Photo by: Alex Nabor
More than a Hashtag: #EastTexasTough has become Foundational for Carthel’s Lumberjacks
9/4/2026 5:24:00 PM | Football
The pine-heavy region and the gridiron athletes that call it home have been key in Carthel’s program-building efforts in Nacogdoches
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – In the heart of the Lone Star State's Piney Woods, there's a three-word phrase that has become a rallying cry for the region's flagship collegiate football program. Sure, it looks great on a t-shirt and it's an informative hashtag to follow on social media. But that's just the start. #EastTexasTough is as deeply rooted in eighth-year head coach Colby Carthel's Stephen F. Austin football program as the pine-laden forests blanketed throughout the Oldest Town in Texas and the surrounding region that it represents.
"Just trying to get back to who we are at our core," noted Carthel when asked about the origins of the phrase which became a mainstay with the Jacks' return to the Southland Conference in 2024. "We don't have the fancy facilities and a lot of bells and whistles with this program, so it's about who we are. We got to have that toughness, that grit. Lunch pail in hand with a hard hat mentality. When you look around this region, that's what East Texas is you know. The timber industry, the poultry industry, the ag industry, I mean that's a big part of what East Texas has been for 200, 250 years."
Since the start of that '24 campaign, the Jacks have represented and defended East Texas well at home. SFA boasts a 12-1 record inside Homer Bryce Stadium during that time and Carthel's squad is currently on win streaks of eight games at home, nine games in Southland Conference play and 11 games in the regular season.
For any players that might be unfamiliar with the makeup of the region or the reasoning behind #EastTexasTough when arriving to campus for the first time, offseason workouts bring an unforgettable familiarity. "That's who we are, that red dirt mindset. So, we go out there and we work, you know, in the woods. We own it. Our strength coach, Coach [Sean] Teeter, he takes plates and weights and we're out here on these trails and in these woods and on these bleachers, with the goal of developing some toughness. I tell everybody that we need strong, calloused hands, not soft, pretty, manicured hands. That's who we are, and we got to beat people with our toughness."
Saturday night's Week 1 matchup between longtime Southland Conference foes SFA and East Texas A&M, the 61st meeting in a series first contested during the Calvin Coolidge administration, pits two programs less than three hours apart with a lengthy history actively linked by Carthel, who's collegiate head coaching career began in Commerce. In six seasons leading Division II Texas A&M-Commerce, Carthel's Lions won 59 games, enjoyed three seasons of 10+ wins, made four playoff appearances and captured the 2017 NCAA DII national title.
Carthel, who's Commerce teams were filled with players from East Texas, knew then what he continues to build on now: Recruiting athletes from the talent-heavy region and leaning heavily into the region's roots is foundational for building a program with staying power.
When discussing the prep-level development of players in the region and why many seem to be collegiate-ready from the jump, Carthel credits several reasons as to why many make immediate impacts at the next level.
"I think it kind of goes back to where they're from and the grit and the toughness that they have in these high schools. I think a lot of that is a tip of the hat to the high school coaches in East Texas. A lot of them are coaching multiple sports, and these kids are playing multiple sports, which I think is phenomenal. I'm going to sign a guy playing multiple sports over a single sport 10 times out of 9. I mean, I just believe in that. I think the guys that are multi-sport athletes have a much higher ceiling and so I'm always going to lean towards those guys. When you get some guys from some of these storied programs out here, these hall of fame coaches, that makes our job a whole lot easier."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just like #EastTexasTough, the region's heavy iron oxide-concentrated red dirt has become a staple of the program over the past several years which is evident not only by the inclusion of the aforementioned #RedDirtMindset phrase, but more so in the bucket of East Texas red dirt that Lumberjack players rub on their hands and chests prior to taking the field. The bucket of red dirt is in Homer Bryce Stadium, and the bucket of red dirt always travels. And for some, the red dirt is in their blood.
Seventy-nine players on the current 2026 SFA football roster call Texas home with more than a dozen having prepped at East Texas high schools. Of those Texans, New Diana native Jaiydyn Johnson has become the program's current flag bearer for "bEAST Texas" athletes donning the purple and white on Saturdays.
Located at the junction of U.S. Highway 259 and State Highway 154, the unincorporated community of Diana, Texas, just north of Longview is a near perfect example of Carthel's remarks during his introductory press conference in December of 2018.
