GRAY DEYOSports Writer

Following a junior campaign that saw Tullahoma running back Marvancy Johnson total 1,464 rushing yards, the Wildcat was ranked as the number 18 back by The Tennessean among Nashville area backs. Here is why Johnson should rank higher.

The now senior will enter his final season of high school football and is set to make some noise. Johnson saw the field some as a sophomore but ultimately broke out as the star of Tullahoma’s offense his junior season. He has an innate drive to continually improve, which he has demonstrated since arriving on Tullahoma’s campus. And with another season in the lab with his teammates and coaches, he is sure to come out of it as an even more polished product than before.

Now, a total of 1,464 may seem like a lot, and well that’s because it is. Which leads to the question, why does Johnson not rank higher on this list? One reason may be the class Tullahoma plays in, and the stigma that comes with it. Another might be the season the Wildcats as a team had compared against the other schools of backs on the list.

Of the top five running backs on the rankings with Johnson, three of them were from private Division-II A schools–CPA, Nashville Christian, and Ensworth–and the other two were from 6A schools, Oakland and Ravenwood.

The five schools last year combined for an overall record of 64-4. No team mentioned had more than one loss. This may be a reason Johnson is ranked lower. The Wildcats last year ended the season 6-5. So if the Wildcats win games, the Tullahoma junior could climb up the rankings early in the season.

Back to the other possibility with Johnson being ranked lower than others on the list, class size. The logic makes sense, private school divisions have gained a high reputation for athletics in TN, especially the ones mentioned. And 6A schools with a bigger class size have more students at their disposal to put together their roster.

More students, more opportunities to form a talented team.

While this has some truth, it should not take away from the truth that smaller class sizes can still produce some of the best talent the state has to offer. Johnson will have a chance to put more proof to this, with the out-of-schedule opponents Tullahoma plays this year.

Three of the Wildcats’ out of conference opponents are 5A or 6A schools—Rockvale, Shelbyville Central, and Cleveland High School. This will be a proving ground for Johnson to show he can compete with the same competition as the backs rated above him.

With all that being said the Tullahoma back should still be ranked higher, despite other reasons that went into the list. Johnson’s stats are superb compared to others. Out of the 17 RBs ranked above Johnson, he has more rushing yards than 15 of them.

Football schedule change

Tullahoma’s schedule for the upcoming 2025-2026 season has been given a slight tweak. The opening matchup of the season against Shelbyville Central for Friday, Aug. 22, has now been moved to Saturday 23.