Sam’s 2025 spring football stops: The First Academy Royals

The 2025 spring high school football season is officially underway in West Orange and Southwest Orange County, and Orange Observer Sports Editor Sam Albuquerque has begun his 11-stop journey to each of the area’s programs to bring you behind the scenes with all the best notes, tidbits and observations he picks up from each visit.

In the first of Sam’s 11 spring football stops, Albuquerque gives us the latest on one of last season’s top and most controversial teams: The First Academy.

More from Sam's spring football stops: The First Academy | Foundation Academy | Horizon High | Ocoee High | Olympia High | West Orange High | Windermere High | Windermere Prep

The First Academy Royals

2024 record: 9-1*

Spring game: Thursday, May 15 at Lake Mary High

Coach: Jeff Conaway, third season.

Key returners, additions: DL Christian Willis, ATH Demetrice McCray, DB Devin Jackson, DB David Coleman Jr., OL Chancellor Barclay, OL Reed Ramsier, RB Jaelyn Powell and QB Landen Holley. 

The First Academy football was easily the most controversial, entertaining and flat-out best football team in all of Orange County during the 2024 season. With a gauntlet schedule, transfers galore and a host of new coaches last season, it felt as if the Royals microwaved a state title contender out of thin air but after sanctions handed down by the FHSAA, TFA’s magical season came to a screeching halt as it was banned from the postseason, robbing fans of high-level high school football from the chance of seeing a possible state title game clash against South Florida powerhouse the Chaminade-Madonna Lions, the eventual Class 1A champions. 

As the Royals move into 2025, they do so knowing that a chance at a state title won’t be in the cards; neither will having their third-year coach on the sideline each Friday this fall, as Conaway has been suspended for the season and TFA has been banned from postseason play. 

Still, with all of this board room drama and tabloid controversy looming over the program’s season, watching this version of the Royals football team walk onto Kroy Crofoot Field at Warden Stadium under those floodlights at 6 a.m. on the first day of spring football session and compete for two hours, I would have never guessed these coaches and players were dealing with any sort of distractions off the field. Maybe it had something to do with the college football scouts from UCF, Florida and Florida State in attendance — including former Knights starting quarterback and new QB coach McKenzie Milton.

*TFA’s official 2024 record is 0-10, after sanctions by the FHSAA forced the Royals to vacate their nine wins.

No. 1: There’s a new CEO in town 

Following a record-breaking season for the Royals passing game, led by graduating senior Salomon Georges Jr. from under center, Conaway and the TFA offense have a new QB to call CEO for the 2025 season: Landen Holley, a three-star rising junior with offers from the Gators, Knights, Georgia Tech and others, who recently transferred to the Orlando private school from Wesley Chapel High. 

After watching Holley for just one practice — with a legendary quarterback in Milton literally hovering behind him, watching his every move and throw — I feel comfortable saying the transition from Georges to Holley should be as smooth as possible.

“He’s been a great student of the game since joining our program,” Conaway said about his new QB. “He has obviously had to learn a new system, new terminology and really a whole new language, but he is a quick learner and he's put in the time to learn it through our QB school. Obviously, getting out here and actually doing it at the tempo and urgency we're trying to do it at is a totally different challenge but on his first day, he handled it well. I thought he protected the football today and made a lot of really good decisions. It's going to take some time, but once he gets comfortable, he’ll be able to thrive as a leader for us out there and be really good in his decision-making and accuracy. I believe by the end of spring, he will have progressed a lot.”

No. 2: Who’s going to play opposite McCray? 

One of the top players in all of Central Florida last season, Demetrice McCray, continues to progress as a pass-catcher and leader for the Royals as he prepares for his senior season without childhood teammate and fellow wide receiver Evan James opposite him. 

After one practice, there’s not one obvious candidate to fill the void James leaves behind, but instead an intriguing rotation of options from the Royals’ defensive back group that could emerge in the role. With a glut of Power 4 talent in its secondary, TFA will likely have a few DBs — such as Danny Odem, Kamauri Whitfield, Devin Jackson and others — moonlight on offense to prevent opposition defenses from setting their sights on taking Holley’s new favorite weapon away with a double team.

“We want to be explosive on offense, so we're giving our defensive guys a chance to play the receiver position,” Conaway said. “They can catch the football and they’re explosive when they get the chance to make plays with the ball in their hands. We've got several of those guys that are capable but it's about learning the system and being able to execute an assignment, be in the right spot at the right time, and develop some chemistry. So that's what spring ball is all about. We're looking forward to developing that.”

No. 3: Defense set for leap in 2025 

For those who watched this Royals defense last season, given just how dominant and fun they were, you probably won’t believe me when I tell you that this unit has taken an significant step in their physical development and play on the field. No need to take my word for it though, Conaway will tell you himself. 

Let’s start with the defensive line group, which adds Apopka High transfer and Illinois commit Kingston Shaw to its ranks and returns each of its top players from 2024.

“The offseason that those defensive linemen had was incredible,” Conaway said. “The way that they took advantage of phase one, which is about building mass was incredible. Those boys pushed around a lot of weight, they ate a lot of food and, as you can see, they are bigger, faster and stronger, and they’re playing with more intensity than they did last year. Add in that most of them are returners, they have the experience and they know the expectation around here. And you're right, Sam, they were the highlight of today’s practice. It was hard to miss them because of how aggressive they were and how difficult to block they are. Now, when we get pads on, they’ll get a little easier to block but, for the most part, they were as expected, extremely disruptive.”

Along with the front, it’s the same story for the backend of the TFA defense. Not only do its top starters return in 2025, defensive coordinator Jacob Gill has another weapon to deploy against opposing offenses — three-star defensive back transfer from Seminole High, David Coleman Jr. 

"We have a whole crew of guys that can play in those four spots, and then in the fifth nickel spot too,” Conaway said. “Not only are those four guys — Devin, David, Danny and (Kamauri) — talented, they’re versatile and can be moved around the secondary. … That’s what we love about those guys, at any point, they can play any of those other three spots and we feel like we are taken care of in the backend of our defense.”