We tell you everything you need to know about the 2025 Tiftarea Academy football team in this preview, including roster changes and what fans can expect from the Panthers this season.
2024 Season Stats
- Overall Record: 10-2
- Points Scored: 390
- Points Allowed: 224
Key Roster Losses
Tiftarea Academy has a lot of talent to replace.
Head football coach Erick Soliday’s team enters the season missing its leading passer and leading rusher in quarterback John Robert “JR” Walker. He leaves with 3,776 yards passing, 41 TDs passing, 2,727 yards rushing, and 44 TDs rushing over the last two seasons, so his production will be tough to replace.
Tiftarea must also replace leading receiver John Jackson, who had 95 receptions and 25 TDs over the past two seasons.
On defense, the Panthers will miss defensive end Jack Brand and the team’s top two tacklers in Temond Marcus and Brody Seagraves.
Key Players Returning
Tiftarea Academy returns a handful of seniors, including wide receiver and safety Ridley Monk, who had nine receptions for 144 yards and two TDs, 35 tackles, and one interception last year.
Senior running back and linebacker Caden Grier had 98 carries for 789 yards rushing and five TDs along with 51 tackles with four QB sacks last season.
Senior Jackson Parrish, a cornerback and wide receiver, had 45 tackles and four interceptions last season. He has six interceptions over the past two seasons combined.
Senior Dawson Butler will return at offensive guard and linebacker, where he had 48 tackles and an interception last season.
What to Expect From the Tiftarea Academy Panthers in 2025
Tiftarea is coming off an exceptional 2024 season that saw them advance to the GIAA Class 3A semifinals, only to fall to Valwood in overtime.
Heading into the 2025 season, Soliday said he hopes the younger guys will catch on in a hurry.
“We will be fairly young, and we need some of our young guys to grow up quick,” Soliday said.
Soliday said he is concerned by the loss of so many experienced contributors from last year.
“Our depth is a concern as we only have about 35 players on the team, plus we lost our QB, who was our leading rusher and passer, so we will need our upcoming QB to develop quickly,” Soliday said.
The new quarterback is Case Jones, whom Soliday said will get plenty of work this summer.
The strength of the team will be both sides of the line up front.
“We have a lot of those guys up front returning,” Soliday said.
2025 Season Prediction
Tiftarea lost a lot of talent, but they’ll find a way to be strong once again and go 8-4 overall in 2025.
Game to Watch
Aug. 29 at John Milledge Academy
