Here’s a list of all the true freshmen starting on offense and defense for East Tennessee State’s football team.
- KJ Gillespie
… and that’s it.
So what did the 6-2, 244-pound Gillespie do to carve out such a key role so early at ETSU? How did he go from playing the Hough Huskies a year ago, to now preparing to step inside Keenan Stadium and take on the North Carolina Tar Heels this Saturday (Noon, ACC Network)?
“KJ’s got a maturity about him that’s unique,” ETSU coach Will Healy said Monday. “He’s got a process about him that’s unique. He doesn’t act like a freshman. His talent level is not at a freshman level. But he’s also very, from what I see, he’s extremely happy being here. That matters to me as well. He’s a talented guy who’s capable of playing anywhere in the country.”
“There’s always room for improvement,” Gillespie said. “I’m pushing nyself every day, pushing the guys in the room. They’re pushing me. I’m the freshman in the room, not the youngest guy in the roon. Just those guys pushing me, I feel like I’ve got more in the tank. Our whole defensive line group has more in the tank. We’re pushing and striving and strive for greatness every day.”
The tale of how Gillespie ended up in Johnson City speaks to his talent level. Gillespie originally committed to Virginia Tech in the summer of 2025, but re-opened his recruitment in September after Brent Pry was let go as head coach.
Healy recalled that Gillespie’s journey to ETSU started with a phone call from Zac Alley, the defensive coordinator at West Virginia:
“He and I worked together in Charlotte and kind of did some background on KJ and he’s like, ‘Man, we’re dying to have him in West Virginia.’ And so you knew his talent and then you got him on campus and you’re like, OK, hold on. He’s an incredible person, too. And to me, this is why you go recruit high school guys. They have an opportunity to come in and play early. They’re exceptional leaders.”
It certainly helped ETSU’s chances to land Gillespie, who committed on Jan. 26 and signed five days later, that the Bucs added defensive line coach J.C. Price to their staff. Price had previously been at Virginia Tech, and heavily involved with that program’s pursuit of the North Carolinian.
“He’s been such a tremendous ambassador for ETSU football this year, and the sky’s the limit for him,” Healy said of Gillespie. “I think that he’s only going to get better this year.”
Gillespie spoke about the impact that Price has had on him to date:
“Coach Price demands greatness. He has a quote that he comes in and he says it all the time: ‘It’s not what he demands, it’s what the game demands.’ And it’s true. The game demands a lot from you. And it’s gonna show who you really are. That’s really it.”
Now Gillespie and the rest of the Bucs head into one of the venerable cathedrals of college ball in the Southeast. Just don’t expect Gillespie, who grew up about two hours away from Chapel Hill, to be star-struck. He didn’t even grow up rooting for the Tar Heels.
“I was a Duke fan,” Gillespie said. “Actually a big fight in my household. I got three other siblings. Me and my little brother, Duke fans. Rest of the family is UNC. I’m definitely going in with a little chip on my shoulder, talking smack in the house and stuff. It’s gonna be really fun.”