The Greeneville football team is heading into the 2025 season with big shoes to fill, but coach Eddie Spradlen feels like he once again has a squad that is capable of winning Region 1-4A and making a deep run into the postseason.
“Year in, year out, we’re going to have a really good senior class. For most cases, for us to be successful and play at the level of football we want to play at we’re playing juniors and seniors on Friday nights,” Spradlen said. “With that you graduate 10 to 15 really good football players every year. So we start the offseason trying to find out who is the next guy going to be. This group has really stepped up and challenged each other. This group knows we lost a dang good group of seniors, and they hungry to become the next dang good group.”
The first guy the Greene Devils will look to lead the 2025 team will be senior quarterback Caden Baugh who is now in his second year as the starter. A year ago Baugh threw for nearly 1,500 yards and ran for close to 1,000 yards.
With the graduation of Mr. Football finalist Carson Quillen in the backfield even more of the offensive burden will be thrust on Baugh’s shoulders this season, and Spradlen feels like he is ready to rise to the occasion.
“It’s big for your football team anytime you can bring back your quarterback,” Spradlen said. “He’s played a ton of snaps, and he’s played against some really good teams. We’re excited to have him back there leading the offense.”
One group that Spradlen is most excited about heading into the season are the guys that will pave the way for Baugh. On the offensive line the Greene Devils return three starters from a year ago including senior tackles Bishop Merriweather and Zorian Harris. Merriweather has started at left tackle since he was a freshman, and Harris emerged last year as a dominant force on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
“Bishop Merriwether and Zorian Harris have really emerged as leaders of this group. When we have been going through drills this summer they are guys that have been vocal in getting everybody else going,” Spradlen said.
The other returning starter is guard Laith Ivey who has All-Region potential. Caden Cox is another senior who filled in last year, and started in spots because of injury. He will take over center for the Greene Devils this year.
Sophomore Dillon Hartman who stands at 6’3” 345 lbs. will start at the other guard spot. This will be one of the biggest lines the Devils have had in recent years, averaging 300 lbs. down the line.
While Spradlen is sure about his offensive line the place where there is the most unknown on the offense is at running back. Quillen is gone and so is his nearly 2,000 yards of production.
Senior Maddox Bishop is the most experienced back returning, but he ran for just 113 yards on 13 carries last year. Junior Jude Dyer will be in the mix for touches along with Yordan Mills and Dion Phipps. Spradlen thinks they all have potential, but he needs one or two of them to prove they can get job done when the lights come on.
On the perimeter the Greene Devils have plenty of experience returning, and that starts with University of Tennessee commit Zaydyn Anderson. The senior averaged 25 yards per catch a year ago and pulled in 11 touchdowns. Spradlen once again expects Anderson to be a focal point of the offense, but he also knows with Anderson’s notoriety that he will the focus of opposing defenses as well.
“We’ve got to get him the football in different ways, we have to move him around. He has to touch the football for us to be successful,” Spradlen said. “He knows that he is going to get everybody’s best shot. They are going to put their best on him and double him, and Zay is just going to smile and go to work.”
Cole Franklin is another senior who returns with starting experience at wideout, and Cole Smith is a junior who Spradlen feels has grown a lot in the offseason. Taren Claridy is another junior who the Greene Devils want to have the ball in his hands.
Junior Kaine Ricker will wear multiple hats on offense lining up at receiver, backing up Baugh at quarterback and he may run the ball some.
Senior Colton Smith is back at tight end, but he has missed most of the offseason with an injury.
On defense Greeneville is not only looking to replace All-State linebacker Drew Armbrister, but it has to replace all three starting linebackers.
That has created a good competition over the offseason, and Spradlen feels whoever emerges in the starting roles will have earned their spot.
Juniors Jack Lister, Hayden Moore, Cole Smith, Jude Dyer, Yordan Mills and Ty Riban are all part of that that competition, but Spradlen feels like he has six guys that are good enough to start on Friday night.
In the secondary the Greene Devils have two of the top cornerbacks around returning to the starting lineup in Anderson and Claridy. Both can lock down any receiver lined up across from them and both will strike fear in opposing quarterbacks.
At safety Bishop returns after being one of the Greene Devils top tacklers a year ago. Ricker and Franklin will compete for time at the other safety spot.
On the defensive line the Devils lost some talented players from a year ago including All-State selection Brandon Iezzi. But Spradlen feels he has a committee of guys that can get the job done this year.
Harris is a guy that can play inside and outside while Merriweather and Ivey will fill the middle. Justin Chandler will be another guy that Greeneville will count on to come off the edge. Kayden Burbank will also be in the mix for reps at defensive end, and in passing situations Mills may come off the edge.
Samuel Gourley returns to handle the Devils kicking duties after learning the position a year. The Devils are excited about his power and in a scrimmage the senior connected on a 47-yard field goal.
Franklin will handle the punting duties, but Greeneville will hope to not have to use him too much this year.
Greeneville will open the season on August 22 at Morristown West, and will play at home for the first time on August 29 when it takes on Class 4A power Upperman. Region play will begin on September 7 at home against Northview Academy.
The Greene Devils have won Region 1-4A each of the past four seasons.
