The 2025 Williamson County Schools high school football media day took place on Saturday at Mojo's Tacos in The Factory at Franklin. Here were our takeaways from the kickoff to the upcoming season.
Brentwood
The Brentwood Bruins finished last season 9-3 after a second-round loss to Stewarts Creek in the 6A state playoffs. This year’s squad will look to replace several players from last year’s team as they try to compete in a tough Region 6 in 2025.
“I think this year, we probably have more question marks than what we have had in a long time,” head coach Clint Finch said. “One of the good things that we've really been encouraged by is that we are two scrimmages in, and in both of those scrimmages, we have shown tremendous growth.”
One question will be sophomore transfer quarterback Gavin Strang, who looks to take over the quarterback position, but has missed some time with a prolonged illness, Finch said. Junior wide receiver Parker Emerson took some snaps in his absence.
Strang comes to Brentwood from Lausanne in Memphis and joins four other transfers on the roster. 2025 marked the first year of the TSSAA one-time transfer rule, allowing players to switch schools once without penalty.
Despite the unknowns, Brentwood still looks to have a solid senior class to lean on, including the three players who accompanied Finch on Saturday.
“I think we’ve got some good chemistry on defense,” senior linebacker Barron Lankford said. “We are close-knit. We do things outside of football; it’s not just practice and hang out together. We go places and build our chemistry together. I think that makes us different than other teams.”
Seniors Jackson Allen and Philip Wenk joined Lankford and Finch on the podium.
The Bruins will open with a home game against Smyrna, whom they defeated in the first round of the playoffs last season. Summit comes to town on Sept. 5 to open region play, and Brentwood will close the regular season at Ravenwood on Oct. 30 in the annual Battle of the Woods.
Centennial
Centennial starts a new chapter with the hire of former Lipscomb Academy coach and Tennessee running back Jay Graham to lead the Cougars.
Graham, who also has experience coaching at the college level, inherits a team that went 7-5 last year before losing to Page in the second round of the 5A state playoffs. Centennial will have to replace five starters on offense and seven starters on defense from last year’s team.
The new coach on Mallory Lane spoke about his first meeting with the players and coaches, including what would be expected from them.
“For players, it was a desire, having a certain type of energy every day when you walk in, being consistent, being aware of things, being accountable for the things we want to get better at, and also having a certain level of focus,” Graham said.
“We also talked about, for coaches, what was required. We …talked about being clear in what we want and how we want things done and being able to drive and implement the culture that we wanted.”
Seniors Colby Lankford, Malachi Steele and Mitchell Grandjean, who attended Media Day, emerged as leaders during camp and embraced the new culture.
“Coach Graham took me in, and we hit it off right off the bat,” senior quarterback and Page transfer Grandjean said. “We came in, we are watching film together, learning the offense. ...he’s teaching me a lot with his knowledge of football. I’m learning a ton from him, especially with his experience college level. There is so much more to football than I knew.”
The new staff boasts more than 130 years of coaching experience, including former University of Tennessee players Montario Hardesty and Jack-Henry Jakobik, along with former Centennial and Memphis standout Curtis Steele.
The new-look Cougars will open the season on Aug. 22 at Stewarts Creek, before a home game against county opponent Fairview. Region play starts with a home game against Page on Sept. 26 as the Cougars attempt to avenge their two losses to the Patriots last season. Crosstown rival Franklin comes to town on Oct. 2.
Fairview
Fairview finished last season with just a 4-7 record and a first-round loss to Liberty Creek in the 3A state playoffs. The Yellowjackets did not lose many contributors from last year’s team and look to make a longer playoff run this season.
“We have a much better schedule," senior defensive back/running back Cayden Lee said at media day. “I think our road to the playoffs and the state championship will be much easier.”
Senior lineman Sam Rood agreed, commenting on the trials the team faced in 2024 with 13 players suffering injuries during the season.
“It’s just really been like a fire burning under all of us,” Rood said. “Finishing with that record, first losing season under Coach [Chris] Hughes the whole time he’s been here, it has just been something that has made us want to come back even stronger.”
Senior quarterback Jax McCoy looks poised to return and lead the offense, but the coaches kept him out of contact in the preseason.
Hughes hopes that a new emphasis on conditioning and less tackling at practice will help the Yellowjackets stay healthy and achieve their goals this season. He also laid out a path to the championship in a meeting at the beginning of the year.
