Brentwood Academy, Knoxville Catholic football to play on ESPN in October

Brentwood Academy and Knoxville Catholic will become the first two Tennessee high school football teams to play on an ESPN network since Oakland hosted Hillsboro in 2016 when the two teams meet on Oct. 3 at Catholic.

The two Division II-AAA programs feature five recruits among the state's top 50 for the Class of 2020 and three for the Class of 2021.

"It's no secret how ESPN picks these games," Brentwood Academy coach Cody White said. "It's where the offers are."

White said he believes the game will be on ESPN2. The HIllsboro-Oakland game was shown on ESPNU.

Catholic coach Steve Matthews confirmed the game was on one of ESPN's network options to the USA Today Network.

Catholic's lineup features defensive end Tyler Baron, the No. 4 player in Tennessee for 2020 according to the 247Sports Composite; Clemson commitment and guard Bryn Tucker, the No. 7 prospect; Tennessee commitment and center Cooper Mays, the No. 9 prospect; and Marshall commitment and receiver Chancellor Bright, the No. 44 prospect.

Brentwood Academy's Devyn Curtis, an inside linebacker, is the No. 18 prospect for 2020. The Eagles also have feature offensive tackle Eli Sutton, the No. 4 prospect for Tennessee in 2021; offensive guard Noah Josey, the No. 11 prospect for 2021; and defensive end James Stewart, the No. 22 prospect.

Baron, Tucker and Mays are all in the top 315 overall prospects in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite.

Brentwood Academy has won four straight Division II state titles, including two straight in Division II-AAA.

The Eagles have defeated Catholic the past two years in a non-region game by a combined 90-17. The Irish are entering their first year in Division II after previously competing in Division I's Class 5A.

"It's neat for the kids," White said. "We've played on some TV games (in the past). It's a neat thing, but it's more of a pain."

Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Kreager.