How Oakland’s Craig Tutt set Tennessee football history in the Patriots 62-21 championship win

Craig Tutt might be one of the most decorated players in Tennessee High School football history. 

With three rings, two 6A Mr. Football finalist nominations and two BlueCross Bowl MVPs, the Oakland High School athlete has a resume that most high schoolers can only dream of. 

The first two years of Tutt’s career began with trips to the state championship. The Patriots came out on top in his freshman year, while falling to Houston High School to end his sophomore year. 

On Dec. 7, 2024, Tutt and Oakland football found itself on top of the TSSAA 6A football world. 

The Patriots, who had already established themselves as a dynasty with three consecutive championships from 2020-22, won their fourth in five years with a 42-20 win over Houston. 

For Tutt, the second of three championships in his high school career was just the start. He earned his first BlueCross Bowl MVP in 2024, running for 110 yards and one touchdown while making four tackles and breaking up two passes. 

“It feels great, but I could care less about a trophy,” said Tutt after the championship win in 2024. “As long as we got this dub and a team win, that’s all that matters.” 

Skip forward to Dec. 7, 2025, and Tutt finds himself in a familiar position. The running back/ safety combination, who signed with Ole Miss on Dec. 3, was back at the BlueCross Bowl at Finley Stadium, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. 

A week prior, Tutt stepped up on offense for the Patriots and sent them back to the state championship for the sixth consecutive season, with a four-touchdown performance over Rutherford County rival Blackman High School in a 42-14 win. 

“Craig’s an unselfish player,” Oakland head coach Kevin Creasy said. “There were a lot of games where Craig got one or two touches. He’s a competitor, it’s his senior year, he wanted the ball more. I told him when the time is right, he’s going to get the ball more.” 

Tutt took a back seat on offense at times throughout his career with Oakland. Last season, he shared the backfield with current University of Tennessee running back Daune Morris. 

This season, the Patriots offense had a lot of hands to get the ball in. Oakland rotated multiple quarterbacks between freshman Kam Morton and junior Donte Thornton. Tutt had to compete for carries with other backs like MTSU signee Justis Haggard, while the Patriots had explosive weapons on the outside like Tennessee signee Joel Wyatt. 

But during the Patriots’ 62-21 victory over mid-state rival Ravenwood High School, Tutt stepped up in one of the biggest ways Tennessee High School football has ever seen. 

Tutt scored seven touchdowns, tying a state championship record set by former Beech High School and Tennessee running back Jalen Hurd. 

While Tutt ran for 226 yards and was responsible for 42 points on his own to earn his second BlueCross Bowl MVP, the victory meant more than a record for the senior. 

It was truly a full circle moment for Tutt, as Oakland’s last loss came on Oct. 21, 2024, to Ravenwood. 

“We lost last year, and I vowed to myself that I won’t lose again,” Tutt said. “I cried that game, I cried my sophomore year, state championship game. Its two things put together, state championship and we lost to them last year, so I vowed to myself I won’t lose again.” 

Oakland’s taken to the mantra of not losing again, as Creasy echoed the sentiment. 

“I think it’s our culture,” Creasy said. “I think our seniors are one of the best senior classes we ever had… those guys have seen the guys that come before them win it, and they’ve seen one team lose it. So, they wanted to make sure they were on the right side of history.” 

During the historic seven-touchdown performance, Tutt scored from three yards out four different times, while also finding paydirt from 10, 16 and 47 yards out. This included four scores in the fourth quarter. 

“About the fifth or sixth one, they let me know, and time was ticking,” Tutt said. “Coach [Creasy] put me back in and let me get it.” 

With its lead up to 56-21, Oakland got the ball back with 2:10 remaining in the fourth quarter after Kullen Williams forced a Ravenwood fumble. The Patriots took over on the Ravenwood 33-yard line, looking to ice out the clock and secure the state championship. 

Oakland had subbed down, and handed the ball off to seniors that hadn’t seen much playing time but deserved it, Creasy said. 

Three hand-offs took the Patriots 30 yards and set up the opportunity for Tutt’s record-tying seventh touchdown of the night. 

“Yeah, it’s one of those deals where it’s just kind of a weird predicament to be in,” Creasy said. “… We were just going to let the clock run out and somebody said something about a record. Craig’s deserving of it… We thought we’d give him one more chance.” 

Tutt tumbled into the endzone as the final horn sounded, securing the third championship of his career at Oakland in the 62-21 victory. 

“Ultimately our coach was asking us what do we want to be remembered for,” Tutt said. “Do we want to be remembered for back-to-back state champs, or our last two losses being to Ravenwood when they take our state championship home. So, we picked the other way.” 

The Patriots’ star running back will continue his football career in Oxford, Mississippi for the Ole Miss Rebels as a safety. 

“We are so spoiled at Oakland,” Creasy said. “I don’t think people understand how hard it is to get one of these, but ultimately we are happy with the history that these guys are writing.”