Karlos Odum and the Evans High football squad was ready to hit the field for the first practice of the 2026 season on Monday, slated for 4 p.m. Almost to the exact second, however, there was another event scheduled at the same time that preempted Evans’ attempt to get on the field.
Read more Commentary: Hunger is the prescription I can’t write
Lighting rolled into the areas near downtown Orlando, and it halted practice for Evans, Jones, Edgewater and Olympia. Many Orange County schools, however, decided to avoid the daily routine of waiting out the dicey Florida afternoon weather, and scheduled practices in the morning.
“Afternoons are too crazy,” West Orange head coach Geno Thompson said.
At Orlando University High, like Edgewater, the workouts were limited to indoor activities.
“We did some indoor weightlifting and handed out some equipment,” University head coach Dave Carrington said.
Orlando-area 2026 High School Football Transfer Tracker
The Evans team confined itself to meeting rooms as the weather hovered overhead. The Trojans enter the season with high expectations, although not many people know exactly what to expect. The Trojans, as head coach Karlos Odum says, “only look good on paper.”
“We gotta put it on the grass on Friday nights,” Odum said.
More than 15 transfers give Evans a whole new look, and the marquee name among those transfers is quarterback Will Jackson, a 6-foot-5, 200-pounder with a big arm who is committed to Maryland.
Orlando’s top receiver, Brian Dillard, is also headed to Evans, transferring from The First Academy, along with cornerback David Coleman. The transfer of those two players is still in the works, and the paperwork isn’t even dry yet. With Jackson, Dillard and transfer running back Daveon Williams, the offense looks to be in good hands.
While the offense rides mostly on the arm of Jackson, Odum also knows he will have a pretty stingy defense, as usual, led by sack master, senior defensive end Chris Sanon. He is built more like a college linebacker, and Sanon will see more linebacker action this year. Safety Demetre Pryor roams the backfield, and he enters the season with the most interceptions of any defensive back in Central Florida with 7 picks in each of his first two seasons.
So Evans will be salty. It’s just a matter of how the coaching staff can mold the addition of nearly 20 new bodies.
Read more Letters: 2 executions too much for prison workers | Data center bait-and-switch
Odum says no problem.
“The thing about football is that it’s blocking, running, catching and tackling, so we put the kids in the system, teach it to them and coach them,” Odum said. “And if they can run, block, tackle and catch, then they’re gonna be all right. They’ll fit in. They’ll figure it out.”
But it will take the patience and guidance of the coaching staff to put it all together, because 20 new players could be chaos. With the right coaches around them, organization can be made simple. Lake Mary had 27 transfers come in last year, and things weren’t perfect at the start. Evans even thumped Lake Mary 40-14 last year in Week 8. Lake Mary turned around and won the 7A state title,
“It’s the leadership of the coaches that makes a difference for the kids and makes them successful. It’s the leadership part,” Odum said. “Fortunately, I’m around a great coaching staff where I can just lead … my coaches coach and run the schemes and everything and I’m here to support them.”
Odum also knows there are people who heap expectations on his program due to the influx of players like Jackson and Dillard, adding more talent to a team that was 8-3 last year. Odum doesn’t hear the noise outside of his locker room. He has a simple mentality.
“I don’t have any expectations. Mine is to go 1-0 every week,” Odum said. “We play Wekiva in our last game on the schedule, and we’ll see how it is then. I try to just stay focused on one game at a time. If we just focus on ourselves, then I think we can be pretty good.”
One of the biggest games of the season comes early. Jones visits for a Week 2 date, and the rivalry will be loaded with plenty of chatter leading up to the contest. Odum is hoping the fans will show up. Much of the fan support during his first three years at Evans has been disappointing.
“I don’t really understand it,” Odum said of fans not showing up to support the players. “Big games like that they might come out and be a lot of them here, but the next week there might be 30-50 people. It’s crazy.”
Read more As North America grapples with destructive wildfires, ‘super’ El Niño may offer hope
Chris Hays can be found on X.com @OS_ChrisHays