Deshea Townsend of Batesville has left his cornerbacks coach position at Mississippi State University to take the same position with the Tennessee Titans.
The announcement was made on Thursday by Chris Vannini on coachingsearch.com.
Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen addressed the issue of replacing Townsend on Friday.
“We thank Deshea for his three years of service at Mississippi State and wish him all the best as he pursues his dream of coaching in the NFL,” Mullen said. “We have begun a search for an assistant coach who is the right fit for our program.”
Townsend quarterbacked the 1993 South Panola team to its first ever state championship, after which he signed and played with the University of Alabama.
He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1997 where he played for 12 and a half years. He played his last season with the Indianapolis Colts.  He earned his first NFL coaching job with the Arizona Cardinals where he stayed for two years before taking the position at Mississippi State.
Panola Dogs
In other Mississippi State news, the local alumni chapter, the Panola Dogs, has been awarded the  Golden Cowbell Award.