Springfield's Jaidon Hurst, who ran for 1,239 yards in 2024, takes pride in his No. 88 as the 2025 Tennessee high school football season draws near.
The process is a pretty simple one: Springfield football coach Dustin Wilson gets a list of names of incoming freshman and proceeds to give them jersey numbers.
There's not really a story or philosophy behind it, other than making sure the jersey is the right size. But there's still something revealing about it — for example, while most running backs prefer numbers in the single digits, 10s or 20s, the Yellow Jackets' top ballcarriers often buck that trend.
From 2016-18, there was Montrell Baker, who wore No. 88 while playing running back and defensive line. Lamarius Daniels, Springfield's leading rusher 2022, wore No. 83. Last season, Jaidon Hurst donned the No. 88 jersey while leading the Yellow Jackets to the semifinals of the Class 5A TSSAA football playoffs.
"I know it's not common for backs to wear 80 or whatever," Hurst said. "But we get a number and we just kind of make a name for ourselves."
Hurst returns after a junior campaign in which he rushed for 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns on 155 carries, including a 200-yard showing in a quarterfinal upset of one-loss Beech. Lamarious Dowlen, a formidable defensive end who had 63 tackles, 17 TFLs and five sacks in 2024, will spell Hurst in the backfield when he needs a break. Dowlen's jersey number? 83.
Springfield's reached the postseason 10 times in Wilson's 13 seasons, including two BlueCross Bowl state championship game appearances, and gone 104-61 during that span. The Yellow Jackets' jersey numbers provide a hint, even if slight, as to how they've had that success.
"It's pretty cool that they don't complain, in our world today," Wilson said. "Or let me rephrase that, I haven't heard them complain. But it is something cool for guys to see. Why not be different these days?"
Unselfishness is critical for a program like Springfield, which thrived in Class 5A from 2021-24 despite fielding smaller rosters than almost all of their opponents. The Yellow Jackets, who moved back to Class 4A this season, needed to use that mentality last fall as they lost five games by one possession.
"It's lonely if you don't have anybody to go lean on," Wilson said. "Our smaller roster and camaraderie of our kids is definitely a strength. That's the style of kids they are. They're not gonna talk about themselves unless you drill on them."
Springfield entered the playoffs as a No. 4 seed but beat Munford and Henry County on the road, both by three points, before routing the Buccaneers 47-14. It ultimately fell 31-7 to Page in the semifinals.
"I don't think (the close losses) really affected us," Hurst said. "It just made us want to win the next game even more."
Hurst thinks the Yellow Jackets' offensive line is one of their biggest strengths, and he'll have a good shot at putting up numbers similar to last season behind a group that returns five players, including seniors Cooper Rawls, Kaden Norman, Courtavious Herring and Naeshawn Thompson. Quarterback Kason Woodson also returns after throwing for 1,606 yards as a sophomore.
On defense, the sky might be the limit for Jermaine Cobbins, a sophomore with offers from Tennessee, Georgia and Kentucky, who had 48 tackles and four interceptions in 2024. Springfield has to replace four starting linebackers, but Hurst will play a role at safety.
"I know it's a new (classification)," Hurst said. "But it's the game of football. We just gotta keep taking each game by game."
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at [email protected] and on X/Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSSAA football: Jaidon Hurst's No. 88 jersey adds meaning for Springfield
Category: General Sports
