BREAKING: Blackwell returns to Capital City to take St. James head coach spot

Aubrey Blackwell has had coaching stints at several stops including Benjamin Russell in Alexander City. He is now the new head coach at St. James. (File Photo)

By TIM GAYLE

Aubrey Blackwell announced he was coming home. But more importantly, he was coming home to St. James.

“Why the move? Because it’s St. James and it’s home,” Blackwell said. “But it’s St. James first. It’s an opportunity to take over a program with the prestige that Jimmy Perry and Neal Posey have built. It’s an outstanding institution that my dad graduated from and my family members graduated from. It’s an opportunity for my kids to be in that environment. And to be home.”

The school sent out a press release this morning naming Blackwell as its head football coach. He will replace Posey, who was hired by Central Florida coach Gus Malzahn as an offensive analyst in mid-February. Blackwell will be introduced to the students and fans in the school gym today at 2:45 p.m.

“I’m looking forward to continuing what Jimmy and Neal started,” Blackwell said. “All around, it’s a great opportunity for us and we’re excited to get that started.”

Blackwell is no stranger to the athletic program. He served as an assistant coach under Perry at St. Paul’s Episcopal in 2010 and 2011 and followed Perry to St. James a year later to serve as the offensive coordinator in 2013 and 2014, guiding the Trojans to their first region championship in 2014.

“Coach Blackwell is the perfect fit for this role, and we are incredibly excited about the future of our football program under his leadership,” said Dr. Larry McLemore, St. James head of school. “As any who know him will attest, he is a great leader and a man of strong character. Coach Blackwell sets an example that reflects our Trojan core values of character, commitment, courage and community. I am confident he will continue the outstanding tradition of our football program while focusing first and foremost on building up boys who are leaders and responsible student-athletes on and off the field.”

Blackwell will be reunited with St. James assistant coaches Jeff Corley and Larry Ware, two coaches that were on Perry’s staff when Blackwell arrived in 2013.

“I’ve coached with Larry and with Jeff when I was at St. James, known them a long time and consider them both friends of mine,” Blackwell said. “I’ve coached (current assistant coaches) Jackson Hammock, Corey Wright, Kenny Thomas and there are a couple of guys I don’t know that I’m looking forward to meeting. Another one on the staff last year is Josh Blackwell and, yes, we’re related. This is a really good football staff, a staff that has a lot of experience working together, that has had a lot of success.”  

He met with the players this morning before school.

“I know they’ve been working,” Blackwell said, “because Jeff Corley does a great job and he’s been working with the team since Neal left and I know the passion Jeff coaches with. I’m looking forward to getting to know these guys and evaluate them, but as Jimmy Perry would say, there’s a thing about being a Trojan and that’s being Trojan tough, so I know I’m getting those kids that are willing to be tough, that are willing to work hard. They understand the work ethic that it takes to be successful and we’re going to build on that.” 

Blackwell, a former quarterback at Robert E. Lee in the late 1990s, is familiar to area football fans after taking his first head coaching position at Catholic in 2015. After a 4-6 season, he guided the Knights to an 8-3 record in 2016 and their first playoff appearance in eight years and only the third in 22 years.

Blackwell continued to lay the foundation for a successful program, taking the Knights to the second round of the state playoffs in 2017 and 2018, the quarterfinals in 2019 and the state finals in 2020. In six years, he had compiled a 54-19 record but wanted an opportunity to coach at a larger school, so he accepted a position at Benjamin Russell.

After a 3-7 season, he was on the move again, taking over at Jackson (Miss.) Academy. The Raiders went 9-4 in 2022 and 8-5 this past season, reaching the second round of the MAIS 6A playoffs each year.

“My headmaster, principal and athletic director -- Palmer Kennedy, Brandi Richardson and Brandt Walker -- were incredible friends, first, and colleagues that supported me and my family in everything that we needed and everything that we did,” Blackwell said. “I’m leaving behind a great group of players that were tough, that believed in each other and have an opportunity to continue to be a good football team. I was grateful to have a really good support staff there. Jackson Academy is a special place with a lot of pride and tradition and they will continue to flourish and continue to do well.

“We are really sad to go and the friendships we are leaving behind we’ll cherish forever, but at the same time excited about the next step that God has for us. We’ll continue to pray and watch for the scores every Friday night in Mississippi and hope that the Raiders always end up on top.”

Blackwell’s first game as a head coach will be on Aug. 23 against Catholic, putting Blackwell on the opposite side of the field from a program he helped transform into one of the state’s best.

“It’ll be the most packed game in Montgomery on that night,” Blackwell said. “It’ll be great to be on the field with those guys and competing against them. I’m so proud of what Kirk (Johnson) has continued to do with that football program. I was there with him at the (2023) state championship game and celebrating it with him and everything that he’s accomplished. I really look forward to seeing him off the field, to be honest. It goes a lot deeper with me and Kirk than just a coaching relationship.”