HSFT Stop #37: Belmont
Belmont took another step forward last season, finishing 8-4 and reaching the second round of the playoffs. But as the Cardinals enter year four under head coach Michael Jackson, the expectation isn’t to stay the same. It’s to keep building. And this year, that responsibility falls on a senior class that has grown right alongside its head coach.
“We’re trying to make another step and, you know, that’s what we’ve been talking about the last three years. We’re trying to get another step, and we know that each year you start all over and, you know, we don’t know what this group does best yet,” Belmont head coach Michael Jackson said. “It took us a while to figure that out last year. So, you know, we’re trying to put our kids in the best situations they can to be successful. So we don’t know what that action looks like yet. And usually over the course of the season, it kind of works itself out.”
When Jackson arrived at Belmont, this group was just beginning its high school careers. Now, those players have become the foundation of the program he’s been building. There are just seven seniors on this year’s roster, and only two of them play on defense, meaning their leadership will matter just as much as their production.
“The main thing is probably going to come down to how good of leaders we are and how these young guys develop, because everything when you start is a puzzle,” Jackson said. “And we’re trying to put the pieces back together and find where everybody fits. And with the senior leadership we got, because those guys have done a great job. I’m hoping that they can lead these young guys and, as the season goes on, we’ll progress.”
That leadership is already showing up long before the season opener, from seniors helping underclassmen to a locker room that takes pride in doing everything together. The Cardinals believe their culture is what will help the next group grow up fast.
“Everybody’s going to do the same grind. Coach is going to work us all the same way, and everybody’s coming together. We’re all somebody helping each other, no matter what. Freshmen and seniors will help them. Our seniors will help everybody, as always. The freshmen, they’ve put the work in for sure,” Belmont running back Kylei Estes said.
For Belmont, that culture is built on brotherhood. Every player is expected to pick up the guy next to him, and that mindset has helped the Cardinals continue to take steps forward each of the last three seasons.
“We’re all together. We’re in it together. It’s our motto. If there’s one down, three of them come behind them and come together to pick them back up,” Belmont center Ryan Slayton said. “It means to me, to work together, build a brotherhood out of the football team. And it means that you’re never left behind. You’ve always got something behind you pushing and working. So you look at them and you want to better yourself.”
With experience returning at key positions, including quarterback Miller Searcy, the Cardinals believe last year’s playoff run gave them the confidence to take another step this fall.
“We had like two or three close games with some big teams last year. And I think that’s really going to help us when we’re playing at home this year,” Searcy said. “But I think we should have a pretty good year if we just stick to what we can do and what we know we can do.”
As they look to prove that the foundation built over the last three years is ready for its next chapter, Belmont opens the 2026 season Aug. 28 against McNairy Central.