The reclassification of teams like East Nashville, Pearl-Cohn and Alcoa will help along that path, which starts on Aug. 22 when Fairview hosts East Hickman. It will open region play on Sept. 19 at home against Stewart County.
Franklin
Franklin found its footing last season under first-year head coach Josh Adkins. The Admirals finished with a 6-6 record in Region 6A before losing to Ravenwood in the second round of the state playoffs.
“Last year’s team was a senior-heavy team, winning three games in three years before that,” Adkins said. “Two finish 6-6 and win a playoff game was a pretty special moment for those guys.”
16 starters, nine offense and seven on defense, graduated from last year’s team. But the Admirals return several key players, including Tennessee commit Luke Thompson.
Fellow seniors Cameron Higgins, Noah Robison and Santino Bruni joined their head coach at media day. They discussed what it will take to continue the success from year one to year two.
“I think that the first step would be [that] the upcoming senior class needs to really step up,” Robison said. “We had a lot of seniors graduate, and a lot of starters. It is important to us to fill that role. Some of us played last year, a part of us being two-year starters, just being able to influence younger people and keep that mentality going.”
The Admirals set sail for LaVergne to open the season before returning home to face their head coach’s former team, the Gallatin Green Wave. Region play will start the following week when Franklin hosts new Region 6 foe Shelbyville Central. The Battle of Franklin will commence on Oct. 2 at Centennial.
Independence
Independence High School welcomes back head coach Scott Blade, who went 74-37 during his nine-season run with the Eagles and captured the 2015 5A state championship.
Blade takes over for Scott Stidham, now head coach at Nolensville, with an Indy program that went 3-8 last season.
The players who accompanied Blade on Saturday — seniors Hunter Mullen, Wyatt Young and Skyler Green — all enjoy their new head coach’s culture so far.
“I really enjoyed these past few months with him in the offseason growing, getting to know each other as a team,” Green said. “We are excited.”
Blade discussed taking an assistant coaching job at Lipscomb Academy and his journey over the last three years to becoming a head coach at Independence again.
“I enjoyed a little bit less stress than being a head coach, but it also kind of lit the fire that I can do this again,” Blade said. “This will be my fifth time I have taken over a program. The challenge was one that I thought 'You know what? I got one more of these left in me.'”
The new Blade era begins in week one with a trip to Rockvale. The Eagles will open region play against new region member Shelbyville Central on Sept. 12.
Nolensville
Last fall, Nolensville lost its 5A second-round playoff match-up against new 6A member Shelbyville Central to end a 7-5 season. The Knights decided to make a coaching change, bringing over Scott Stidham from Independence.
Stidham discussed what he wanted from his team in the first year at the helm.
“We want our team to play hard and play the game the right way as unselfish teammates,” Stidham said.
Three seniors — Oliver Bender, Trey Walker and Josh Hicks — spoke about how the energy changed around the program and how the coaches instilled a sense of belief that they can get things done.
“The energy that they bring, it kind of just pushes everybody to want to be a true brotherhood,” Hicks said. “We want to play for each other every play. It’s great, and it’s going to translate on-field.”
Stidham also singled out some players that look to make an impact this season, including quarterback Ryan Newell, tight end/outside linebacker Jimmy Marzullo, lineman Zack Little and running back Tristen Lithmexay.
The Knights will start the season hosting Lebanon and will travel to Summit in week two. Nolensville’s first region game will be against James Lawson on Sept. 26.
Page
Page comes into 2025 recuperating from a one-loss season, only falling to Sevier County in the 5A state championship game last year. The loss marked the fourth consecutive defeat in the state title game for the Patriots.
Head coach Charles Rathbone opened Page’s press conference on Saturday flanked by seniors Jordan Curll, Knight Wilson and his son Jacob Rathbone. The head coach addressed criticisms that the program can’t make another deep run.
“We are anxious to answer all of the critics, all the people that say Page is done, we won’t get back, all that stuff,” Rathbone said. “These guys have been focused; they worked their tails off and are anxious to show what kind of team we can have minus Hazzard, Anes and those guys.”
All-state performers Brenden Anes and Eric Hazzard graduated, signing with Tennessee and Louisville, respectively.
Rathbone believes this team could be more physical and more athletic than his previous teams.
He attributed the losses in the title games to self-inflicted wounds. In 2023, they had 10 turnovers in the first 14 games and had four in the title game vs Knoxville West. Two years ago, also against Knoxville West, the Patriots committed 13 penalties to zero for West. Last year, they committed 14 compared to two for Sevier County.
