Talkin’ JCA

’26 Jacksonville Christian football schedule

CFA
Aug. 21: ALABAMA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAR
Aug. 28: at Tuscaloosa Christian
Sept. 4: TABERNACLE CHRISTIAN
Sept. 11: TBD
Sept. 18: at Victory Christian (Tuscaloosa)
Sept. 28: RUSSELL CHRISTIAN
Oct. 2: TRINITY CHRISTIAN
Oct. 9: at Alabama School for the Deaf
Oct. 16: TBD
Oct. 23: NORTH RIVER

Jacksonville Christian facts

Things to know about Jacksonville Christian football heading into the 2026 season:

— Rod Cates enters his first season as JCA’s head coach, taking over after Tommy Miller retired from coaching. Cates served as an assistant under Miller for the past three seasons. He’s 1-9 in his one season as a head coach, 2019 at Coosa Christian.

— JCA has played in the CFA 8-man championship game three of the past four years, winning it in 2024. The Thunder was 32-9 over that stretch.

— Key graduation losses from 2025 include the QB/DB and Jacksonville State signee Noah Lee. Other key players graduated are RB/DB Arnez Heard, RB/LB Anthony Gooch and OL/DL Ethan Compton and OL/DL Preston Strawder. OL/DL Jameson Holderread transferred to Pleasant Valley.

— Key returnees include senior WR/DB Bryson Dowdy, senior RB/LB Dawson Wilkerson, sophomore QB Brodie Wilkerson, senior OL Parker Wade, sophomore RB/WR/DB T.J. Scott and sophomore OL/DL Grant Daffron.

— Other players to watch include eighth-grader RB/DE/QB Cade Cates, the head coach’s son. Eighth-grader TE/LB Griffin Daffron, freshman DL William Gillespie transferred from Jacksonville.

—Joe Medley

A video interview with JCA coach Rod Cates and Editor Joe Medley’s take on the Thunder’s 2026 season await EA+ subscribers.