2025 Preview: Trinity Collegiate Titans

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The biggest playmaker on defense graduated. Another appears to have given up the sport to concentrate on baseball. The starting quarterback transferred alongside his dad - formerly the Trinity Collegiate coach.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Yet, there's little reason Trinity Collegiate shouldn't be in the mix of SCISA 3A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If that doesn't quite make sense, you have look at everything Shawn Fagan will have at his disposal in his first year leading the program. There are two of the better linebackers in the Class of 2026. There are returning ball carriers. And receivers. And the starting quarterback this fall? He actually threw more than his predecessor a year ago.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“I think the reason they're there is because of the culture,” Fagan said last week during the Prep RedZone Media Days series. “They've bought in. We're going to be able to do a lot because of the culture.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Offensively, quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1734471' first='Davidson' last='Lynch']</strong> will have receivers like <strong>Garrison Copeland</strong> and <strong>Desmond Williams</strong> to throw to while tailbacks <strong>Robert Mack</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1606402' first='Andre' last='Jackson']</strong> mix it up on the ground. The Titans intend to go full-on tempo to take advantage of those returning skill players.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Defensively, it beings with linebackers <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165123' first='Mac' last='Burch']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1639657' first='Walker' last='Wilcox']</strong> (pictured). Those two combined for 222 tackles and 42 tackles for loss last year, making the most of a 4-4 unit that funnels everything toward the middle very well.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Incoming defensive end <strong>Jy'ell Preston</strong> (6-foot-5, 180 pounds) will be starting at both defensive end and receiver, giving Trinity another player in a long line of lengthy edge defenders and pass catchers. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473017' first='Kyler' last='Johnson']</strong> will start on both lines, as will classmate <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1702476' first='Jonathon' last='Cottingham']</strong> (center, defensive tackle).&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Titans are confident in what they can do in 2025, despite all the turnover. And keeping it all going beyond this fall is, as Wilcox put it, his role in the culture.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>“We should be good, if everyone stays disciplined. If everyone does their job, the defense is going to succeed,” he said. “I'm trying to teach the younger guys like the older guys taught me. I keep building, step-by-step. That's how we were taught. I'm going to go play as hard as I can.”</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>STARS SET TO SHINE</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165123' first='Mac' last='Burch']</strong> LB, 2026 - In Burch's two seasons at the varsity level, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound linebacker has put up 219 total tackles and 39 tackles for loss. And the best part of his game is that he's not even close to hitting his potential, yet. He's a big hitter already, and if his speed continue to increase, he's going to be downright dangerous.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1639657' first='Walker' last='Wilcox']</strong> LB, 2026 - Wilcox is a bit of an old-school linebacker who averaged 11 tackles per game last fall as a junior. While many of those were him just blowing up running backs sideline-to-sideline, his 22 tackles for loss prove how adept he is at blitzing, too. He's the heat-seeking missile of this bunch and has his eyes on another monster campaign.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473017' first='Kyler' last='Johnson']</strong> DL/OL, 2026 - Johnson adds some series size to both the offensive and defensive lines for the Titans. He's 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds and able to move plenty well enough to make it count. Given his experience, there's a strong likelihood you'll see him play three or four different spots as a senior.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1734471' first='Davidson' last='Lynch']</strong> QB, 2026 - Renner got the bulk of the snaps last fall and ended up throwing for 1,346 yards and 12 touchdowns. He only had four interceptions, and while his 55.8 completion percentage probably needs to improve slightly, his accuracy is what drives this offense. A 2,000-yard passing season is absolutely possible.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>FILM REVIEW</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Desmond Williams</strong> WR/DB, 2026 - Go ahead and watch the second highlight on Williams' reel before going any further. Now that you've done that, you can see what type of weapon he can be. He and Lynch already have a nice bond after spending so much time together last fall. The fact that Williams is also a starting corner means his athleticism is rarely going to come off the field.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/22965248/675b07fd214ef19eeb5965cb' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6862e8c1005a0"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>BIGGEST LOSSES</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>James Herbert DL - Herbert started as an outside linebacker before moving up to defensive end. In either spot, he was a ball-hawking edge who put up some prolific numbers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cade Amell QB - The rising freshman had already played two seasons of varsity ball, thanks to a rule quirk and reclassification. But he's transferred to Hammond for the 2025-2026 school year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>UP-AND-COMING POTENTIAL</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Robert Mack</strong> LB/RB, 2027 - Trinity is already looking ahead to what kind of damage Mack can do on both sides of the ball as a senior, but that's a year away. For now, this is a player who already had 20 tackles and four tackles for loss in 11 games while rushing for a team-high 538 yards and snagging 325 yards worth of passes last fall.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1606402' first='Andre' last='Jackson']</strong> LB/RB, 2027 -&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You can pretty much ditto everything we just said about Mack when it comes to Jackson. Add in the fact that he's a little bigger at 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds and he's got all the physical tools to take over games. Jackson's 6.97 yards per carry last year led the Titans. And while he only caught two passes, both of them went for 40-plus yards.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":1700755,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Garrison Copeland","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2028","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'10u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"145","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"2410","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Trinity Collegiate","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6862e8c102be3"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Copeland is only going to be a sophomore, but he's been playing multiple varsity sports since his eighth grade year at Trinity. As a freshman last fall, he caught 21 passes for 298 yards and a touchdowns, had five carries for 21 yards, recorded 15 tackles and three tackles for loss and  picked off a pair of passes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/22958389/66f16433de0d13c07ae86e2c' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6862e8c102c26"} /--> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->