Young Livingston Wildcats Looking For ‘Consistency’ In 2026

By Josh Scott, UCR

In a region full of contenders at the statewide level, Livingston Academy will need their young football team to gain experience on the fly to prove they can compete in Region 4-4A.

For Wildcat head coach Kaleb Qualls, year two at the helm has its first full stamp of what he wants his team to look like. This season is Qualls’ first in which he was the head coach for the full offseason; overseeing everything from the weight room, installs in all three phases of the game, and managing the day to day operations of his program.

“Multiple guys have stepped up, stepped in, this offseason,” explained Qualls. “We’re throwing a lot of sophomores out there and mixing them in with our older groups.”

Qualls was hired late in the process in 2025, but put together the best season in five years. However, the Wildcats failed to make the postseason after starting 5-1, going 0-5 in region play. The latter gave Livingston  their longest playoff drought since the program missed the postseason from 1985-1988.

Qualls, a lifer in the Livingston program, had one word to describe the finish to 2025: consistency. The lack of it was the main factor in the Wildcats’ struggles down the stretch.

Consistency could be the defining factor for the 2026 Wildcats in their journey back to the standard of Hog-Eye football.

Under center for the Wildcats will be a new face following the graduation of former quarterback Adrian Jenkins.

“Our quarterback position will start out with Logan Sells and honestly, he’s pleasantly surprised us so far,” said Qualls. “He’s taken a huge step entering the spring and carried it into the summer. His eyes have been very good which is something we knew he needed to develop. He’s got all the skills in the world but not a lot of experience playing quarterback.”

Challenging Sells will also be Pickett County transfer Elijah Taylor.

“Eli had a really good summer,” Qualls continued. “He played quite a bit at Pickett, but it’s different for him here. He has been good in seven on seven and threw the ball around well. We just have to really get both guys to be a little more consistent and comfortable at the position.”

Replacing the production of running back Kaden Weitzel on the ground and through the air will come with its own set of challenges for a younger group of Wildcats.

”Our wide receivers are led by Baylor Barnes and Jaxson Sims,” said Qualls. “Isaiah Honeycutt is a name that is back with us and is doing a really good job. He’s not going to blow you away with speed but is an exceptional route runner and we trust him to get the ball when it’s thrown his way.”

With Weitzel gone, a committee of players will try to shoulder the load he carried. As prolific a runner as Weitzel was, that job will be easier said than done.

“Jamison Kendall is going to get the first look at the running back position,” said Qualls. “He came in from receiver and he’s a really good athlete who has shown signs that he can do the job. He has to improve on the fundamentals of the position but when the ball is in his hands, he can make plays so we’re really excited about him.

“After that we have some other young guys, Creed Taylor, Lucas Mansell, and J.C. Stults who all were big players for the Junior Wildcats,” added Qualls. “They’re going to get their chance at it too, so we figure the running back position is going to be very much by committee.”

Mark Ogletree III, a three-year starter for Livingston, returns on both sides of the football up front. But after that, it will take a week or two to know just who is ready to take the next step for the Wildcats.

”Mark is back and anchoring our line play. He has all the leadership traits and knows what he’s supposed to be doing and getting guys in their right spot. He’s played a ton of football here and is definitely ready to lead that group,” explained Qualls.

“But Josh Burchett is a guy we’re excited about. He’s still learning ‘how to play football’, but he’s a big body. Cade Reagan and Easton Hammock are both sophomores who have played for us last year and have played a ton up through the ranks in Outlaws and the Junior Wildcats. We’re not a huge group when you look at us there.”

That size, or lack thereof, can also be an advantage for Livingston, as Qualls pointed out. “It’s a group of guys that are young, but we have looked at becoming more of a zone blocking team, using our speed to our favor while also trying to keep some of the gap concepts of the run game, getting things out wide and in space some. More than anything, we just need to be consistent in what we do and focus on growing and getting better as we go.”

Fans will see plenty of the same guys making plays on the defensive side of the field too, as the roster is not loaded with numbers that reach up into the 60s, but Qualls is confident in his group to be able to compete.

”We’ve got a lot of those guys on both sides of the ball. We only have about 40 guys dressed out and that’s easy to see. But, you can only play with 11 at a time and we really like those guys. Biscuit Loftis and Logan Gentry are two other guys that come to mind that are going to get a chance to make plays for us too whether that be at tight end or linebacker.”

There’s one guy who Qualls really is interested to see in the offense and on the field overall for the Wildcats: Frankie Guerrero. Guerrero started his career on the offensive and defensive line, but is now more of a H Back, tight end, Swiss Army knife type guy for the Wildcats.  “He is a guy who we have to find multiple ways to get the football. Whether that be the pass game, the run game, even out in space, he’s a great athlete and maybe we can force some defensive backs to have to come tackle him and make a play.”

Qualls knows just how close the Wildcats were to making the postseason last year, and feels like if there would have been more consistency, the narrative would have changed dramatically. After all, it’s been a while since the Cats have really been a threat to the postseason, last appearing in 2020.

“We lost two region games, missed the playoffs, by a total of three points with losses to White and Macon County. We have to learn to be consistent, understand that it’s not just the last play of the game that affects the outcome, sometimes it’s a missed extra point, not getting off the field on fourth down, a variety of things. We have to attack every single rep, compete every chance we get, and good things will happen from there.”

“We have to finish games and understand that pressure is a privilege. We want to be in big games, nip and tuck games. That’s where you get better and you learn. They are exciting and if you’re in games like that in our region, you have a chance to do the things you want to do as a team year in and year out.”

Livingston will open their season with Cumberland County at Tom Davis Memorial Stadium. The Wildcats defeated the Jets 47-9 in Crossville last season to kick-off a 4-0 start on the year.