By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Jansen Acklin is taking over at Liberty after spending the last three seasons on staff.
Acklin is one of the program’s most decorated players – an all-state receiver, posting 48-758-12 in 2013 and 69-897-11 in 2014 – helping the Eagles to a 31-6 record over his final three seasons. He followed that up with a productive career at Evangel where he led the Crusaders with 728 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 2019.
He now takes over for Brock Kenega who retired at the end of last school year, grabbing the reins of a program that he and his brothers helped lead to prominence while playing for their dad, Darin Acklin.
To say that this job is a little special would be an understatement as he seeks to build on the legacy of a program that has had eight 10-win seasons since 2010 with six district titles.
While he plans on adding his own wrinkles, it will still look like Liberty Football.
“This program has meant so much to me since my dad took over as head coach back in 2003,” said Acklin. “I was at every practice and every game from then until I graduated. It’s a surreal feeling thinking back to then and seeing it all come full circle to now. I can’t say enough great things about the kids, community, and staff here at Liberty. It’s a dream come true for me to be in this position.
“One of the many great things about this program is that characteristics like discipline, accountability, and commitment have all been established as a must in the program for over a decade now. Those are things that I learned as a player here and will continue to hold of high importance to current and future players in our program.”
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The Eagles do return 12 total starters from last year’s 11-1 district championship group, led by quarterback Carter Pruett.
The senior is a four-year starter that earned all-area honors last year. He’ll be joined by an outstanding trio of receivers in seniors Eli Moore and Adrien Pendegraft, as well as junior Gavin Reese.
All four players will also see major roles defensively.
“We feel very fortunate to have a quarterback that is going on his fourth season as a starter to lead our offense this year,” said Acklin. “We have a dynamic group of skill players.
“Eli is one of our strongest guys in the weight room. Adrien is our speedster. Gavin has been the ultimate utility guy for us since his freshman year.”
Liberty will also bring back plenty of size and experience in the trenches.
Senior Brody Rutledge (6-2, 225) will lead the offensive line and defense after earning all-state honors last year. He’ll be joined on the line by classmates Wyatt Honeycutt (5-10, 190) and Jake Carl (6-3, 215), while sophomore Jaren Rutledge (6-0, 210) will also see an increased role.
They’ll all see defensive roles as well.
“We will have a lot of new faces to replace our talented class we lost to graduation last year,” said Acklin. “We expect a fast and physical defense that plays with a lot of grit every single play.”
Acklin is also excited about several newcomers to Friday night lights.
Senior Ashton Conley, as well as sophomores DeWayne McClellan, Kyle Roberts, Eddie Rodriguez, Tytus Jester and Brayden Mays will all be in contention for reps at receiver and in the secondary. Junior Chris Sharr is also in that conversation, in addition to freshman Jasper Melby.
Juniors Robert Thall, Parker Foster, Leon Rinear, Quenton Reese and Kenyon Walls, as well as sophomore Matt Bushong, Aiyden Powell, Hayden Oziah, Tyler Glasscock, Tucker Thomas and Lukas Carl will all compete for spots on the offensive line, as well as defensive roles. Freshman Preston Shoulders is also in contention.
Joe Conley – who saw significant minutes as a sophomore – is also being penciled in for a significant two-way role.
Following last year’s postseason loss to Seneca, the Eagles now find themselves competing with yet another Big 8 power.
As Acklin prepares Liberty to again compete for conference and district titles, the emphasis will be daily growth.
“We must focus on getting better every week and staying together through the ups and downs,” said Acklin. “We will embrace any adversity we face throughout the regular season to prepare us to play our best football in the postseason.”
Liberty will host rival Strafford on Aug. 25 to open the 2023 regular season.
