LORMAN &8212; Alcorn head coach Johnny Thomas gave offensive coordinator John McKenzie his full blessing for the head coaching vacancy at Jackson State following Saturday&8217;s game.

Prodded by a TV reporter about McKenzie&8217;s possible link to the job, Thomas said his assistant &8212; a former JSU quarterback and assistant &8212; may very well be the most qualified person for the position. Jackson State officials fired James Bell last week after a tumultuous 2 1/2-year stint as head coach.

&8220;Coach John McKenzie is the only qualified &8212; in my mind &8212; person that Jackson State can hire and could really make a difference,&8221; Thomas said. &8220;I&8217;ve been around Coach McKenzie the last four years, and I know what he can do. He&8217;s an outstanding organizer, a competitor and a great coach. He&8217;s a quality man and a Hall of Famer.

&8220;He knows the ins and outs of this competitive conference. He knows Jackson State fans and the institution. I don&8217;t see any other candidate that can match what Coach McKenzie can bring.&8221;

JSU officials have yet to begin a concrete search for Bell&8217;s successor and named quarterbacks coach Daryl Jones as interim coach for the remainder of the season. Officials have pledged a national search for the next head coach, but McKenzie&8217;s name surfaced among others the day of Bell&8217;s dismissal.

McKenzie is in his fifth season as offensive coordinator at Alcorn after a four-year stint at head coach at Delaware State. While at Alcorn, he mentored quarterback Donald Carrie, who ended his career with over 10,000 yards passing and second to Steve McNair in several school records.

McKenzie declined to meet with the media Saturday and declined an interview request Wednesday. ASU spokesman Josh Bean said he has not been contacted by Jackson State officials and likely won&8217;t be until the end of the season.

&8220;I wouldn&8217;t want all my coaches to stay here with me,&8221; Thomas said. &8220;Their goal should be to be a head coach. I&8217;m not selfish to that extent, and they know that.&8221;

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Adam Daigle