Noting the importance of the college to the community, Lions Club member Keith Lott introduced Southwest Mississippi Community College head football coach Tucker Peavey to the club on Tuesday.
“We are very blessed to have a college like SMCC in our area. They do a number of things for us and coach Peavey is a big part of that,” he said.
Although he is a graduate of rival Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Peavey acknowledged his allegiance to the region and gave some predictions for this year’s football season.
“I think we are a better football team today than yesterday. I know we’re better, but I don’t know if other teams have gotten better,” said Peavy, in his third year as the Bears’ head coach.
He also spoke of a rigorous summer schedule that has kept him busy — and hot — so far.
“It’s about that time of the year again. I wish it would warm up a little bit before we get started,” he quipped.
Peavey said changes to the college schedule and recruiting rules have changed the way he coaches the football team.
Summer school courses at the college gives athletes a chance to finish their schooling earlier than before. If they are talented enough, this might allow them the opportunity to be transferred to a Division 1 school sooner than later.
In some cases, a Division 1 school suggests the athlete attend a school like SMCC, where they can improve their academic performance and then be eligible for a scholarship to a four-year school.
Some current SMCC football players have offers from Division 1 schools in the Big 10 and SEC conferences. Other athletes come from as far as Miami.
“We got a couple of freshmen that didn’t quite make it academically. We have a couple from Florida State University and the University of South Carolina, all over,” Peavy said.
He said a key goal of coach is to raise student-athletes’ grad-point averages and get the best out of them at SMCC. It’a full-time job. Peavey said, the average GPA for the football team is over 3.0.
“It’s a continuous thing. It has to happen over and over again. Right now, we are in a good spot, but we have to constantly keep up with it,” he said.
Many of the kids that come into the program come from unstructured homes, Peavey said.
“Some of these kids aren’t used to having responsibilities and commitments. Some don’t have a whole lot going on at home. They come and go as they please. But the ones we have been able to deal with, they see the good, and they fit into our system,” Peavey said.
If a less stringent practice routine is the goal of the student-athlete, they learn quickly that that’s not the case. The same holds true for the coaches and their schedule.
“Those kid’s schedules are very packed. They come to school, eat breakfast, go to class, eat lunch, back to class, and then they come out here for practice,” Peavey.
While most of the college staff is on summer break, the coaches and athletes spend the bulk of their day on campus.
“We’re out there working from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at least four days a week,” he said.
On recruitment, Peavey said it can be more difficult to get local athletes to commit to SMCC. He calls it the “grass is always greener over there” syndrome.
“The hardest part sometimes is getting the local athletes. Many of them tend to think that they’ll have greater success somewhere else,” he said. “We have Mississippi kids that travel a further distance than some of our out of state guys. It’s made coaching a year round process,” he said.
The coach has a rich pedigree. He coached in some capacity at Southern Mississippi, LSU, Louisiana-Monroe and Brookhaven High School.
The coach said he has seen recruitment change widely over the years.
“When I first started, it was almost impossible to know where to find a top athlete. Now, with cellphones and social media, it’s almost too easy. It makes it difficult to compete with other schools,” he said. “It also makes recruitment violations more visible. So, it can be good and bad.”
