HAWKINS COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) has placed the football team at Volunteer High School under probation due to alleged infractions related to recruiting and practice protocols.
In a communication from TSSAA Executive Director Mark Reeves, the association addressed accusations that Volunteer High School breached TSSAA’s stipulated sports calendar and regulations concerning recruitment.
In an incident report, the TSSAA detailed that head coach Jeremy Wagner engaged with a student and his parent from Cherokee High School at the Volunteer team’s facility. The student allegedly participated in activities that TSSAA classifies as practice. Furthermore, Volunteer reportedly held offseason practices beyond the ten days permitted for such activities.
Reeves’s letter confirmed the accuracy of these findings:
Volunteer High School conducted organized activities with more than six players that would be considered practice, as defined in Article IV, Section 8, of the TSSAA Sports Calendar, on at least three occasions. These activities were not part of the ten days of offseason practice permitted within a fifteen-day consecutive period outlined in the TSSAA Sports Calendar.
A Volunteer High School student who lives with Coach Wagner reached out to a Cherokee High School student and invited him to a “Sunday training”. Coach Wagner is the student’s legal guardian. Coach Wagner denies having any knowledge of this invitation.
The Cherokee High School student and his father went to the Volunteer High School field house and met with Coach Wagner.
The Cherokee High School student participated in organized activities for 30-40 minutes, which would be defined as practice under the TSSAA Sports Calendar.
Coach Wagner contacted at least one university on behalf of the Cherokee High School student while he and his father were on the Volunteer High School campus
News Channel 11 reached out to Hawkins County Schools Superintendent Matt Hixson, who said in a statement that the school system has worked with the TSSAA throughout the investigation and supports the decision made:
“Hawkins County Schools has worked closely with TSSAA during this investigation, and we fully support their decision regarding recent allegations made against the Volunteer Falcon Football team. We are working closely with Volunteer High School administration, athletic director, and football coaching staff to ensure that the Falcon Football team is fully compliant with TSSAA-issued directives. Furthermore, we are working with our personnel department, school administration, and the athletic department to ensure clear expectations and structures are in place to prevent any future violations. We are thankful for TSSAA’s guidance and support through this process.”
Matt Hixson, Superintendent of Hawkins County Schools
Reeves wrote that TSSAA guidelines say any coach who is contacted about a student of another school attending the school where he or she coaches should tell them to contact the administration or other school officials who work in admissions.
“The investigation conducted by Volunteer High School and the TSSAA office confirmed that these guidelines were not followed,” the letter states.
The TSSAA only allows students who are enrolled and in regular attendance at a school to participate in its practices.
TSSAA bylaws prohibit recruiting, which is defined in the bylaws as “the use of influence on a student or the parents or guardians of a student, by any person(s) directly or indirectly associated with the school, to secure or retain a student for athletic purposes.”
Volunteer will face three penalties for the violations, according to the letter.
First, the football program will not be allowed to have any additional off-season practice opportunities during the 2025-26 school year. Coaches can keep providing individual instruction to no more than six players per day.
Second, Volunteer’s football program will only be permitted to conduct five days of offseason practice within a 15-day period during the 2026-27 school year.
Lastly, the football program will be placed on probation through the end of the 2027-28 school year, which will result in a $1,000 fine ($500 per year of probation).
Sports programs placed on probation are still eligible for postseason play.
The TSSAA warned that any further violations of a similar nature will result in additional disciplinary action.
Reeves also wrote that the Cherokee student who visited Volunteer will be ineligible to play football for the Falcons for 12 months if he enrolls there.
“We appreciate your cooperation in this challenging matter,” Reeves wrote. “We hope that Volunteer High School will take the necessary measures to prevent this type of situation from occurring again.”
2025 marked Wagner’s first season as Volunteer’s head football coach. The Falcons went 7-4 after back-to-back winless seasons.