"If you've got a pine tree within 100 yards of your front door, you need to be a Lumberjack," remarked Carthel earlier this week in remembering his comments when taking over the SFA program. "At least we need to try to make that happen. I still believe you build a great program and great culture with high school talent."
Johnson was a two-way star and a two-sport athlete at New Diana High School. He was a wide receiver and a free safety for head coach Jason Pitts' Eagles. As a senior, Johnson helped lead the team to an undefeated regular season, a district title and a playoff win, while being named District 11-3A DII MVP. That versatility was certainly valued by Carthel and his staff but left the program with a decision on where to play him.
"We loved him in camp, we loved him on film, and everybody's afraid to offer him because he played at a little bitty 2A high school. A football player is a football player and we saw it," noted Carthel during Johnson's recruitment. "Our biggest hang up was offense or defense. We elected to play him on defense, and he played a lot of snaps for us last year. Everything we talked about in being from East Texas, it rings true with that kid and so he's been a really fun addition to the Lumberjack family."
"I knew I wanted to play big time ball, and when they [SFA] reached out to me, they made me feel at home, and it was great to be around guys who care about you as a person," remarked Johnson when thinking back on his recruitment.
As a true freshman in SFA's secondary during the Jacks' record-breaking 2025 season, Johnson played "big time ball" in 13 games, most notably as a starter in the FCS Quarterfinal matchup against eventual national champion Montana State. He totaled 17 tackles, three pass breakups and a sack on the year as a reliable plug-and-play nickel and recorded his first career interception against Sul Ross in last season's home opener.
That effort served as a gateway for Johnson's leadership to breakthrough, especially in the offseason, and his teammates took notice, voting the sophomore into a single-digit number this fall as a result of his high character and leadership. "It means a lot actually," noted Johnson when asked what it meant to him to have his teammates look to him to lead. "When I came in, you know I played another position in high school, so I knew I had to go to work and really buy in and learn from the guys in front of me. I really took every day as an opportunity to grow and get better. For the guys to look over and, you know, trust me and believe in me as a leader on this team is great."
For Johnson, who's brothers also starred at New Diana, East Texas Tough isn't a Saturday saying. It's a daily mission. "I try to live by it every day. You battle injuries, you have good days, bad days during camp, the spring and during the season, but I work hard to get back, and I feel like that's a great representation of living by #EastTexasTough and buying into that every day."
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!
There's never been a better time to lock in your seat at Homer Bryce Stadium! Don't miss a single snap as SFA defends its Southland Conference title. Visit www.SFATickets.com to secure your tickets today.
FOLLOW THE LUMBERJACKS
For all the latest information on SFA football, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Lumberjacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.
"Just trying to get back to who we are at our core," noted Carthel when asked about the origins of the phrase which became a mainstay with the Jacks' return to the Southland Conference in 2024. "We don't have the fancy facilities and a lot of bells and whistles with this program, so it's about who we are. We got to have that toughness, that grit. Lunch pail in hand with a hard hat mentality. When you look around this region, that's what East Texas is you know. The timber industry, the poultry industry, the ag industry, I mean that's a big part of what East Texas has been for 200, 250 years."
Since the start of that '24 campaign, the Jacks have represented and defended East Texas well at home. SFA boasts a 12-1 record inside Homer Bryce Stadium during that time and Carthel's squad is currently on win streaks of eight games at home, nine games in Southland Conference play and 11 games in the regular season.
For any players that might be unfamiliar with the makeup of the region or the reasoning behind #EastTexasTough when arriving to campus for the first time, offseason workouts bring an unforgettable familiarity. "That's who we are, that red dirt mindset. So, we go out there and we work, you know, in the woods. We own it. Our strength coach, Coach [Sean] Teeter, he takes plates and weights and we're out here on these trails and in these woods and on these bleachers, with the goal of developing some toughness. I tell everybody that we need strong, calloused hands, not soft, pretty, manicured hands. That's who we are, and we got to beat people with our toughness."
Saturday night's Week 1 matchup between longtime Southland Conference foes SFA and East Texas A&M, the 61st meeting in a series first contested during the Calvin Coolidge administration, pits two programs less than three hours apart with a lengthy history actively linked by Carthel, who's collegiate head coaching career began in Commerce. In six seasons leading Division II Texas A&M-Commerce, Carthel's Lions won 59 games, enjoyed three seasons of 10+ wins, made four playoff appearances and captured the 2017 NCAA DII national title.
