ASHEVILLE — Kaydan Whiteside smiled as he jogged out of the locker room and down the cobblestone steps July 29 for Asheville High's first football practice of the 2026 season.
It marked the homecoming he'd been planning since starting his high school career two years ago at a military academy in Virginia.
"We finally made it happen," Whiteside said. "It was a dream come true. Now we get to get that state (championship). Now we got to get that ring."
Whiteside gives Asheville High a significant boost on both sides of the ball. The junior wide receiver and defensive back is Western North Carolina's top football prospect in the Class of 2028 and holds 14 Power Four scholarship offers, including Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, North Carolina,
NC State and Tennessee. The 247Sports Composite ranks him as a three-star athlete.
Whiteside, who grew up in Asheville and attended Asheville Middle School, spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia, but the plan was always to return home.
"I was at the practices when I was younger," he said. "I always grew up around Asheville High football."
It didn't take long for Whiteside to get acquainted with his new teammates. The chemistry returned quickly.
"We all grew up together, playing around each other," he said. "They might have been a year younger, but other than that, we all got a chance to play with each other."
Asheville High coach Cort Radford said things are going just as smoothly off the field due to his "infectious personality."
"He gets along with everybody," Radford said.
Wide receiver/defensive back Jams Skyes said Whiteside's vibrant spirit has already had an impact on the program.
"Team is coming together more," Skyes said. "We're bonding together more."
Whiteside's athleticism is obvious, but Radford and Skyes say his work ethic may be his greatest strength.
"He doesn't do anything half-speed," Radford said. "He's a full-speed, max-effort guy."
That mentality is intentional.
"I eat, sleep, dream football. It's all football," Whiteside said.
He wore a black cast on his left forearm, but it didn't slow him down. Radford said the injury isn't expected to be an issue, and Whiteside participated in nearly every drill.
"Each snap could always be your last snap," he said. "Somebody's always watching. So if somebody's watching, you want to know that they see you at that 100%."
That effort could help elevate an Asheville High team with high expectations entering the season.
Despite the Cougars going 6-6 and finishing third in the Mountain Athletic Conference, they had one of the most promising upcoming teams in WNC because most of their core players were sophomores and freshmen then. With quarterback Tay Williams, Skyes and running back/defensive back TK Davis, and the addition of Whiteside, Asheville High could challenge Roberson for the conference title, its first since 2021.
For Whiteside, the wait is almost over. That's the part he's looking forward to most.
"I'm gonna be ecstatic," he said. "It's gonna be crazy to see the family in the stands and all the people I know."
Zachary Huber is a high school sports reporter for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him at zhuber@gannett.com or follow him on X @zacharyahuber.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Why returning to Asheville High football is a dream come true for Kaydan Whiteside
