LAUREL — CJ Edgmond doesn't try to hide it.
"I bleed purple and gold," he told MTN Sports after being named Laurel's latest head football coach this week. "It's a blessing, it truly is."
Edgmond certainly knows his way around. He graduated from Laurel in 2012 after playing football and running track for the Locomotives as a sprinter/hurdler. He also played three years of American Legion baseball for the Dodgers.
Edgmond has been on Laurel's football staff for 14 years, most recently serving as defensive coordinator during the last three seasons under former head coach Travis Rauh.
Rauh announced earlier this year that he accepted a coaching and teaching position in Kansas. Over three seasons, his teams were 25-8 reaching the Class A playoffs each year, including the 2024 state championship game. Laurel closed last season 9-2.
Edgmond, also entering his 11th season as a track assistant for the Locomotives, said it didn't take long to sink in once the school board approved his football hiring on Monday.
"It took 15 minutes to realize I'm a head coach ... and after about two days I realized, I've got a lot to get done,” he said with a laugh. "We'll continue to play our scheme and run the ball. Run the ball and stop the run."
Laurel activities director Andrew Torgerson told MTN Sports that 10 hopefuls applied for the job.
Edgmond graduated from MSU Billings with a degree in business administration and currently works full time as an insurance producer for State Farm.
As for coaching his alma mater, “It’s a blessing, it truly is. A place that I love, put in my blood sweat and tears," he said. "I love it to death and couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.”
