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Dallas Kuykendall may have just one year of head coaching experience under his belt, but he already knows what it takes to win football games.

A native of Cleveland, TN, Kuykendall spent the 2022 season as head coach at Chuckey-Doak, leading the Black Knights to a 10-2 record and to the second round of the Class 3A playoffs.

And now, he has the opportunity to win football games in Morristown.

On Monday morning, Kuykendall was announced as Morristown East’s head football coach.

“It’s an exciting time for me in my life,” Kuykendall said. “I am excited about the opportunity here. I am excited about the passion of the community and the administration. Everyone wants this thing to be great. When you have a train going like that, you want to hop on as fast as you can and be a part of something special.”

Morristown East Principal Joe Ely, who introduced Kuykendall to the team on Monday morning in the Morristown East auditorium, said that they are confident in their decision and with Coach Kuykendall at the helm.

“Under the leadership of Coach Kuykendall, we anticipate a bright future for our football program,” Ely said. “With his guidance, we are confident that our student-athletes will continue to develop their skills, reach new levels of success and become positive contributors to their community.”

A graduate of Walker Valley High School and Tusculum University, Kuykendall began his coaching career at Chuckey-Doak in 2019. There, he served as their linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator until 2021. Following the departure of Matt Ripley after the 2021 season, Kuykendall took over as head coach at C-D.

During his lone season in charge, Kuykendall went undefeated in conference play, led all of Region 3A in points scored and finished with a defense that allowed just 17 points per game. The Black Knights won their first home playoff game in school history, and Kuykendall was named the TSSAA Region 1-3A Coach of the Year and the TnFCA 3A Coach of the Year.

With all of this in mind, it was a tough decision for Kuykendall to leave Chuckey-Doak. However, when he saw the opportunity in front of him, he knew he had to take it.

“It was a very tough decision,” Kuykendall said. “I loved my time at Chuckey-Doak and have no hard feelings there. What it came down to was my family and my future and goals. I saw an opportunity that doesn’t come around very often, and I decided to try and put my best foot forward to that opportunity. And the rest was history.”

Despite having just one year of head coaching experience, Kuykendall learned a lot about running a football program during his year in charge at Chuckey-Doak.

“I learned how to organize things in a way that prioritized everything,” Kuykendall said. “As a head football coach, there’s a lot of things that come at you during that day that you have to prioritize. I learned to not to be a micromanager but to allow coaches to coach. And to just be a players-coach so that they know that you love them and everything you are doing is for them. Those things go a long way when you talk about a team playing and being successful.”

After being in Class 3A with Chuckey-Doak, it will be a step up for Kuykendall in taking on the best of the best in 6A. However, Kuykendall played in 6A at Walker Valley and knows what it takes to compete on that level.

“6A is the best of the best and the biggest of the biggest when it comes to Tennessee,” Kuykendall said. “You’re going to see quality opponents every single week. There are no cupcakes on the schedule, and you have to prepare the right way. There’s a lot of good football in 3A, and it’s just amplified in 6A. You just have to be prepared and match what your opponent is doing and give your best effort when you go out and compete.”

Offensively, Kuykendall said that they will run a pistol formation. Defensively, the ‘Canes will play more hybrid, throwing out different looks depending on the team.

Kuykendall considers himself a defensive-minded coach having played linebacker in high school and college and coached on the defensive side of the ball at Chuckey-Doak, but has come to love the offensive side of the ball as a head coach. He said he will also have a coaching staff that he trusts to handle things offensively and defensively.

“I very-much am a defensive-minded coach with a lot of my time being spent on that side of the ball,” Kuykendall said. “But I love offense now as a head coach. You kind of have to. The staff we are going to have in place will be second to none. The guys are going to be good coaches and love the kids and will be able to handle that side of the football. I’ll have my way around everyone, but defense is really where I love to be.”

As far as goals in year one, Kuykendall wants to build a positive culture and set the foundation for the years to come.

“When you come in and take over a program, you have to set the foundation,” Kuykendall said. “In year one, you have to be intentional when it comes to culture and you kids. Just making sure that they know that you are there for him. Just really trying to build something that is special.”

Kuykendall will get his start with the team come spring as he looks to focus on fundamentals and the way that he wants his team to practice.

“We just want to work on those things in the spring and start building up that culture into the summer,” Kuykendall said.

Morristown East’s first game under Kuykendall will be a big test as the ‘Canes will square off with Morristown West for the 52nd City Championship. West has won the past two contests.

For Kuykendall, he has been in attendance to watch the rivalry multiple times and is excited to be on the sideline for it come August 18.

“I have been to a couple,” Kuykendall said. “My wife (Alysha Kuykendall) is a Morristown East grad and her sister was in the band when we first got together. The environment is like no other. Hopefully we put our best foot forward and represent the East side of Morristown the right way and really get after it and compete. We’ll cross that bridge in August when we get there.”