Friday night problems: Alabama high school football coach banned for season after recruiting violation

The State of Alabama is the latest to crack down on recruiting within high school football, with Mary G. Montgomery head coach Zach Golson being suspended for the upcming season.

You might be wondering what type of recruiting violations would end up getting a coach escorted out of the school after being placed on administrative leave when accusations started flying.

Well, in my neck of the woods of Semmes, Alabama, keeping a secret or not running to social media to blast the latest gossip is essentially a rite of passage.

Located just outside of Mobile, which is 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 the head coach, Golson had accumulated a 37-10 record at the Division 7A level of Alabama high school football, which also put a target on his back from opposing coaches in the area and state.

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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 would be an easy night on the field, though I’m not going to act as if I played.

You could catch me on the soccer field, and even then I wasn’t getting on the pitch until we had secured at least a three-score lead.

OK, back to the reason why Mary G. Montgomery will not have its head coach for the upcoming season.

While back home last month for a visit with family, along with making a trek down I-10 towards a college not to be named (future story), the MGM Vikings were brought up numerous times as the latest scuttlebutt of weird improprieties 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 had missed, MGM head coach Zach Golson allegedly held an event for eighth-grade students who were intending to play for the high school next season.

FOX10 News in Mobile, Alabama, reported that a principal from an opposing school turned in 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 zoning area. If you are in the Blount housing zone, that’s the school in which you are to attend.

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So, if a coach were to maybe maneuver a few things to get a player into his district, and I’m not implying 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 remember, this was the reason why 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, MGM obviously had to turn themselves in for recruiting violations

In the case of head coach Zach Golson, the signing day ceremony that included youngsters who were not in his district, which were plastered across social media, has ended up costing him a year of coaching.

Turns out, this would be all the evidence opposing schools needed to turn in Golson, which led to him being placed on administrative leave, along with being told to exit school grounds. He was then suspended for the entire 2026-2027 season.

I know what you’re probably thinking, and yes this seems a bit excessive. But, high school football is obviously pretty competitive to say the least.

In the aftermath of the school finding out that evidence existed of this alleged poorly executed ceremony, with the Alabama High School Athletic Association having already been tipped-off about the event, Mary G. Montgomery officials confessed to the recruiting violations.

Not only was the school placed on probation for next season, but they will not be allowed to participate in the postseason, thanks to a ridiculous ceremony for eighth-grade students. And, if an opposing team were to lose to MGM, the game will not count towards their overall record in Division 6A, Region 1 standings.

For the students who participated in the ceremony and were not in MGM’s district, they will have to play for the school located within their housing zone.

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So, because of the actions of its now suspended head coach, who is known for being a great guy, MGM players are essentially playing a seasons worth of exhibitions games. This is the worst part of it all.

What an absolute sham for those players caught up in this nonsense.

But, that’s recruiting during an era where we also have what is essentially a transfer portal for high school athletes.