Tuesday’s final session of the 2024 AL.com Birmingham Football Media Days will include visits from 19 metro teams including the defending Class 6A state champion – and its new coach – Pinson Valley’s fifth coach in six seasons and a total of 10 squads that made the state playoffs in 2023.

Stuart Floyd – a former Clay-Chalkville state title winner at quarterback and twice as offensive coordinator, including last season – is taking over for Drew Gilmer as the head man for the Cougars. Gilmer departed in January to take the Hoover job.

James Thompson is the new Pinson Valley coach, coming to the Indians from Tuskegee University where he was running backs coach a year ago. Thompson was the Class 1A state runner-up at Pickens County in 2016 and 2017 and has a 50-23 record as a high school head coach.

The playoff teams from a year ago scheduled to visit with the media at Thompson High School on Tuesday besides Clay-Chalkville and Pinson are Banks Academy, Corner, Hueytown, McAdory, Mortimer Jordan, Oak Grove, Pleasant Grove and Vincent.

Check back for updates from select teams.

Playoffs or bust

McAdory is a staple in the Alabama High School Athletic Association state football playoffs. The Yellow Jackets have made the postseason for 27 straight seasons, including all three years that former Samford University team captain and two-time first-team I-AA All-Independent Team Aryvia Holmes has been the head coach.

According to the Alabama High School Football Historical Society website, McAdory is 27-37 in 37 playoff appearances. The Yellow Jackets lost 45-14 to Spanish Fort in the 2012 Class 5A state championship game and had back-to-back state semifinals losses in 2009-10, all under coach David Powell.

Holmes is 19-14 in three seasons – 6-5 in 2023 – at the McCalla program, most famous as the alma mater of 1985 Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson.

The Yellow Jackets have a mantra this season, Holmes said, after finishing 4-3 in Class 6A Region 4 last season. “Some of the things we have talked about this year is ‘well done is greater than well said.’ Sometimes you can talk a good game, talk about things that need to be done. Now, we have to go out and do it.

“We have plenty of talent, great coaches and great community support,” he said. “We haven’t found a way to win those big games. We’ve been in some really good games with teams in our region over the past few years. We have to find a way to win them.”