Zach Golson will be suspended from coaching high school football in the state of Alabama during the entire 2026-27 academic calendar year. Defensive coordinator Alex Page will assume the role of head coach in the interim but Mary G. Montgomery will not be allowed to compete in the postseason while on probation and must pay a fine.
This three-fold punishment stems from a self-reported recruiting violation.
Although the Vikings will be permitted to play their 10-game regular-season high school football schedule, it is an unfortunate reality for the athletes who did nothing wrong. The entire program will be punished.
Zach Golson is suspended for a violation of high school football rules.
Mary G. Montgomery High School is located in Semmes, Alabama as part of the Mobile County Public School System. Founded in 1965, it enrolls approximately 2,000 students in Grades 9-12.
The Vikings compete in Division 7A of high school football in the Yellowhammer State. They went 30-90 under six previous head coaches before Zach Golson was hired in 2022. He led them to an overall record of 37-10 in the last four seasons with their only three playoff wins in school history, multiple regional titles and their first-ever appearance in the state semifinals. He was named as the Class 7A Coach of the Year in both 2022 and 2023 as a result.
Mary G. Montgomery finished last season ranked No. 15 in Alabama with a record of 10-2. It will be ineligible to compete in the postseason in 2026.
The school accepted an undisclosed fine and a one-year postseason ban. The punishment stems from a self-reported violation of an Alabama High School Athletic Association recruiting rule.
Golson will also be suspended from coaching for the entire 2026-27 school year. The varsity football program will also be placed on restrictive probation for the upcoming 2026 season. Any students who were found to be in violation of the rule will be deemed permanently ineligible to participate in athletics at the school. There is no official word on how many student-athletes are effected.
This latest saga has played out over the last few weeks. Golson was escorted out of the school on May 4 and placed on administrative leave. The school went to the AHSAA with its violation. The AHSAA announced its ruling after a full review.
Mary G. Montgomery got caught recruiting in Alabama.
According to the AHSAA, Mary G. Montgomery violated Rule VI, Administration, Section 12 on recruiting. The issue focused on a signing ceremony for eighth-grade students in April.
As the story goes, multiple students in attendance at the signing ceremony were not zoned to attend high school at Mary G. Montgomery. Golson and the Vikings might’ve gotten away with the shenanigans if photos of the event did not surface on social media after the fact. The photos exposed the students who were considered “out of district.” In turn, they also exposed the football program.
Mary G. Montgomery had no way of hiding its wrongdoing after the photos were posted online. It went to the AHSAA with its own report of violations to avoid a larger punishment down the road.
Under National High School Federation rules, any contact or communication with a student (or student’s parents or any other family member) who is actively enrolled in another school is prohibited, regardless of school zone. That includes phone calls, emails, texts, social media, etc.
According to the AHSAA handbook, a coach in violation of the aforementioned rules on communication shall be “barred from coaching at any AHSAA member school for one year.” It is then up to the board on how to punish the program. For the Vikings to get out ahead of the problem helped to improve their case.