'Last Chance U' HC Buddy Stephens Fired by EMCC After Ripping Season, Playoff Format Changes

East Mississippi Community College, which was the subject of the popular Netflix series Last Chance U in 2015 and 2016, fired longtime head football coach Buddy Stephens on Monday.

According to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, Stephens was ousted after critical comments he made about the new playoff structure enacted by the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference.

Stephens, who had been the head coach at East Mississippi CC since 2008, told the Commercial Dispatch newspaper (h/t Rittenberg) that those who made the changes are "idiots."

The five-time national championship-winning coach added, "We wouldn't have won two national championships because we were the second-place team in the North [division]. It's not a very well thought-out process. It was really junkified, the way they decided they were going to do it, and there wasn't a lot of real thought. I was very surprised at how it came out because there were actual people who have doctorates that came up with this."

EMCC president Scott Alsobrooks released a statement on the matter, noting that Stephens' comments were "inconsistent with the college's core values and standards of professionalism, respect, and civility and do not reflect the views, mission, or expectations of EMCC. While the college supports open and constructive dialogue, personal attacks have no place in that discourse and are contrary to the standards we uphold within our college community."

Stephens helped EMCC get its 2026 season off to a winning start last week, beating Southwest Mississippi 14-6 in its opening game.

However, following Stephens' ouster on Monday, offensive coordinator and associate head coach Preston Rice was named the Lions' interim head coach, and he will look to build upon EMCC's 1-0 start.