Carthel, who's Commerce teams were filled with players from East Texas, knew then what he continues to build on now: Recruiting athletes from the talent-heavy region and leaning heavily into the region's roots is foundational for building a program with staying power.
When discussing the prep-level development of players in the region and why many seem to be collegiate-ready from the jump, Carthel credits several reasons as to why many make immediate impacts at the next level.
"I think it kind of goes back to where they're from and the grit and the toughness that they have in these high schools. I think a lot of that is a tip of the hat to the high school coaches in East Texas. A lot of them are coaching multiple sports, and these kids are playing multiple sports, which I think is phenomenal. I'm going to sign a guy playing multiple sports over a single sport 10 times out of 9. I mean, I just believe in that. I think the guys that are multi-sport athletes have a much higher ceiling and so I'm always going to lean towards those guys. When you get some guys from some of these storied programs out here, these hall of fame coaches, that makes our job a whole lot easier."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just like #EastTexasTough, the region's heavy iron oxide-concentrated red dirt has become a staple of the program over the past several years which is evident not only by the inclusion of the aforementioned #RedDirtMindset phrase, but more so in the bucket of East Texas red dirt that Lumberjack players rub on their hands and chests prior to taking the field. The bucket of red dirt is in Homer Bryce Stadium, and the bucket of red dirt always travels. And for some, the red dirt is in their blood.
Seventy-nine players on the current 2026 SFA football roster call Texas home with more than a dozen having prepped at East Texas high schools. Of those Texans, New Diana native Jaiydyn Johnson has become the program's current flag bearer for "bEAST Texas" athletes donning the purple and white on Saturdays.
Located at the junction of U.S. Highway 259 and State Highway 154, the unincorporated community of Diana, Texas, just north of Longview is a near perfect example of Carthel's remarks during his introductory press conference in December of 2018.
"If you've got a pine tree within 100 yards of your front door, you need to be a Lumberjack," remarked Carthel earlier this week in remembering his comments when taking over the SFA program. "At least we need to try to make that happen. I still believe you build a great program and great culture with high school talent."
Johnson was a two-way star and a two-sport athlete at New Diana High School. He was a wide receiver and a free safety for head coach Jason Pitts' Eagles. As a senior, Johnson helped lead the team to an undefeated regular season, a district title and a playoff win, while being named District 11-3A DII MVP. That versatility was certainly valued by Carthel and his staff but left the program with a decision on where to play him.
"We loved him in camp, we loved him on film, and everybody's afraid to offer him because he played at a little bitty 2A high school. A football player is a football player and we saw it," noted Carthel during Johnson's recruitment. "Our biggest hang up was offense or defense. We elected to play him on defense, and he played a lot of snaps for us last year. Everything we talked about in being from East Texas, it rings true with that kid and so he's been a really fun addition to the Lumberjack family."
"I knew I wanted to play big time ball, and when they [SFA] reached out to me, they made me feel at home, and it was great to be around guys who care about you as a person," remarked Johnson when thinking back on his recruitment.
As a true freshman in SFA's secondary during the Jacks' record-breaking 2025 season, Johnson played "big time ball" in 13 games, most notably as a starter in the FCS Quarterfinal matchup against eventual national champion Montana State. He totaled 17 tackles, three pass breakups and a sack on the year as a reliable plug-and-play nickel and recorded his first career interception against Sul Ross in last season's home opener.
That effort served as a gateway for Johnson's leadership to breakthrough, especially in the offseason, and his teammates took notice, voting the sophomore into a single-digit number this fall as a result of his high character and leadership. "It means a lot actually," noted Johnson when asked what it meant to him to have his teammates look to him to lead. "When I came in, you know I played another position in high school, so I knew I had to go to work and really buy in and learn from the guys in front of me. I really took every day as an opportunity to grow and get better. For the guys to look over and, you know, trust me and believe in me as a leader on this team is great."
For Johnson, who's brothers also starred at New Diana, East Texas Tough isn't a Saturday saying. It's a daily mission. "I try to live by it every day. You battle injuries, you have good days, bad days during camp, the spring and during the season, but I work hard to get back, and I feel like that's a great representation of living by #EastTexasTough and buying into that every day."
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!
There's never been a better time to lock in your seat at Homer Bryce Stadium! Don't miss a single snap as SFA defends its Southland Conference title. Visit www.SFATickets.com to secure your tickets today.
FOLLOW THE LUMBERJACKS
For all the latest information on SFA football, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Lumberjacks on X, Instagram and Facebook.
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