Carson-Newman Football Position Previews: The QBs and B-Backs
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – This is the first part in a nine-part series chronicling Carson-Newman football's positions for the 2025 season. This feature breaks down the Eagles' signal callers and b-backs with help from Tanner Fleming.
VIDEO: Coaches in Cars Getting Coffee – Tanner Fleming
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – This is the first part in a nine-part series chronicling Carson-Newman football's positions for the 2025 season. This feature breaks down the Eagles' signal callers and b-backs with help from Tanner Fleming.
The good news is that Carson-Newman has four quarterbacks back who have significant game experience. The bad news is that Carson-Newman's QB room was as banged up as it has been since the 2011 season. Teddy Gleaton, Tre Luttrell, Zane Whitson and Justin Johnson all started last year for C-N, while Gavin Gosnell led C-N on substantial scoring drives against Wingate in the regular season before getting hurt. Gleaton, Whitson, Johnson and Gosnell all return, while Luttrell moves on to the coaching ranks post graduation. Carson-Newman also adds in two-year Eastern New Mexico starter and All-Lone Star Conference selection Mario Sanchez for more depth.
"It helps you know what you have in the room. We saw five guys who have played a lot of football at at our level," Fleming said. "It's been really beneficial in the fact that it's a little bit faster teaching and now we can get down to the details of the offense. Last year was a lot of big picture stuff. You're trying to install a new offense, new system. This year it's (fixing) that step was an inch off. Your eyes need to go here on the read - so it's just a little bit more technical. Part of that was being able to get all these guys with all this experience this year and get a head start on it."
Gleaton started Carson-Newman's game at West Virginia State (Sept. 13) and ran 13 plays before going down with an injury. He completed 3-of-4 passes for 36 yards. He also ran the ball six times for 26 yards.
Johnson appeared in six games with three starts. Johnson completed 11 of 20 passes for 190 yards and a 73-yard score. He rushed 35 times for 110 yards and a touchdown. Johnson's most productive day came against Anderson (Nov. 2) when he ran the ball 12 times for 56 yards and hit on 3-of-6 passes for 100 yards, including a 73-yarder to Jeremiah Carroll. He found the end zone on the ground against Tusculum (Nov. 9).
Gosnell appeared in three games before suffering a season-ending injury against Wingate (Sept. 21). He completed 6-of-13 passes on the year for two scores and 134 yards. Both his touchdown passes came against the Bulldogs prior to his injury. He ran the ball 12 times for 38 yards and a touchdown on opening night against Reinhardt (Aug. 29).
Whitson appeared in nine games with five starts in an injury-pockmarked campaign. The Eagles' signal caller ran the ball 82 times for 190 yards and four scores. Through the air, he completed 33-of-73 passes for 462 yards and six touchdowns against four picks. He was most productive through the air leading C-N's comeback win at Mars Hill (Oct. 12), when he completed 10-of-20 passes for 103 yards and two scores. He was 5-of-11 for 90 yards and three touchdowns at Catawba (Sept. 28). He had 56 yards rushing in consecutive weeks against UVA Wise (Oct. 19) and Emory & Henry (Oct. 26). He found the endzone twice on the ground against the Cavs.
Meanwhile, for his ENMU career, Sanchez has 1,235 career rushing yards, 18 career rushing TDs and 2,107 career passing yards with 18 career pass TDs.
"It's difficult because now we got five guys that we know can lead very good football teams," Fleming said. "That's going to be obviously difficult decisions for me as we continue to progress into camp."
Among B-Backs, Carson-Newman has a returning All-American in Jayden Sullins (Cullman, Ala.).
Carson-Newman's 29th all-time 1,000 yard rusher, averaging just short of 100 yards per game. Sullins earned SAC Player of the Week honors and TSWA State Player of the Week honors for one of his two, 200-yard rushing days on the season.
"So Sully last year was obviously awesome and now this year he's learned a lot of the nuance of the offense through the spring and what it means to take proper footwork in this offense," Fleming said. "I mean, talking about a guy kind of changing his body. He was already fast, physical and a really good football player. But watching him run around the field in the spring, he looks like he's put on some explosion. I'm really, really excited to see him this year, especially as his footwork gets even better and his understanding the offense is elevated to the next level."
Sullins exploded against Barton (Oct. 5) when he rushed 31 times for 261 yards and a score. He followed that up two weeks later with a 235-yard day on 25 carries against UVA Wise (Oct. 19). Sullins had 11 rushing TDs on the season, the third-most in the SAC. He wrapped the year with 1,224 yards rushing, the most in the South Atlantic Conference and the eighth-most nationally. His 1,224 yards rushing put him 16th for a single-season in school history. Sullins had five, 100-yard performances on the season, including four in Carson-Newman's last six games.
Joining Sullins are three freshmen who redshirted last season in Josh Adams, Rico Shoats and Trey Gunnings, as well as veteran short-yardage back James Maddox.
"Josh Adams, he has natural football instincts," Fleming said. "That is rare at a guy his age. He has a unique balance. He's not going to be the fastest guy ever on the football field, but he's going to be the hardest guy to tackle on the football field."
Adams was Bethlehem Christian's leading rusher and scorer his final three years with the program. He tallied 4,692 rushing yards and 5,584 all-purpose yards while finding the end zone 72 times. Adams averaged 168 yards per game as a senior and had 24 career 100-yard rushing performances.
A team captain for coach Antonio Rodriguez at Riverview Senior in Florida, Shoats rushed for 1,197 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior. He was named first-team all-conference for his efforts.
As a senior at Warner Robins High School, Gunnings had 340 yards on 66 carries in a five-game season that was cut short due to injury. He was a four-year letter winner for the Demons in both football and track and field. He helped WRHS to two state titles.
Carson-Newman's position previews continue Thursday with the wide receivers.
