Coming off the best season of Coach Tim Mathis’ Cumberland tenure, the Phoenix return the vast majority of their players, have a number of transfers and talented freshmen and are generally very optimistic about the 2025 season.
But there is a one big question mark. Who will be the starting quarterback.
Veteran signal-caller Luke Holloway had a year of eligibility remaining but graduated last spring and elected to move on.
That leaves redshirt juniors Zach Holtzclaw and Jake Parker and Lebanon High legend Jaylen Abston, a redshirt junior, battling it out deep into fall camp. Holtzclaw and Abston saw limited action last year while Parker is a new transfer from Judson University.
“That’s the million-dollar question right now,” Mathis said earlier this week. “We’ll probably know by Monday (the start of game-week prep for next Saturday’s season opener at Tennessee Tech). We’re going to let it battle out the rest of this week. They’re still three of them fighting for it.
“We definitely might play two just because of some of the skill sets that some of them have… They’re all three capable. We’re not worried that we don’t have one. Just want one of them to rise to the top. It’s kind of a good thing. All three can do it.”
Depending on how the QB situation shakes out, Cumberland could easily build on a 7-3 season and take the next step, which is the NAIA playoffs and possibly a Mid-South Conference championship.
“I’ve said this to everybody who’s asked me, on paper, the eight years that I’ve been here, this is the most athletic — run fast — the best team we’ve ever had,” Mathis said. “Now that doesn’t mean anything. You don’t play on paper. But if…
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Publish date : 2025-08-23 03:59:00
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