Podcast 332 – A New Season, a New Stadium, and Players Who Make Dunwoody Proud – Coach Matt Schmitz

A New Season, a New Stadium, and Players Who Make Dunwoody Proud

Coach Matt Schmitz is back on the What’s Up Dunwoody podcast, and the Dunwoody football program is entering year two under Coach Schmitz with nearly 100 players on the roster. The biggest takeaway is not about wins, it is about how much these players reflect the community that raised them.

In This Episode

• Coach Matt Schmitz enters year two as Dunwoody High School’s head football coach, with a returning staff and nearly 100 players.
• Seacrest Stadium will give Dunwoody its own on-campus home field for the first time, instead of sharing one with Chamblee High School.
• Dunwoody alum Ryan Seacrest gave a roughly $1 million lead gift, and the Bring It Home campaign is raising an additional $1.5 million for a project of about $2.5 million.
• Players to watch include Bradley Stephens, Grant Pearch, Samuel Mattison, Joshua Gentile, Duke White, and Vincent El Bader.
• The late Coach Mike Nash’s dream of Dunwoody kids walking to their own home game is finally close to reality.

What Makes This Dunwoody Football Team Special?

My son Samuel went to the Wildcats’ football summer camp this year, and he came home talking about it for days. He loved the punt, pass, and kick drills. He really loved that the high school players paired up with the younger kids like big brothers. That small detail told me a lot about this program, and I made sure Coach heard that feedback.

Coach Schmitz sees it every summer. He talks about watching his high school players give up their time to help at the kiddie camp without rolling their eyes. They actually enjoy it. For Coach, that is one of the best parts of the whole week.

Here is my honest take. The quality of these kids is a mirror of the town they live in. When good people raise good little people, you tend to get good players. Dunwoody is a special place, and these boys prove it every time they interact with the community.

That is the thread that runs through this entire episode. It is not really about the scoreboard. It is about the character of the young men wearing the Wildcat jersey.

Why Are Dunwoody Families Choosing to Stay Home?

Something is shifting in Dunwoody, and Coach Schmitz feels it. More families are choosing public Dunwoody High School over the private schools. Eight kids from my son’s small private school are coming back this year alone. A few more are arriving from another private school down the road. Most private school students stay there. Not in Dunwoody.

Coach has a clear philosophy about all of this. Attracting new kids matters, but keeping the kids in your district matters even more. He calls it keeping the program whole.

Think about it this way. Marist has been around for a hundred years, and they will always get Dunwoody kids. But if Dunwoody can keep two or three players a year who might have left, that is a real win. Do that consistently, and the program grows on its own.

How Do the Junior Wildcats Feed the Program?

The Junior Wildcats are the youth football players who will one day fill the high school roster. They practice on the same field the high school team just left. They even share the same booster club.

Coach Schmitz and his staff hang around after their own practice to watch. They do not coach the little ones, because they do not want to step on the youth coaches’ toes. Instead, they show up, cheer, and get to know the kids.

That early connection matters. Young players learn what to expect at the next level. The high school coaches build relationships years before these kids ever suit up. By the time a Junior Wildcat reaches Dunwoody High School, the program already feels like home.

It is a simple system, and it works. Keep the local kids local. Let them grow up dreaming about Friday nights in a Wildcat uniform.

What Does Year Two Look Like for Coach Schmitz?

Year two is usually when a program takes its biggest jump. Coach Schmitz believes Dunwoody is right on schedule. His coaching staff is back, which means continuity, and continuity builds momentum.

The numbers back it up. Nearly 100 players are in the program right now, the highest count in years. A strong, experienced offensive line will likely be the strength of the team this fall.

There is real work to do on defense, though. Dunwoody is replacing eight starters there, and several of them were very good players. Coach knows a lot of young guys will have to step up fast.

Even so, the freshman and sophomore classes are loaded with talent. That is a good problem to have. When the youth pipeline stays full, the future mostly takes care of itself.

Which Dunwoody Wildcats Should You Watch in 2026?

If you are heading to a game this fall, here are the names to know. Coach Schmitz highlighted several players.

• Bradley Stephens, running back and defensive back, had four touchdowns and Player of the Game in last year’s Chamblee win.
• Grant Pearch, an offensive and defensive lineman, is the most recruited player on the team with Division I interest.
• Samuel Mattison and Joshua Gentile anchor the offensive line alongside Pearch as senior leaders.
• Duke White earned All-Region honors as a sophomore and returns as a key defender.
• Vincent El Bader is the senior captain on defense.

Coach kept it simple with Bradley Stephens at their end of season meeting. He told him just two things. Stay healthy, and stay out of trouble. Sometimes that is all a great player needs to hear.

What Is Seacrest Stadium and Why Does It Matter?

Here is the news that should have all of Dunwoody excited. Seacrest Stadium is coming, and it changes everything for Wildcat football. For the first time ever, Dunwoody will have its own home field right on campus.

