East Nashville broke the team huddle during its first padded practice of the TSSAA football season on July 27, gathered near midfield and formed a narrow rectangle for it's two-on-two tackling drill.
No set order based on achievements or position on the depth chart, only who wanted to step up first.
Senior defensive back Ke'Vontae Pitts, 17, an established starter and Mississippi State commit who will enroll in January, stepped closer to the front of the rectangle after each rep, ready for another turn.
The Eagles enter their second season in TSSAA Class 2A after finishing 6-6 in 2025, and less than three years removed from three consecutive state championship appearances. Pitts' seemingly quiet demeanor could be mistaken for passiveness. Inside
East Nashville's football program, coaches believe it's become of one his biggest strengths.
"I like to call him a silent assassin," said East Nashville coach Damien Harris. "He's not gonna say much, but he's gonna play hard and do what he's supposed to do."
Mississippi State football commit Ke'Vontae Pitts leads by example
Harris, who spent 14 seasons as an assistant at Pearl-Cohn before taking over East Nashville in 2023, first met Pitts at one of Harris' son's baseball games before Pitts arrived as a freshman.
Harris remembered his athleticism immediately.
Four years later, Pitts has become one of his most dependable players who rarely talks about his commitment and remains one of the first players in the gym.
"He doesn't change, he's level," said East Nashville assistant coach William Johnson. "Even if he might holler a bit here and there."
Ke'Vontae Pitts' develops strong bond with QB Dallas Covington
Johnson said one teammate consistently brings that side out of Pitts: three-star senior quarterback and Western Kentucky commit Dallas Covington.
Covington and Pitts have known each other since they were six, playing for the Donelson-Hermitage Warriors youth travel team.
Covington said the relationship has helped bring out the best in each other.
"We're getting each other better, we're competing, we talk trash," he said. "We're gonna make it competitive."
The competitive mindset started at home. A Nashville native, Pitts followed one of his older brothers, Lenny, into East Nashville's football program. Lenny finished his career with the Eagles before Ke'Vontae arrived as a freshman.
Ke'Vontae Pitts wants a shot at TSSAA football title ... and 5-star Jermaine Cobbins
Pitts' leadership arrives at a pivotal time for East Nashville.
The Eagles moved to 2A because of a lower enrollment, but Harris never lowered the program's expectations. He intentionally loaded the front half of their 2026 schedule with tougher opponents that includes at Collierville (Aug. 22), at Antioch (Aug. 28), Beech (Sept. 11) and at Springfield (Sept. 18). Those games will prepare East Nashville for postseason runs the program had grown accustomed to.
The senior class, featuring Pitts and Covington, has experienced both sides of the program's recent history. They were freshman when East Nashville reached their last state championship game in 2023. Following last season's second-round playoff exit, they placed expectations on themselves.
"This senior bunch, they know exactly what it takes to get there," Harris said. "To get over the hump, we can't do what we've been doing. We've got to do something extra."
Even if that means getting through opponents like the Yellow Jackets and its five-star recruit Jermaine Cobbins.
When asked what team or player he has circled on his calendar for the 2026 season, Pitts answered with no hesitation.
"Jermaine Cobbins."
Johnson said when both teams match up this season, Pitts won't be the guy front and center in the huddle, or running his team out towards the field before the opening kick.
He'll show it through it his play.
"He's not like 'hey coach give me him', he's not that type of guy," Johnson said. "But he wants that opportunity."
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Meet Mississippi State football commit Ke'Vontae Pitts, East Nashville's steady DB
