There is a buzz around the “Brickyard” this year as Jackson Academy opens the 2025 season at Oak Forest Academy in Amite, La. against the Yellow Jackets. The Raiders have a hive full of championship caliber players on the roster, both returning starters and brand-new faces. Coach David Duggan enters his second season at the helm with arguably one of the best lineups in the state with three players ranked among the top 20 recruits in Mississippi for the 2026 class and the number one ranked player for 2027 by 247Sports.
“It’s exciting for sure. Every year you don’t know what you truly have until you play, but I really like this team,” said Coach Duggan. “The guys we brought in are exceptional and have gelled into the team really well. We have a really strong foundation They are a great group to be around. We set a standard for hard work and a great work ethic. Our strength coaches are the key. They have got these guys really fit coming out of the summer and into this season opener.”
Offensively, the Raiders are anchored by offensive tackle Caden Moss, the top ranked junior in the state and the fourth ranked offensive linemen in the nation for the class of 2027. Moss is an imposing force at 6’5, 300 pounds and entering his third year as a starter. Moss is joined on the line by sophomore guard PJ Evans who checks in at 6’4, 310 pounds. Needless to say that’s one heck of a left side. Senior center Luke New brings experience and size too at 6’2, 275 pounds. Sophomore Reid Miller and senior Morris Griner will handle the right side.
Those big guys up front will be the key to success for this Raider offense which has great skill position weapons. After a close quarterback competition this summer, senior Josef Walker, who transferred from Clinton High School, won the starting job over junior Pruet James. Walker is a dual threat QB that posted a 1,400-yard, eight touchdown junior year for the Arrows.
“Walker has a tremendous presence and shows great poise and calmness. He has a knack for stepping up in the pocket,” said Duggan.
Walker will look to get the ball to two very reliable targets in returning senior wide receiver O’mari Johnson and transfer receiver Jayden Hollins from Clinton. Johnson also plays cornerback on defense and has committed to play for Bill Belichick at the University of North Carolina. Hollins also has several college offers and had a great junior season for the Arrows with 881 yards and 11 touchdowns. Look for junior Kingston Mays to get a lot of work Friday night as the lead running back. As a sophomore, Mays rolled up just over 700 yards and seven touchdowns as the secondary back to now graduated Omarean Ellis.
“He (Mays) has got great vision and an understanding what we’re looking for. He runs and I’m really excited to watch him. We will also play Aric Beasley and Austin Clark to share the workload. Our goal is to be a 50-50 type offense between the run and pass,” said Duggan.
The Jackson Academy defense has the potential to be downright disruptive and dominant with a pair of future Tennessee Volunteers in senior linebacker TJ White and senior defensive lineman Dereon Albert. White is the third-ranked recruit in the state and the fifth ranked linebacker in the country. He’s coming off a season in which he led the team with an amazing 21.5 tackles for loss. Albert is a game changer up front. The 6’2, 290-pound defensive tackle recorded 17 tackles for loss as a junior. Add O’mari Johnson to the mix at cornerback and there are very few weak spots on this defense. Duggan says all three of these young men handled the high-profile recruiting process well and are true leaders.
“The whole college recruiting has changed with a lot of these kids having commitments earlier in summer and spring. You want them to get the attention, but you always want them to work out and develop relationships on your team. They really balanced recruiting trips with their development. The most impressive thing to me is that we have guys stepping up in the leadership role that are delivering the message to the team. When your players understand the standard and expectations, they hold each other accountable,” said Duggan
Coach Duggan is quick to point out that the ultimate extent of the defense’s success doesn’t just ride on those high-profile players. He says the Raiders are super deep at linebacker with the ability to go six or seven deep at the position with senior Jack Seward, sophomores Gus Sommers and Adam Alexander, along with junior Vaiden Taylor. The coaches are also confident in the progression of defensive backs in senior safeties Baird Kennedy and Carter Mathison, who Duggan calls two great athletes, physical, smart and hard working.
This will be the first meeting between Jackson Academy and Oak Forest since 2020. The Raiders have a perfect 7-0 record against the Yellow Jackets in the series history. With the MAIS revamping its classifications, Oak Forest and JA are now both in Class 4A, with the Raiders in District 1 and Oak Forest in District 4.
JA’s game plan for this season opener is to play sharp, stay healthy and hopefully have the opportunity to play a lot of players. The Raiders were close a year ago to making a championship run, but on several occasions couldn’t close out some key games, which is a top priority to change this year.
“The little mistakes hurt us last year. Silly penalties, untimely turnovers, things like that,” said Duggan. “We emphasized in camp how important the little things are. We have to focus on all the specialty phases of the game. If we do that, great things can happen.”
You can hear and feel the buzz around Raider Nation as they have sky-high expectations, but there is a lot of football to be played between now and November. The first order of business is to sting the Yellow Jackets.
JA’S KEYS TO VICTORY
On Offense: Look for some high-percentage, confidence building play calls for new quarterback Josef Walker. He has plenty of weapons around him and it’ll be key to see how he can spread the ball around in both the running and passing game.
On Defense: This is a great opportunity to get out of the gate fast and make a statement. The Raiders will look to dominate with the defensive front and blitz the linebackers.
JA AT A GLANCE
Class/Division: Class 4A, District 4 (MAIS)
Record: 0-0
Head Coach: David Duggan
Assistant Coaches: Michael Brinson (Strength and Conditioning), Case Cook, Shay Hodge, Thomas Martin, Rob Triplett, Malcolm Rollins, Michael Turner
The Series: Jackson Academy leads series 7-0.
Last Meeting: Jackson Academy won 42-7 in 2020.
OAK FOREST, LA.
Class/Division: Class 4A, District 4 (MAIS)
Record: 0-0
Head Coach: Jason Brabham
Assistant Coaches: Drew Misita, Will McNabb
