Preston Rice assumes offensive coordinator duties for East Mississippi Community College

SCOOBA — Returning for his second season on Buddy Stephens' East Mississippi Community College football coaching staff, Preston Rice has assumed the Lions' offensive coordinator responsibilities along with continuing to serve as the team's quarterbacks coach.

Rice acquired the Lions' offensive play-calling duties following Cade Wilkerson's recent transition from the coaching sidelines to the administrative responsibilities as EMCC's new Director of Athletics.

A year ago, in his first season on the Scooba campus, Rice helped mentor quarterbacks Rodge Waldrop and Trey Irving during EMCC's 7-3 campaign that featured a 12th MACCC North Division title claimed in the past 18 seasons under Stephens' guidance. With the 2025 Lions ranked among the conference's top five teams in every offensive statistical category, Rice was instrumental in EMCC's quarterbacking success. After Waldrop, a Troy University signee, went down with a season-ending injury midway through last season, Irving, the 2024 MHSAA Class 5A Mr. Football out of Gautier High School, stepped in to finish the season averaging nearly 200 passing yards and more than 100 rushing yards per game as a true freshman for the Lions.

"I'm truly grateful for having the opportunity to return to EMCC. There's a championship standard here, and I'm excited to get back to work alongside a great coaching staff and talented group of players," Rice said.

Following the Lions' 2025 football season, Rice was hired as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Shorter University, an NCAA Division II program located in Rome, Ga. After spending the spring semester developing the Hawks' offensive game plan under head coach Zach Morrison, Rice was afforded the opportunity to return to the Scooba campus in an expanded coaching role.

"Coach (Buddy) Stephens has established a program with a tradition of excellence, and I'm very thankful for having the opportunity to continue coaching with him and being able to keep learning and growing together," Rice continued.

Rice arrived at EMCC in 2025 from now-defunct Limestone University in Gaffney, S.C. He spent the 2023 football season as a graduate assistant working with quarterbacks and wide receivers. Rice was then elevated to become the staff's quarterback coach, pass game coordinator and recruiting coordinator for the 2024 season. During Rice's two seasons, Limestone posted consecutive eight-win seasons with a dynamic offense that featured two-time South Atlantic Conference Offensive Player of the Year Dustin Noller.

Rice's collegiate playing career consisted of five seasons at Murray State University as the Racers' three-year starting quarterback and two-time season team captain before he spent the 2022 football season as a graduate transfer at Middle Tennessee State University. After seeing limited action as a redshirt freshman, Rice became a 12-game sophomore starter while passing for 2,932 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Rice's success continued into the COVID-delayed 2020 football season that was played the following spring. While earning All-Ohio Valley Conference second-team honors, he helped lead the 5-2 Racers to an in-season No. 13 national ranking on the way to advancing to the OVC championship game with the team's best conference finish since 2004. During Rice's final season at Murray as a preseason All-OVC selection, the 2021 Racers went 6-5 overall to record their first back-to-back winning seasons since 2010 and 2011.

As Rice's playing career came to a close with limited backup duty during the 2022 football season as a graduate transfer at Middle Tennessee, his coaching aspirations began to take flight by assisting the Blue Raider coaching staff with game plan meetings while also advising fellow MTSU quarterbacks during film sessions and throughout the season on game days.

A Tennessee native, Rice enjoyed a stellar prep career as a standout quarterback for his father and 35-year prep coaching veteran, Rick Rice, at Wayne County High School in Waynesboro, Tenn.