Doubling Down

C-N goes with Graf as starter, captain

By Stefan Cooper
Editor
Blount Press Row

The coach picks the quarterback. The team selects its captains.

Both were humbling announcements when he was chosen for both, Carson-Newman quarterback Eli Graf said. The latter, he said, meant just that little bit more.

When the Eagles broke fall camp a week ago, first-year Carson-Newman coach Tyler Almond announced Graf as the starter, the former Alcoa Tornado prevailing in a hotly-contested four-man competition. Days later, the Eagles upped the ante, naming the redshirt freshman one of the team’s three captains.

“Most of the time it’s an upperclassman,” Graf said. “I’m honored to get the title because it means my teammates have a lot of respect for me.”

He added he feels much the same for the Eagles who battled for the start at quarterback.

“The other guys put in a lot of work, too,” he said. “The mindset at quarterback is a lot different in college, the amount of detail you pay attention to. Having that first game under my belt gives me a little more confidence.”

Graf delivered for the Eagles in his first college game. Rushing a yard for his first college touchdown, passing for 81 yards and two others of 13 and 15 yards to receiver Don Bradley, the Mr. Football nominee during his days as a Tornado directed Carson-Newman to a 41-38 win over Tiffin in the season opener last Thursday.

Junior Bennett Smith put Carson-Newman over the top with a 42-yard field with less than a minute to play.

The Eagles host Thomas (Ga.) in Game 2 of the 2026 campaign on Thursday at Burke-Tarr Stadium in Jefferson City.

Kickoff is 6 p.m.

Graf took the lead in becoming the starter after leading the Blue squad to a 10-7 win in the Carson-Newman spring game. His work over the summer and early fall only enhanced his belief Graf was right the guy, Almond said in his press conference the week of the opener.

“Just how he went about himself last year as a scout quarterback on our side and really helped us prepare for a lot of the quarterbacks in conference that we faced,” Almond said. “Then he had a tremendous spring, really good summer. Was around, you know, in the summer and then fall camp.

“He’s really done a good job and, you know, he is our starter.”

Offensive coordinator Tanner Fleming feels much the same.

“Out of high school, we knew he was a winner when he came here and we were real excited when we got him committed,” he said. “He’s just very natural in this offense. He’s a twitched up guy, we say. He’s kind of got a little bit of the ‘it’ factor to him that you like to see out at quarterback.”

Graf isn’t the only Blount Countian off to a strong start at Mossy Creek this season.

A transfer from Austin Peay, Caleb Graham broke in with the Eagles as an offensive lineman this spring. His talents at defeating blocks rather than making them soon made the former Maryville Rebel look a better fit on the defensive side of the ball.

In the opener, Graham looked the part, recording a pair of tackles on the interior.