Brentwood Academy, Maryville football violate TSSAA recruiting rule

Brentwood Academy self-imposed sanctions on its football program this week for violating the TSSAA recruiting rule following a TSSAA inquiry, according to a document obtained by The Tennessean. According to a letter from TSSAA executive director Mark Reeves to Brentwood Academy Head of School Dr. John Patterson, the school will forfeit five days of spring football practice, and Eagles coach Paul Wade will be suspended from team activities for five days.

BA athletic director Jason Mathews will also conduct training for all athletic coaches on the recruiting guidelines as written in the TSSAA handbook, using this situation as a case study. The violation occurred when the Brentwood Academy football’s X social media account responded to another account's post welcoming two athletes who intend to transfer to the school for the 2026 TSSAA football season. The BA account responded to the post, welcoming the students, according to the TSSAA's letter.

More: How rampant is school to school recruiting? Nashville coaches speak up More: Illegal recruiting? TSSAA Board of Control members voice concern in one-time transfer era BA will not face any further discipline from the TSSAA on the matter and the students who were the subjects of the social media post remain eligible.

The TSSAA acknowledged that they took the correct steps to enroll at Brentwood Academy and concluded that the social media interaction did not influence their decision to do so. “While commenting or liking transfer announcements may seem inconsequential,” the TSSAA letter states, “when a student has signed a contract formally declaring their intent to transfer, such interactions can validate others who might be considering transferring to a school by commenting on or sharing their announcements through social media. For this reason, activities such as this are considered a violation of Article II, Section 17 (the recruiting rule).