Tight Ends/Running Backs Coach

TURNER ROTENBERRY

Turner Rotenberry is Northeast Mississippi Community College’s new running backs and tight ends coach. He rejoins his twin Cole Rotenberry, who serves Northeast as its wide receivers instructor.

The Rotenberrys have followed the exact same path both as players and as coaches with the exception of last year when Cole came to Northeast and Turner remained at Coahoma Community College as a graduate assistant.

Rotenberry was in charge of the safeties during his pair of seasons in the delta. He was a standout defensive back himself at both Mississippi College and Northwest Mississippi Community College.

Rotenberry was part of a big turnaround during his tenure at Coahoma. The Tigers finished with a winning record for the first time in 11 years during his inaugural campaign on their staff.

Coahoma carried that good fortune into the first half of the ensuing 2021 campaign. The Tigers rose to as high as No. 14 in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I rankings after starting the season with four victories in five games.

Rotenberry instructed Marlon Windham, who was selected as the most valuable defensive back in the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) North Division last season after accounting for 49 tackles and three interceptions.

Three of his former Coahoma student-athletes signed with four-year institutions, including Kasimir Absolu to the University of West Florida, Jordan Montgomery to Mississippi Valley State University and Windham to Delta State University.

The Batesville native won multiple awards during his playing career. Rotenberry was a Preseason All-Gulf South Conference (GSC) recipient going into his senior campaign at Mississippi College.

Rotenberry obtained that accolade after leading the GSC as a junior with 182 interception return yards. He picked off four passes that year, including an 87-yard pick-six during his debut with the Choctaws against Clark Atlanta (Ga.) University.

He added another interception return for a touchdown just seconds before halftime during Mississippi College’s triumph over archrival Delta State in the 2019 Heritage Bell Classic.

Rotenberry earned a starting nod in all 20 appearances with the Choctaws. He was named to Mississippi College’s all-decade team after accumulating 95 tackles and six interceptions over two seasons.

The South Panola High School graduate received All-MACCC second-team honors following his final year at Northwest. He had the second most tackles for the Rangers with 79 along with four picks.

Rotenberry was recognized as both the MACCC and NJCAA Defensive Player of the Week after posting 10 takedowns, two tackles for loss and a 41-yard pick-six for Northwest in its MACCC semifinal win over Hinds Community College.

It was the start of three consecutive double-digit tackling performances in the postseason for Rotenberry. He concluded his sophomore campaign by racking up a career-high 15 stops versus Iowa Western Community College in the 2017 Graphic Edge Bowl.

His overall statistics between Mississippi College and Northwest include 205 takedowns, 8.5 tackles for loss, 16 pass break ups, 13 interceptions, six touchdowns and three forced fumbles.