Russellville coach takes college job

By Staff
Mike Self, FCT Sports Editor
Russellville High School defensive coordinator Kelvis White has accepted an offer to become defensive line coach at Birmingham Southern University.
White was hired to coach the Golden Tigers' defense in April of this year after spending five seasons as an assistant at Homewood High School.
Even though White only coached at Russellville for one season, head coach Perry Swindall said he made a significant impact.
"I believe Coach White came here because he wanted to be our defensive coordinator and help us win some football games, and he did exactly that," Swindall said Friday afternoon. "He did a fabulous job of running our program on the defensive side of the ball, and there's no doubt in my mind that he made a huge difference for our team."
White could not be reached for comment on Friday, but Swindall said the former Alabama defensive lineman has been contemplating a move to the college ranks for some time.
"Good people and good coaches are going to be looked at by other schools," Swindall said. "Coach White is a good young coach, and he wants to coach college football. He's interviewed for several college jobs over the past two or three years, and I knew an opportunity like this would come along for him at some point. He made a name for himself when he played at Alabama, and I think being associated with first Homewood and now Russellville has only enhanced his reputation as a good, young football coach."
White played for the Crimson Tide from 1997-2000.
Swindall said he plans to promote defensive assistant Jake Linville to the position of defensive coordinator.
"Coach Linville has done a great job for us as a defensive coach, and he's very deserving of this opportunity," Swindall said.
The Golden Tigers finished the 2006 season with a record of 11-2, falling to J.O. Johnson 19-14 in the Class 5A quarterfinals.
Russellville's defense played extremely well down the stretch, allowing just seven touchdowns over the final six games.