Most of the attention surrounding Crandall’s 2026 football team centers on who’s coming back. Just as important is who isn’t.
The Pirates return enough offensive talent to compete near the top of District 7-5A Division I, but graduation opened real gaps at quarterback, receiver, the defensive front and throughout the secondary.
Here’s a closer look at what Crandall actually has to replace.
Luke Vanlandingham — QB
Isaac Briones takes over as Crandall’s full-time quarterback, but replacing Vanlandingham involves more than picking up his passing snaps.
The graduated senior shared quarterback duties last season while still becoming one of the team’s most productive runners, throwing for 881 yards and eight touchdowns while adding 551 rushing yards and six more scores on the ground.
Vanlandingham’s dual-threat ability forced defenses to account for him even when he wasn’t throwing the football.
Briones already has real varsity experience of his own, having completed 69 of 101 passes for 789 yards and seven touchdowns in a shared role last season.
What he hasn’t shown yet is Vanlandingham’s rushing dimension, and Crandall may need to replace that production through its running backs rather than through Briones himself.
Lemahjae Collins — WR/DB
Collins leaves a significant opening in the secondary. He led Crandall in interceptions last season while also contributing at receiver, giving the Pirates a genuine playmaker on both sides of the ball.
The departure of the talented playmaker raises the stakes for returning defensive backs Davyn Davis and Jayden McCleary.While neither needs to replicate Collins’ exact role, one of them likely needs to become the new ballhawk this defense is missing.
Jay Carraway — Defensive Front
Carraway was one of Crandall’s leading tacklers and provided experience at the heart of the defense. His departure creates both a production gap and a leadership vacuum in the middle of the field.
Replacing the veteran defender will require the returning linebackers and defensive linemen to tackle more consistently against the run, a priority made more urgent by a schedule that includes several strong rushing attacks.
Kosaku Omo — Defensive Line
Omo supplied much of Crandall’s pass-rush production a year ago, and his graduation leaves the Pirates searching for pressure off the edge.
Senior defensive end Colton Craft is the most obvious candidate to help fill that void, but replacing a full season of consistent pressure rarely comes down to one player.
Crandall will likely need contributions from multiple linemen and linebackers to make up the difference.
Hezekiah Jordan — Receiver
Crandall also loses depth behind Jeremiah Douglas. Jordan was one of the team’s more productive secondary receiving options last season, giving quarterbacks a reliable target whenever defenses shifted extra attention toward Douglas.
That role is now open. King Franklin returns with varsity receiving experience and is the leading in-house candidate, but Crandall will use its non-district schedule to find out who else can fill it.
Offensive Line Turnover
Crandall returns several linemen, but this won’t be the same group that started every game a year ago, and that matters given how much the offense depends on running the football and protecting the quarterback long enough to get the ball to its receivers.
Brent Starr, Colton Braswell and Khylan Dyer are the returning pieces expected to provide continuity up front. The season’s opening stretch against Denton Braswell, Rowlett and Terrell should offer an immediate, unforgiving test of how well the rebuilt line holds up.
Leadership Is Part of the Equation Too
Not every graduation loss shows up in a stat line. Multi-year varsity players tend to handle communication, preparation and adversity differently than first-year starters, and Crandall’s departed seniors carried plenty of that experience with them.
Briones, Douglas, McCleary, Cayson Hardman and Craft will all need to absorb more of that responsibility this season, a task made more important by a move into a new district where almost every opponent will be unfamiliar.
The Defense Faces the Bigger Test
Crandall’s offensive losses look manageable because proven players return at quarterback, running back and receiver. The defense doesn’t have that same cushion.
Between Collins in the secondary, Carraway in the middle and Omo up front, Crandall lost production at three different levels of the unit, and no single returning player is positioned to replace all of it alone.
That’s the real story of Crandall’s offseason. The Pirates aren’t just hoping their best players take another step forward, they need several less-heralded returners to grow into the roles last year’s seniors left behind. How quickly that happens will likely determine whether Crandall’s 2026 season matches its offensive potential.
