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Former Goshen and Charles Henderson athlete Jabronski Williams is returning home to Pike County, this time as a coach.

Williams was hired by the Pike County Schools Board of Education on Monday to serve as an assistant football coach. Williams will also serve on the Goshen baseball staff but it’s unclear in what capacity just yet.

Williams grew up in Pike County and was an athlete at Goshen during the early parts of his high school playing days before transferring to Charles Henderson in Troy.

“I played my early years in high school at Goshen so, in a sense, Goshen is my first home,” Williams said. “I get a chance to get back and experience this new journey of being a high school coach and teacher at home. I just coached college baseball, so I got that experience this past year. I think they’re doing something big at Goshen and I want to be a part of it, honestly.”

Williams was a three-sport athlete at Charles Henderson, starring in basketball, baseball and football. He was an All-State running back as a senior in 2016. He was a standout in baseball, though, and started his college career at Wallace Community College in Selma. He went on to finish his college career at Alabama State.

At Alabama State, Williams earned a .298 career batting average with 13 home runs, 75 RBIs, 15 doubles, seven triples and 103 runs. He also had 135 put outs and three assists with a .965 fielding percentage from his position in the outfield. He also earned All-SWAC honors in 2021.

“My favorite memory was my last year when we won the SWAC Championship,” Williams recalled. “That is definitely my favorite memory, winning a championship.”

Williams immediately jumped into coaching following his playing career, serving as a graduate assistant at Alabama State for the past year.

“It’s unexplainable, honestly,” Williams said of being back home as a coach. “It’s a great feeling to have the opportunity to teach these guys what I’ve learned these past 6-7 years since I’ve been out of high school.

“I’m excited to get down there and work with Coach (Don) Moore and work with his guys and looking forward to a great year. I just want to learn as much as I can this year. That’s my goal.”