Preseason X Factors: Knoxville Catholic Football

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite the 6-5 record, Knoxville Catholic took a big step forward last season, as they competed with the top programs in the state and had a strong season against a brutal schedule altogether.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This offseason, there were a lot of moving parts as several players came in and several players went out, so there will be a lot of newness with this squad as they work to gel together ahead of the 2026 football season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The schedule is likely even tougher this season, so the team will need everyone to bring their best game week in and week out. If they want to start turning more of those games into wins, these five players will have to deliver big performances each week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2027 QB [player_tooltip player_id='496084' first='Mack' last='Bartholomew']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The offense lost a pair of college receivers to graduation this season, pushing rising senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='496084' first='Mack' last='Bartholomew'] to lead the offense this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The ETSU commit has been a nice complement to the offense with both his arm and legs, but it will be time to truly take the next step as a passer this season as he will be tasked with elevating the playmakers with him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The good news is that he will have a strong rushing attack to rely on that should naturally create strong play action opportunities. [player_tooltip player_id='1305180' first='Kruise' last='Buntyn Jr.'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2233354' first='Ryheem' last='Lee Jr.'] will offer stability between the tackles from the running back position and Bartholomew is a talented runner who can make things happen as a scrambler.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2028 WR/CB [player_tooltip player_id='1031890' first='Braylen' last='Gibbs']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1031890' first='Braylen' last='Gibbs'] has had a busy a high school career during just two seasons and will get to put it all together for his junior year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As a freshman, he showed his potential in the secondary as a starting cornerback, often matching up with the opposition's top receiver. He recently flipped his college commitment from Vanderbilt to Alabama and currently is being recruited as a defensive back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As a sophomore, he kept growing and spent the year being a top perimeter option in the receiving game. He could honestly project better at the receiver position with proper development in the long-term, but that creates a good situation for an Fighting Irish team that needs playmakers at both positions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He should be the top option in the passing game on both sides of the football this year and will have to deliver each week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2027 OL/DL [player_tooltip player_id='1580778' first='Timothy' last='Gay']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The interior of the offensive line unit is going to be very talented, but also very young. However, there was a massive hole at each tackle position and a need for a stable veteran presence that needed to be filled if this team had a hope of fending off top defensive lines.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Enter offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1580778' first='Timothy' last='Gay'], a transfer from Bradley Central that will give the team a senior to rely on for the perimeter and work alongside the talented young prospects in the room. He can also offer good depth on an intriguing defensive line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He will be matched up with some talented edge rushers this year and will need to deliver in a big way to keep his quarterback upright.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2028 TE/LB [player_tooltip player_id='1187446' first='Maddux' last='Moore']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Speaking of transfers, Dyer County transfer [player_tooltip player_id='1187446' first='Maddux' last='Moore'] is going to be an important swiss army knife on both sides of the ball for the Fighting Irish.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On offense, he will be the team's tight end -- providing even more security in protecting the edges and offering a bit of a security blanket for Bartholomew to target over the middle of the field. On defense, he will become a key defender from his linebacker position, especially against strong DII-AAA rushing attacks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He should also see some pass rushing opportunities off the edge as the team can bring different looks to quarterbacks on passing downs. With the team boasting two strong tacklers at safety/star with [player_tooltip player_id='1031949' first='Brooks' last='Johnston'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2144592' first='Skylan' last='Johnson'], the coaching staff will have the opportunity to be more flexible in how they use their linebackers with Moore and rising sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1538993' first='Markise' last='Witt Jr.']</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2028 DL [player_tooltip player_id='2118712' first='Keagan' last='Covington']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The main reason that Knoxville Catholic can bring different looks on passing downs is versatile defensive line prospect [player_tooltip player_id='2118712' first='Keagan' last='Covington'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He has the size at 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds to work upfield along the interior and push through the interior of offensive lines. However, with Canadian defensive tackle prospect [player_tooltip player_id='2251046' first='Jules' last='Gautier'] anchoring the interior defensive line, Covington will be able to keep wrecking gameplans as a big defensive end, with the athleticism to make plays consistently at the spot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He will likely be moved around the defensive front to expose matchups, especially in pass rush situations, to maximize the effectiveness of the front in a similar way to how the Kansas City Chiefs use Chris Jones.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->