Right now the Wildcats share a field. No DeKalb County school currently has its own on-campus stadium that it does not have to share.

Seacrest Stadium will end that. Dunwoody becomes the first DeKalb County high school with a dedicated home field of its own. The plan adds 2,000 seats to reach the 3,000 required to host varsity games. It also brings a new press box, restrooms, concessions, a ticket booth, fencing, landscaping, and a modern sound system.

This is the part that gets me. Coach Mike Nash dreamed of this for years. He wanted to see Dunwoody kids walk to their own home game. We are finally close to making that dream real.

Who Is Paying for Seacrest Stadium?

The stadium carries a famous name for a good reason. Ryan Seacrest is a 1992 Dunwoody High School graduate, and he made a major lead gift of around $1 million. The DeKalb County School Board approved naming it Seacrest Stadium in December 2025.

Here is what makes this a true community story. On top of Seacrest’s gift, local donors are raising an additional $1.5 million through the Bring It Home campaign. That puts the full project around $2.5 million, and as of this spring neighbors had already given more than $1.27 million toward their share. No taxpayer dollars are involved at all.

You can be part of it too. Donations start at just $20 and are tax deductible through the Dunwoody High School Community Association. Givers get recognized in game day programs and on the Founder’s Wall. Just visit bringithomedunwoody.com to chip in.

Honestly, I do not think enough people are talking about this stadium yet. So consider this my push. If you love Dunwoody, this is a project worth knowing about and supporting.

How Does Coach Mike Nash’s Legacy Live On?

You cannot tell this story without Coach Mike Nash. He was the longtime Dunwoody coach who passed away, and he meant the world to this community. He was also a friend of mine, so this part hits home.

Coach Schmitz took over the program Nash built. He talks about filling big shoes, but not in terms of wins and losses. He means filling the shoes of what Mike meant to Dunwoody.

The respect runs deep across the whole state. At a recent Georgia Tech seven on seven event, coaches from six different teams sought Schmitz out just to share what Mike meant to them. The same thing happened again at Athens Academy. Everywhere he goes, someone has something nice to say about Coach Nash.

Nash was named Grand Marshal of the Dunwoody 4th of July Parade not long before he passed. Now his dream of an on-campus stadium is being built. To me, the timing feels like something bigger than coincidence.

What Makes the Chamblee Rivalry and the Golden Spike So Fun?

Every season Dunwoody and Chamblee battle for the Golden Spike. The trophy honors the railroad history that once connected the two communities, and it has been awarded since 2014. Bragging rights are on the line every single year.

Last year’s meeting was a big one. It was the Georgia High School Football Hall of Fame game, played on statewide television, and Dunwoody won big. Bradley Stephens lit it up with four touchdowns that night.

The rivalry has extra star power now. Chamblee head coach Bob Swank has added serious football names to his staff. Pro Football Hall of Famer Ed Reed is the offensive coordinator. Former Baltimore Raven Jamal Lewis runs college recruiting, and both men have sons in the program.

Coach Schmitz keeps it friendly off the field. He says Swank is just a phone call away when he needs advice. On game night, though, both sides want to win badly. That is exactly what makes a rivalry great.

Why the July 4th Parade Means So Much in Dunwoody

I will admit my bias here. I am one of the co-chairs of the Dunwoody 4th of July Parade, so this topic is close to my heart. One of my favorite moments every year is the Dunwoody football team carrying the giant American flag.

That flag is enormous. It takes about a dozen players to carry it down the route. A bunch of hometown boys carrying the American flag is just hard to beat.

This year is extra special. It is the 50th year of the parade and the 250th birthday of the country. Two big anniversaries land in one celebration.

Coach Schmitz loves it too. He says he will have fifty kids excited to carry that flag. If you have never seen it in person, come out on July 4th. You will understand pretty quickly why we love this town.

Connect With Coach Matt Schmitz and Dunwoody Wildcat Football

Want to follow the Wildcats this season? Visit dunwoodyhsfootball.com for the schedule and roster. Then come out to a Friday night game and watch these players for yourself.

To support the new stadium, head to bringithomedunwoody.com. Every gift, big or small, helps bring Friday night lights home to Dunwoody.

What Is What’s Up Dunwoody?

What’s Up Dunwoody is a local media platform created by REALTOR® Matt Weber, focused on living in Dunwoody, moving to Dunwoody, and staying connected to the community. It began as a podcast and has grown into social media content, local guides, and two of the largest Dunwoody-focused Facebook groups where residents share recommendations and stay in the loop. Matt has expanded slightly outside of Dunwoody and now covers the entire top end of the Perimeter through his Top End ATL channels.

Matt is a Dunwoody REALTOR® who helps people navigate buying, selling, and moving in the area. Stay in the loop with local updates, listings, and insights by signing up here: whatsupdunwoody.com/email