Davey Gillum's face mirrored a unique mix of pride and exasperation.
The Anderson County football coach wanted his team to work on short yardage plays in their TSSAA football scrimmage at Webb on Aug. 7. Instead, his son JD Gillum bailed out of the pocket, ran to his right and, with a flick of his wrist, tossed a deep touchdown pass ― his fourth of the night.
The Mavericks are counting on the sophomore quarterback to replicate that magic throughout the 2026 season.
"It'll be more of a team effort, and I think it'll require a little more out of JD," Davey Gillum told Knox News. "Instead of just distributing, he's going to have to make some plays. And that could be the difference in how far we go."
recruitment took off just as senior year approached
JD Gillum is anticipating a smoother start to the Mavericks' 2026 campaign after facing roadblocks early in high school football career last year. Anderson County's Week 1 game against Powell was canceled at halftime because of weather, then in Week 2, he suffered a broken collarbone that kept him out for several games.
He still finished with 1,776 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions on 61% completion, leading Anderson County to a Region 2-4A championship game victory over Alcoa and an appearance in the Class 4A quarterfinal round.
Gillum entered the offseason expecting a heavier workload as a sophomore.
"I've gained 20 pounds since the start of last season," he said. "I'm definitely a lot stronger. I'm built a lot more, and faster too. My arm has gotten stronger. Everything's been improving since last year... I feel a lot more confident, too. I don't think there are many quarterbacks that I know of in Tennessee that are benching 315 pounds as an upcoming sophomore."
Gillum wanted to model his game after his favorite player, former Texas A&M quarterback and Heisman trophy winner Johnny Manziel. He knew, then, he needed to improve physically to do what he did against Webb: buying time in the pocket, evading rushers and uncorking 50-yard lob passes with pinpoint precision.
Davey Gillum, while pleased to see his son's physical maturation, is more concerned with his mental growth. Anderson County only has Gillum and three offensive linemen returning from last season. It has installed a new, under center, play-action-driven offense to adjust to the different personnel, and expects the young play caller to pull it all together.
"We've added some things on offense, so just mastering all the things with that," Davey Gillum said about what JD is working on. "Taking more control mentally of the game. The big time throws and throwing windows, I don't want to say he's mastered that because you never get there, but just the field general stuff of getting people set up, changing protections, getting us in good play calls, play fakes. It's the next level of fine tuning."
JD Gillum gaining Power Four football interest
Gillum didn't just spend the entire summer in the weight room. The Class of 2029 recruit traveled around the country, throwing for some of the top college football programs. He's unranked in the 247Sports Composite, but the 6-foot quarterback already has offers from Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Nebraska and Maryland.
"We had guys from Indiana, Georgia, Clemson, Notre Dame, Miami and Alabama calling and saying they think your kid is one of the top couple of 2029 prospects in the country," Davey Gillum said.
The Tide, like the other schools, haven't extended an offer yet, opting to wait and watch a full season of work, according to Davey Gillum.
The reluctance doesn't bother JD.
"They know where I am," he said.
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks: knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How Anderson County football QB JD Gillum modeled his game after Johnny Manziel