“We have just got to clean up our game,” Rathbone said. “I think these guys get to that game and they try so hard. They want to please everybody, they want to put their best foot forward, and we all know sometimes when you try so hard you step on your own toes.
“I made plenty of mistakes as well. These guys just got to relax, play their game and be themselves.”
Centennial and Beech each got a shoutout from the coach as teams that could deny Page another trip to the title game.
Wilson talked about the mentality this team has had over the years to remain consistent in 5A
“We always say, 'we are going to play Page,'” Wilson said. “Whether we are 0-10 or 10-0, we are going to play Page and we are going to do our job and it’s going to come out in a good way.”
Looking at this year’s team, Rathbone noted that Isaac Otey and Cole Brown return in the backfield, while Drew Rempel and Cameron Kruse will battle for the starting quarterback position.
Curll, Jacob Rathbone and Wilson each committed to Division I programs over the summer. They spoke about their reasons for committing.
“Just being part of a culture of a university where everybody is all together, being able to play football at the highest level and honor my country, was kind of something I couldn’t miss,” Wilson, an Air Foce commit, said.
Curll committed to Western Kentucky University and Rahtbone committed to Central Arkansas.
These senior leaders will look to attempt one more run at a state championship in Ruderville when the season begins with a week-one trip to Giles County. Page will begin its region title defense with a visit to Centennial on Sept. 26.
Ravenwood
The Raptors promoted from within to replace former head coach Will Hester. Assistant Ricky Rodriguez takes over a program that went 13-1 a year ago, losing in the 6A state semifinals to Houston. This year, the Raptors have a deep team with more than 40 seniors.
Rodriguez brought his two senior quarterbacks, Femi Babalola and Maverick Chance, to Media Day along with senior linebacker Matt Anderson.
Babalola and Chance have committed to Boston College and Navy, respectively.
“It has been a whirlwind, to say the least, since May, just incredible,” Rodriguez said. “Coming from the success we had as a girls' flag football program to the very next day me being named the head coach, replacing a guy that I consider a legend in the Middle Tennessee region, these guys have made my transition as smooth as possible.”
In the spring, Rodriguez coached the Ravenwood girls flag football team to the first-ever TSSAA-sanctioned state championship for sport. He also served as Hester’s offensive coordinator and had previous coaching experience in California.
The new leader of the Raptors sees his role as more of a general manager, allowing his assistants to be the head coaches of their respective position groups.
The seniors talked about the differences under coach Rodriguez.
“We were all really close with him before; he obviously was offensive coordinator and offensive line coach last year,” Anderson said. “He brings a whole lot of energy during practice and the games. He holds everyone to a very high standard, which I love …It builds discipline within the team.”
Chance and Babalola, who alternated at quarterback last season, will be on the field at the same time this year.
“We are probably in the most unique situation, I know for sure in the state of Tennessee and possibly the country,” Rodriguez said. “You walk into a head coaching position and you have two high-level Division I quarterbacks that, honestly, Femi can play multiple positions as well. I’d be dumb if I didn’t consider having both guys on the field at the same time.”
The first opportunity to see the new look Raptors will be Aug. 22 when they travel across state lines for the first time in school history to face Madison Richland Academy from Mississippi. In week two, they will head to Lipscomb Academy. Ravenwood will open region play at Summit on Sept. 12. Christ Presbyterian Academy will come to town on Sept. 26, and Battle of the Woods will close out the season on Oct. 30.
Summit
The Spartans hope to improve on a disappointing 3-7 season a year ago in which they missed the playoffs.
Brian Coleman, the Spartans' head coach who led the program to a 5A state title in 2020 and runner-up finishes in 2019 and 2021, hopes to turn things around for the 2025 campaign.
Coleman will lean on his senior class to help with that mission.
“We’ve got a smaller senior class,” Coleman said. “I think we are going to have a younger team so, it’s very important for these guys to lead by example and show the younger guys how it works and how to play on Friday nights because a lot of these guys are going to be new to it.”
Three of those 15 seniors — Michael Crutcher, Jake Campbell and Carter Korcinsky joined Coleman on Saturday.
Safety/wide receiver Crutcher talked about his role in helping the younger players on the team.
“Definitely lead by example, but also be vocal,” Crutcher said. "Walk them through things because they don’t have as much experience as us, so we need to walk them through certain things. Coach has coached us to the point where we know what to do, but it is all about execution.”
The Spartans will open the season at crosstown rival Spring Hill before facing Nolensville at home. They will open region play at Brentwood on Sept. 5.
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