviously pretty competitive to say the least.
In the wake of the school finding evidence of this allegedly botched ceremony, where the Alabama High School Athletic Association had already been tipped off about the event, Mary G. Montgomery officials admitted to the recruiting violations.
Not only was the school put on probation for next season, but they won’t be allowed to participate in the postseason, thanks to a ridiculous ceremony for eighth graders. And should an opposing team lose to MGM, the game will not count toward their overall record in the Division 6A, Region 1 standings.
For those students who attended the ceremony and were not in MGM’s district, they will have to play for the school that is within their residential zone.
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So, due to the actions of its now-suspended head coach, who is known to be a great guy, MGM players are essentially playing a season’s worth of exhibition games. This is the worst part of it all.
What an absolute sham for the players caught up in this nonsense.
But that’s recruiting in an era where we also have what is essentially a transfer portal for high school athletes.
