Starkville Head Coach John Carr Makes an Unprecedented Move, Joins the Cleveland Browns' Coaching Staff

Carr is making the rare move from the high school ranks to the NFL, becoming the Browns Chief of Staff.

Starkville head coach John Carr is leaving his position with the Yellow Jackets as he accepted a position to join Todd Monken's staff with the Cleveland Browns. / Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK

In an unprecedented move that is rarely seen, Starkville head football coach, John Carr, is jumping from the high school ranks directly to the NFL.

In his one season with Starkville, Carr led the Yellow Jackets to a 6-5 record which included making the Class 7A Playoffs. Starkville took on Tupelo where they were defeated in the first round 28-10. Prior to his hiring as the Starkville head coach, Carr coached one season at Clinton where he he took over a 1-9 Arrows team. In his one season in Clinton, he went 4-6 before taking the Starkville job.

John Carr accepts position to join Browns after one year with Starkville

On Thursday, John Carr confirmed with the Clarion Ledger that he accepted a position to join Todd Monken's staff as the Browns new Chief of Staff.

The Cleveland Browns dipped into the high school ranks to name Starkville High Head Coach John Carr as their Chief of Staff. / David Reginek-Imagn Images

Carr told the Clarion Ledger, "It's just a childhood dream. Dreams and goals don't stop when you're 18 or 19 years old. You are going to go through life, trying to achieve goals in our profession in football. It's trying to rise to the pinnacle of football, and that's the National Football League."

Carr's coaching background

Carr has an extensive background in coaching that dates back decades. Before taking the reins at Starkville and Clinton, Carr coached at Ouachita Parish where he was 72-28 over eight seasons. He also coached at the University of Southern Mississippi, University of Louisiana at Monroe, Troy University, Jones County Community College and East Mississippi Community College.

His extensive knowledge of the game has helped him succeed everywhere he has been, and it is easy to see why Monken has hired him on his staff. The two are also reuniting as Carr worked under Monken at USM for three seasons (2013-2015) as the director of football operations for the Golden Eagles.

Starkville looks to find a new coach for the second straight season

Starkville finds itself in unfamiliar territory as the Yellow Jackets are embarking on a coaching search yet again to find their head man. This will be their third coach in three seasons, and most teams would struggle to maintain a certain level stability to succeed on the field. However, there are two favors working in Starkville's favor as they conduct their coaching search.

The first factor is that Oktibbeha County is one of the most talent rich areas in the state, and that goes for all sports, not just football. The second factor is that Starkville is one of the most storied and prestigious high school football programs in the state. These two factors when determining who the new coach for the Yellow Jackets will be should make the process relatively easy for Starkville Athletic Director, Jay Hopson.