HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The 2022-2023 school year is descending upon Texas, and we all know what that means: some Friday night lights!
The video above is from our 24/7 Livestream.
It is a brand new season, with some fresh new faces and that familiar old feeling. The excitement of high school football is back.
The practice fields of Houston-area schools are filling up to prepare. Helmets are full of excitement with some very high expectations set. The grind is on for the start of the season, which is two weeks out from Thursday. However, the prep work had already started months prior.
Some of the top quarterbacks in the area have been putting in extra practice hours at J.P. Tillman's 5-star General Quarterback Academy.
Daily workouts in the blistering sun, all to become the best player they can be. Tillman, a Houston native, known as "the QB Technician," tries to teach every player about life with and without football.
Tillman attended Northland Christian School, where he started on the varsity football team as a true freshman and took the team to three straight playoff runs before transferring and grabbing the QB1 spot at Cypress Falls High School his senior year.
He was offered scholarships by 17 Division I schools and played his final year under the three-time HBCU national champion, Coach Rod Broadway.
After suffering multiple ailments and severe injuries throughout, Tillman's chance at a pro career was cut short. Since then, he has been coaching Houston elite quarterbacks for the past eight years.
Cy-Fair High School quarterback Trey Owens has been going to the academy since he was in third grade. He says he's learned everything he knows about quarterbacking from Tillman. Five-star QB recruit, Willis High School quarterback D.J. Lagway, considers Tillman not only his coach but a treasured mentor. Lagway is one of the top QB prospects in the country.
During this time of year, Tillman said he gets excited to see how much his players have learned when they take the field.