A Jacket comes home to open the season

Brian Lilly has said the quiet part out loud: Denison is who he is. The 2008 graduate, a former linebacker and captain at Texas State, was hired April 7 as athletic director and head football coach. His first game is the one every Jacket kid grows up pointing at on the calendar.

Lilly opened James Lawson High School’s football program in Nashville, grew the roster past 100, and took the Lightning to the first playoff berth in school history in 2025. Before that he was on staffs that won four state titles at Brentwood Academy and a conference championship at Cisco College as defensive coordinator.

Superintendent Dr. David Kirkbride called him “the very best of Denison” — a mix of administrative experience, coaching, and a genuine love for the district. Lilly’s wife, Erin, is a 2010 DHS graduate. They have two children.

The staff around him is mostly a Denison staff. Bryan Wilson is the offensive coordinator. Todd Wallis runs the defense. Aaron Bach remains assistant athletic director; Dana Waddle is the other assistant AD and the head volleyball coach.

The 2026 slate is a gauntlet after the opener: Decatur on the road, then eight district games against a Frisco-heavy 4-5A Division II, including Celina — Whitson’s new district — at Munson on Nov. 6. First things first. Sherman, Friday, 7 o’clock.