Philip Shadowens (center), coaches at The Knoxville Catholic Legacy Football Camp on Hollin Field at Blaine Stadium on Saturday, July 8, 2023, in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Danny Parker)
BY JESSE SMITHEY
Knoxville Catholic announced the hiring of Philip Shadowens as the school’s new head football coach Tuesday.
But he’s not really new to the Irish.
Shadowens was co-interim head coach for the football team this past season, along with Steve Matthews — who was announced as head coach at Farragut’s Concord Christian School on Monday.
Shadowens and Matthews were meant to be coordinators for the Irish when they joined the Catholic staff in early 2023. But when newly hired Dean Cokinos opted in July to not take the head-coaching job at Catholic that he agreed to back in December 2022, then the school made Shadowens and Matthews co-head coaches in the interim.
“I think the program just continues to move forward,” Shadowens said. “Obviously, everyone does things a little bit different. This year, Steve ran the offense and I ran the defense. We’re going to continue to be a fast-paced spread offense. That’s not going to change. Terminology might be tweaked or whatever with how we’re going to do things on offense.
“But we’re going to continue to build the program to what everyone expects it to be and what we want it to be.”
While he made a name for himself in the Tennessee high school coaching fraternity while in the midstate, Shadowens has spent the last nine seasons in East Tennessee. He took over as head coach at William Blount in March 2015. He coached the Governors until January 2022, when he resigned and ultimately, months later, took on the head-coaching duties at the new Eagleton College & Career Academy school in Blount County.
Shadowens joined the Catholic staff officially in early February 2023 and helped the Irish make a state semifinals appearance in Division II-AAA this past fall.
“There’s never a question about if you’re going to face someone that’s not schematically sound. That’s not going to happen. Everyone you face in that league is schematically sound. They’re going to spend a lot of time preparing for everything they do. So you have to make sure that everything you do that you’re prepared and you’re sound and correct in what you’re doing,” Shadowens said of the rigors of Division II-AAA.
“They’re all going to have really, really good players. It’s probably the best league in Tennessee and one of the best in the Southeast, really, to be honest, if you look at all the prospects and Power 5 guys on every team. From that standout, players are going to win ballgames. But you know you have to be prepared. It reminds me a whole lot of, back in the day, when Rutherford County football was so strong with multiple teams. You had a chance to win every week. You had a chance to lose every week. That’s certainly the case in this league.”
Shadowens had plenty of success over in Rutherford County. He led Smyrna to consecutive 5A state titles in 2006 and 2007 and also guided Murfreesboro Blackman to 59 wins in seven seasons (2009-15). He led the Blaze to three 6A state quarterfinal appearances and one semifinals appearance.