J.R. Tidwell/FCT Former Red Bay head football Jamie Easley stands for a picture shortly after his hire.

One month before the start of fall football practice, Red Bay school officials are scrambling to find a new head football coach.

Former coach Jamie Easley notified school officials Friday that he was leaving the job that he took in March to return to Mississippi.

Easley was hired in March to replace longtime former coach Dale Jeffreys, who took the head coaching job at his alma mater, Colbert County, following last season.

Easley was a highly successful defensive coordinator at national powerhouse South Panola, Miss., and had brought a great deal of energy to the Red Bay program, which has consistently been among the best 2A programs in north Alabama.

Easley notified his team Friday that he was returning to Mississippi because his wife, who is a special education teacher, had not been able to find a job in the Franklin County school system.

“In a nutshell, my wife was promised a job when we moved here,” Easley said.

“But as time went on she never got one. We just ran out of time. She was offered her job back at South Panola, so she had to take it.”

Easley said he has not accepted a position anywhere else.

“I was the one that moved us here from Mississippi and I could not ask her to be unemployed. I don’t have anything else lined up.”

Easley said he could not have remained in Red Bay while his wife and son were two hours away in Mississippi.

“This was very difficult because I love those kids at Red Bay,” he said.

“They were working hard and doing everything they were asked. But, I have to put my family first and that’s all this is about. I have to do what’s best for my family.”

Red Bay principal Kenny Sparks said the Red Bay job would be posted again and filled as soon as possible. He didn’t rule out filling the position with somebody currently on staff.

Red Bay also needs to fill an assistant coach position after former offensive coordinator Jeremy Jeffreys left for Wilson.

“We will open it back up, and we’ve got to hire somebody pretty quick,” Sparks said.

“It’s getting close. We have to post the job. I’d like to say I could hire one this week, but I know that would be out of the question. But I’d like to try to hire somebody by next week. Within the next couple weeks, we have to do something. It makes it tough on us, but that’s just the way it is. We are looking at all options right now.”