SAN ANGELO, TX — Central Bobcats head football coach Mark Smith released the team’s depth chart Friday ahead of the team’s opening fall practice next week.
The biggest question for Bobcats’ fans was answered with junior Micah Smith listed as the team’s No. 1 quarterback.
Smith (6-foot, 180 pounds) split reps at QB during spring practices with senior Colton Hill (6-2, 175).
Now it’s clear that Smith will take over the offense after the graduation of two-year starter Christian “Squeaky” English, while Hill will lead the receiving corps.
Coach Smith said he had two great options to be the team’s QB, and he feels both players are in the best position to help the team.
“When I’m looking at the quarterback position, the three criteria that are most important are No. 1 decision making, No. 2 accuracy and No. 3 athleticism,” Smith said. “I tell people if you’ve got a quarterback that’s really good in two of those three, you’ve got a winner. If he’s good in one of those three, you will struggle.
“And if you have somebody who can function well in all three, then you’ve got a championship-level guy, and I fully believe that’s what we have in Micah.”
Smith said Hill is continuing to see work at QB as the team’s backup, and that he’s a special player at receiver.
Hill led the Bobcats in receiving as a sophomore with 57 catches for 854 yards and four TDs. A season-ending leg injury in Week 2 last year cut Hill’s junior season short.
“He’s going to step right back into a primary role at that spot and do an excellent job. Not just good, but great,” Smith said.
Hill staying in the receiving corps also gives the Bobcats an exciting array of options there with the return of Jimmy Edwards (49 catches, 825 yards, 10 TDs), along with first-team all-district selection Gavin Johnson and first-team tight end Casner Stribling.
Another eye-opening name atop Central’s depth chart was sophomore Zeyvion Johnson at running back.
The 5-foot-11, 210-pound Johnson was the only freshman moved up to the junior varsity last year, and he now finds himself as the Bobcats’ top back on varsity, even over returners like senior Elijah Allen and junior Darius Huitt.
“I think Zey’s ability has been obvious to those around him,” Smith said. “He’s a big-bodied running back, but he’s not only a bruiser who runs people over. He’s very fluid in his footwork and he has great contact balance. When I say that, I mean when he gets hit, he does not go down. He absorbs that in a way to keep his feet and cleats in the ground and running forward. He’s a guy that is tough to knock back when you tackle him.
“He does a great job with ball security, and he cares deeply about being a complete back. He understands pass protection and what his responsibility is there. And he’s got really soft hands for a big-bodied running back. He can catch the ball out of the backfield as well.
“All three of the guys in our running back room have different skill sets that can help this team win, but I think Zey has proved himself as an all-around back, which is why he’s listed at the top.”
The depth chart also revealed some of the Bobcats’ two-way players like Riley Oines and Brayan Sandoval, who are listed as starters on both the offensive and defensive lines.
Smith said he approached some of his linemen about playing both ways and received an enthusiastic, “Yes sir.”
He said the deepest part of Central’s roster is in the secondary, where there are 11 players he feels confident putting on the field.
“Now the challenge is how do we find roles and packages for all these guys to play,” Smith said. “I feel like our secondary is deep with really solid football players and great competition within those positions. But the guys that are listed up there at the top have earned that spot for now.”
Smith said he feels much better looking at his depth chart now than when he arrived a year ago.
“It was just a lot of unanswered questions at this time last year. Now those questions, most of them have been answered at this point,” Smith said.
There’s still room for some movement within the depth chart, Smith said, though many positions have largely been solidified.
Because it held spring practices, Central will begin its fall practices a week after everyone else in the Concho Valley. The Bobcats’ first practice will be held Monday, Aug. 11, just 10 days before their scrimmage against Del Rio at home Thursday, Aug. 21.
Central will open its season Aug. 29 at Abilene High. The Bobcats’ home opener will be Sept. 5 against Amarillo High.
San Angelo Central Football 2025 Depth Chart
OFFENSE
QUARTERBACK
Micah Smith, Jr.
Colton Hill, Sr.
Parker Neal, Jr.
RUNNING BACK
Zeyvion Johnson, Soph.
Elijah Allen, Sr.
Darius Huitt, Jr.
TIGHT END
Casner Stribling, Sr.
Judson Bright, Sr.
Devin Rose, Sr.
WIDE RECEIVER
Jimmy Edwards, Sr.
Gabriel Garcia, Sr.
Greyson Patrick, Jr.
WIDE RECEIVER
Gavin Johnson, Jr.
Gabriel Garcia, Sr.
SLOT RECEIVER
Colton Hill, Sr.
Jesse Smith, Jr.
LEFT TACKLE
Riley Oines, Sr.
Israel Martinez, Sr.
Jose Ibarra, Jr.
LEFT GUARD
Brayan Sandoval, Sr. or
Oscar Herrera, Sr.
CENTER
Parker Havercroft, Jr.
Christian McCalister, Sr.
RIGHT GUARD
Ethan Boyd, Jr.
Christian McCalister, Sr.
RIGHT TACKLE
Israel Martinez, Sr.
Ethan Boyd, Jr.
Jose Ibarra, Jr.
DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE END
Riley Oines, Jr.
Colton Kent, Sr.
NOSE TACKLE
Brayan Sandoval, Sr.
Aiden Perez, Jr.
Rayden Natividad, Sr.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
Oscar Herrera, Sr.
Caleb Johnson, Sr.
SAM LINEBACKER
Jaekob Jackson, Sr.
Cabo De La Garza, Sr.
MIKE LINEBACKER
Mason Van Sickle, Sr.
Carson Collier, Sr.
X
Kash Jastrow, Jr. or
Tucker Beaty, Jr.
ROVER
Noah Rogers, Sr.
Austin Luckey, Sr.
FREE SAFETY
Bryson Sanders, Sr.
Reed Noble, Sr.
WHIP
Isaac Lomas, Jr. or
Davis Darby, Sr. or
Jaxson Kennedy, Jr.
CORNERBACK
Troy Ceballos, Jr. or
Gabriel Rodriguez, Sr.
CORNERBACK
Blaine Belcher, Jr. or
Michael Duran, Sr.
SPECIAL TEAMS
PUNTER
Caleb Holbert, Sr. or
Jaxson Kennedy, Jr. or
Parker Neal, Jr.
LONG SNAPPER
Aiden Perez, Jr.
Brayan Sandoval, Sr.
HOLDER
Parker Neal, Jr.
KICKER
Caleb Holbert, Sr.
PUNT RETURNER
Jimmy Edwards, Sr.
Gavin Johnson, Jr.
KICK RETURNER
Jimmy Edwards, Sr.
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