JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 25, 2026) – The ETSU football team wrapped up its spring practices with the annual Ballad Health Spring Game on Saturday afternoon at Bank of Tennessee Filed at William B. Greene Jr. Stadium. In game pitting the ETSU offense against the Buccaneer defense, the Bucs' defense came away on top.  
 
"I'm very appreciative of the fans that came out today," said ETSU Head Football Coach Will Healy. "We had a good crowd, and they braved the weather until the end. Overall, it was a great day. The game was clean, crisp and no new injuries came out of it. I'm not only very pleased with how today went but also how the whole spring went as we look forward to this season."
 
Saturday's spring game began with an efficient scoring drive for the offense. Following a couple of first downs, Georgia State transfer TJ Peyton found pay dirt on a five-yard touchdown run.
 
The next four drives, which were led by four different quarterbacks, all led to points for the ETSU defense. Tennessee transfer Trey Weary hauled in a few catches that led to first downs. However, the defense stiffened to force three punts and a turnover on downs. On the fifth drive of the game, the defense held the offense to three yards in three plays to force the first three-and-out on the day.
 
After being quiet for a few drives, the Buccaneer offense broke through with Jake McNamara under center. A 26-yard strike from McNamara to USF transfer Brandon Winton started the drive for ETSU. In one of the biggest splash plays on the day, McNamara connected with UL Monroe transfer Tyler Griffin for a 41-yard touchdown pass on a flea flicker to make the score 19-14 in favor of the defense.
 
The defense emphatically ended the next drive on a fourth down with a sack by Jarvis Johnson and Josiha Mason and then they forced their second three-and-out drive of the day after that.
 
Some of ETSU's youngest players on offense fueled their next score. Jackson Byrd kickstarted the drive with a 26-yard pass to Izay Bridges. Freshman Josh Buckhalter caught a pass that moved the chains that set up a 30-yard touchdown run by Marist transfer Shamar Jenkins.
 
In the final drive of the game, McNamara found Tommy Winton (23-yard reception) and Vashawn Nalls (13-yard reception) on passes to move into the defense's territory. The defense closed the day with a stop on fourth-and-two to seal the win for the defense.
 
The Buccaneers will kick off next season with back-to-back home games against Campbell on August 29 and Tusculum on September 5. Season tickets for the 2026 season are on sale now. Please call the ETSU Ticket Office at (423) 439-3878 or email tickets@etsu.edu to get reserve your seats today.
 
For more information on Buccaneer football, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the football tab.