Mt. Juliet Christian Academy's football program will skip the TSSAA playoffs for the next two seasons and build its own schedule instead.

Coach Brett Ridenour told the Lebanon Democrat the move lets the Saints schedule 10 games against opponents closer to their size, plus a bowl game, rather than face region powers like defending Division II-A state champion Nashville Christian, Donelson Christian Academy and Friendship Christian.

"It gives us the ability to schedule opponents who fit our roster, what we have, what we're looking to build and what our future looks like …" Ridenour said.

The Saints' roster fell to fewer than 20 players this season after several athletes transferred under a new state rule. House Bill 25, signed by Gov. Bill Lee in February 2026 and effective July 1, allows Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) athletes to transfer once without penalty. MJCA principal and athletic director Matt Bradshaw told Main Street Preps the school lost seven football players to transfers since May 2026.

At midseason, the Saints are 0-3 and have been outscored 144-7, according to The Tennessean. They did not play games against Jo Byrns in Week 1 and Whites Creek in Week 3 because they did not have enough healthy players.

MJCA is the smallest football-playing school in Tennessee. TSSAA enrollment figures released Sept. 22 list the school at 98 students.

By comparison, First Assembly Christian School in Memphis has 122 students, the smallest Division II enrollment still in the playoff series. Ridenour said a few new students have enrolled since those figures came out.

Before choosing the independent route, MJCA tried to partner with Nashville charter school RePublic through a co-operative agreement. The TSSAA Board of Control denied that proposal on Aug. 17 in a 6-6 split vote.

MJCA is not alone in stepping away from the playoff structure. Christ Presbyterian Academy announced its departure from Division II-AAA on Sept. 22. Public schools Warren County in McMinnville and Howard Tech in Chattanooga are in their second year of independent schedules. Warren County, usually placed in regions with Rutherford County powers Oakland and Riverdale, is 3-3 this season without them.

Warren County Director of Schools Grant Swallows chairs the TSSAA Board of Control. About a decade ago, when Swallows was principal at White County High School, the Warriors pulled out of the playoffs for a two-year cycle to reset their program. White County is now a top-10 team in Class 4A, according to the Lebanon Democrat.

Schools had until Friday, Oct. 2, to declare whether they would play up in classification or opt out of the playoffs.

Ridenour said he is already working on future schedules and framed the rebuild in blunt terms to players and families. He compared the program to a fixer-upper house that needs to be torn down to the studs before it can be rebuilt. He added that students already in the building who have avoided football because of the competition level may now come out for the team.

The Saints' remaining 2026 region schedule includes matchups against DCA and Friendship Christian.