Chattanooga, Tenn. – For Brandon Johnson, becoming the new head football coach at Dalewood Middle School is about more than leading a team. It is about building a program that prepares students for the next level while giving them a sense of belonging and structure along the way.
Johnson, who has spent the past three years as a defensive coordinator at Brainerd High School, is taking on the new role while continuing his work as a teacher and coach. Having served as Dalewood’s track coach for the past two years, Johnson has had the opportunity to build relationships with students and become part of the school community.
Now, he is bringing that experience to Dalewood football with a vision that extends beyond the middle school field.
As a feeder school for Brainerd High, Dalewood plays an important role in the future of the Panthers’ football program. Johnson, Brainerd’s Head Football Coach Sammy Seamster, and his coaching staff are working to strengthen the connection between the two programs. The goal is to give students a clear pathway from middle school into high school and prepare them for the expectations of varsity football.
Seamster encouraged Johnson to take over the Dalewood program, believing his experience with both schools, coaching ability, and commitment to mentoring students made him the right person to strengthen that connection.
“He said, ‘Coach, what are we going to do about the middle school?’” Johnson said recalling a conversation with Seamster. “‘That’s where we’re supposed to be getting our kids from. We don’t really have a presence over there.’”
For Johnson, the opportunity is about making the transition to high school football less overwhelming for Dalewood athletes and providing them a space to grow as athletes and individuals.
“My main focus is to really teach these kids the game and break it down to them to where, when they get up to this level, it's not such a shell shock,” Johnson said.
That work has already begun. Johnson has spent the summer working with Dalewood athletes, emphasizing preparation, structure, and commitment.
“I want them to understand that it takes preparation,” he said. “We’ve got to prepare to be able to go out there on the field. And I think once we correct that mindset, we’ll start seeing the changes.”
The vision will eventually extend beyond Dalewood. Johnson wants middle school athletes to spend time around the Brainerd program, becoming familiar with its systems and expectations. He also wants Dalewood athletes to become part of the culture surrounding Brainerd football by participating in game-day traditions and cheering on the varsity team during games.
“I’m hoping for growth, getting more kids out and playing,” Seamster said. “Let them come together, and let them see, these are my brothers. Brainerd is just my older brothers.”
Johnson’s approach to coaching is shaped by his own experiences. Born in Chattanooga and raised in New Orleans, he returned to the area following Hurricane Katrina. He has faced hardships of his own, but persevered. He went on to play Division I football at Louisiana-Lafayette and has earned multiple degrees, now interested in furthering his education by earning his Ed.D. in educational leadership.
The experiences Johnson has faced have strengthened his belief that students need people who believe in them, push them, and show them what is possible. Johnson’s passion for his athletes is evident in the way he approaches coaching. He sees his role as more than teaching football; he wants to be a mentor who helps students recognize their potential and believe in what they can accomplish.
“I’m really trying to help these kids realize that if they work hard, they can do something,” Johnson said.
For Johnson, that lesson is just as important as developing his athletes’ skills on the football field. He believes strong relationships are essential to helping students grow and wants his athletes to develop the mental strength to handle adversity.
“The body is easy to train,” he said. “It’s the mind that you have to change.”
As Johnson begins his first season at Dalewood, he hopes to build more than a football team. He wants to create a program where students are prepared for the next level, connected to their teammates and confident in what they can accomplish. He is focused on building the foundation one student and one practice at a time.
“I’m excited to see it come together for him,” Seamster said. “See our vision that we have come true, and be able to celebrate that.”
“They need us just as much as we need them,” Johnson said. “And if we can get everybody on this same page … then not only would the kids be successful, the programs would be successful.”
