A new quarterback will be taking the field for the Tulare Union High School football team this season.
Jordan Crisp, who threw for more than 11,000 yards with 126 touchdowns, graduated in June and is now at College of the Sequoias.
Crisp was the Tribe’s starting quarterback from 2022-25, playing in 38 career games.
So who will be replacing Crisp?
Kylan Henderson — a sophomore with football pedigree.
Henderson’s older brother, Braylan, is a senior offensive lineman at Fresno State. The 6-foot-3 Braylan Henderson also played at Tulare Union for head coach Darren Bennett, earning first-team All-West Yosemite League honors in 2022.
Listed at 6-2 and 170 pounds, Kylan Henderson brings a college-level frame to the quarterback position at Tulare Union for the first time since Nathan Lamb lined up behind center. The 6-3 Lamb went on to start at College of the Sequoias and at the NCAA Division I level with Western Illinois University.
Henderson showed promise in the summer, leading Tulare Union to the championship at the Roger Kelly Redwood Passing Tournament. The Tribe defeated Immanuel to win the 7-on-7 tournament title. He was Tulare Union’s starting junior varsity quarterback as a freshman last season.
“He’s smart,” Bennett said. “He’s got football in his genes. He’s got a strong arm. He’s a big, physical kid and he’s a heck of an athlete.”
Henderson will have one of the top receivers in the state at his disposal in senior wideout Demaje Riley, a Fresno State verbal commit. Riley, who enters this season with more than 3,000 career receiving yards, is a four-year starter and is also now one of the team’s veteran leaders.
Henderson and Riley spent time in the offseason connecting on and off the field, often going to the park to work on timing and establishing a quarterback-receiver relationship.
“We’ve been working on our bond because we don’t have as strong a bond as I had with Jordan,” Riley said. “Just working on that bond, as the games go by, I think we will get better.”
Riley will pair up with returning wideout Frankee Allen to give Henderson a solid one-two punch.
Allen, the cousin of former Tulare Union star Kazmeir Allen, will start at one of Tulare Union’s three receiver positions. Jaylon King will also start at the “Y” position.
As a junior in 2025, Allen hauled in 27 passes for 330 yards and two touchdowns in a senior-heavy offense.
A year older, Allen will take on a bigger receiving role this season.
“Frankee, he’s been balling this summer,” Riley said. “He’s been working on catching the ball, making moves and scoring.”
Osie Early — a 6-1, 190-pound sophomore — will start at running back after starting at defensive end last season.
“He’s big,” Bennett said. “He’s physical.”
Early will run behind an experienced offensive line.
Tulare Union returns four of its five starters on the offensive line in left tackle Rex Del Real (6-3, 265), left guard Chaos Quintana (6-1, 257), center Favian Brito (5-10, 230) and right tackle John David Tenhet (6-4, 270).
That group helped the Tribe amass nearly 5,000 yards of total offense and 67 touchdowns last season.
“It’s great,” Riley said. “They’re so experienced. They know what’s going to happen. They’re going to give our quarterback more time than what Jordan had last year because they’re so experienced in the games.”
Bennett shared similar sentiments.
“I’m so excited for our offensive line,” Bennett said.
Tulare Union has a brutal schedule this season. All 10 of their opponents — Mission Oak, Kennedy-Delano, Lemoore, Bakersfield, Bakersfield Christian, Redwood, Hanford, Golden West, Central Valley Christian and Tulare Western — advanced to the playoffs last season.
Kennedy (Division III) and Bakersfield Christian (Division I-A) each won a Central Section championship in 2025. Kennedy also won the CIF State Division 3-A title.
Bakersfield advanced to the Central Section Division II title game as well. CVC and Hanford are also coming off league championship seasons, and Golden West and Redwood both won nine games last year.
“This is the toughest schedule we’ve had in a long time,” Bennett said.
Tulare Union Tribe
Head coach: Darren Bennett, 32nd season
Coaching staff: Phil Pineiro (associate head coach/defensive coordinator), D.J. Bennett (offensive coordinator), Maleek Brown (offensive line), Jacob Fernandez (defensive backs), Fernando Valadao (defensive line), Emoriye Edwards (receivers), Bryson Nothstein (linebackers), Zach Wilson (outside linebackers), Ben Dillon (running backs/special teams), Anthony Meadows (tight ends)
Roster size: 42
Base offense/defense: Spread/3-4
2025 win-loss record: 9-3 (lost to Arroyo Grande in the Central Section Division II semifinals)
Impact players: WR Demaje Riley, WR Frankee Allen, QB Kylan Henderson, RB Osie Early, WR Michael Warner, C Favian Brito, OG Braylon Oliver, T JD Tenhet, T Rex Del Real, S Davion Williams, S Kamile Stevenson, LB Noah Soto
Schedule
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Tulare Union football reloads with new faces in 2026
Reporting by Vongni Yang, Visalia Times-Delta / Visalia Times-Delta
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Vongni Yang, Visalia Times-Delta | USA TODAY Network
