Faith. Family. Education. Football.
That’s the order of priorities at Barton College — not just for head coach Chip Hester and staff, but for players who wear the Bulldog uniform as well.
As the program enters its first season in the newly reinstated Conference Carolinas football league – Barton is leaning into that foundation harder than ever. It’s not just about winning games, though the Bulldogs want to do that, too. It’s about building a program that develops young men for life after football.
“We want to compete at the highest level,” Hester said during last week’s Conference Carolinas media day in Greenville, SC, “We want to be the best we can be on the football field, but also off the field …
“We want to be the best version of ourselves, and that starts with the type of cultural things that we want to embrace – putting the team before yourself, playing with great effort, being a great teammate all the time … And being a champion, not only on the field but in the classroom and in the community.”
It’s a message embraced by the team’s leaders, like sophomore running back Jackson Parrish and sophomore defensive lineman Joshua Hightower — two rising stars that Hester believes embody the Bulldogs’ values of servant leadership, humility and effort.
From student-led devotions to mentoring freshmen, from volunteer challenges to tug-of-war competitions meant to build unity, Barton’s culture isn’t just talk. It’s practiced, lived and visible in the way their players carry themselves.
Building Through Belief — And Ball
For Parrish and Hightower, last season offered a glimpse of what’s possible when preparation meets opportunity.
Parrish, a redshirt sophomore from Graham (Southern Alamance HS), was a relative unknown heading into 2024 and one of the players tasked with helping fill the big shoes left behind by all-conference and all-American running back Jordan Terrell (now in the CFL). When coaches called Parrish the night before a road game at Newberry in late October and told him he’d be starting for the first time, everything clicked.
“Once I realized that the coaches and my team had trust in me, that’s when I was able to trust myself,” he said.
Parrish responded with his first 100-yard game as a collegiate, finishing with 102 on 21 workhorse carries. The next week he put up 152 yards with three touchdowns against Catawba. The week after that, Parrish galloped for a career-high 154 yards and four trips to the end zone at Limestone.
All told, he finished with 536 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the season, showing burst, vision and toughness. In the spring, that growth continued, and he looked the part of the confident, savvy veteran in the spring game in April.
A product of a wing-T offense in high school, Parrish had to adapt quickly to a more complex college playbook — and fight his instinct to overthink, he said. Once the game slowed down, he started stacking 100-yard performances and embracing a leadership role in a young running back room.
Now, he’s one of the faces of the program, and when he scores, he points upward — a small but meaningful gesture to give God the credit.
On the other side of the ball, Hightower is just as impactful.
The sophomore defensive lineman from Smithfield-Selma High battled adversity as a freshman but credits his growth to faith, mentorship and the support of teammates. He was thrust into duty immediately on the field, and there were growing pains.
“I say all the time that the person that you see here today is because of the storms that I went through in the first year,” Hightower said. “I would say that God is definitely the reason that I was able to go through those things and come out on the other side truly a better person. Adversity truly was able to push me to be a better man as a whole and also a better football player.”
Hightower played in all 11 Barton games, finishing with 46 tackles and two tackles-for-loss. He had his best performance, stat-wise, in the finale against UVA Wise – seven tackles, one TFL and a half sack.
His experience of getting on the field early should reap more fruit this season. “Our defensive line room is very deep,” Hightower said. “It’s packed. And we’ve got a lot of guys who can play.”
Quick Learning Curve, Solid Recruiting Identity
Barton brought football back to its campus for the first time in seven decades in 2020 – and promptly faced the adversity of a global pandemic. Yet, the Bulldogs quickly carved out their niche in a state with more than a dozen Division II programs.
Hester, who played at Raleigh’s Millbrook High and then at Guilford College before coaching at Catawba and North Carolina A&T, went heavy on North Carolina high school talent when building early Barton rosters. He and his staff struck gold several times.
The Bulldogs won their first game against Louisburg College during the spring 2021 COVID season. In the fall of 2021, Barton finished 6-5 and posted another 6-5 campaign in 2023.
Terrell garnered national rushing honors before signing with the BC Lions of Canada in 2024. Last summer, receiver Kameron Johnson’s D2-to-the-NFL journey garnered national headlines when he earned a spot on Tampa Bay’s 53-man roster. Others, like linebacker Shane Perry (East Carolina) turned their Barton experience into FBS opportunities.
All the while, Barton’s football profile grew quickly in the state – and a high bar had been set for the next crop of players, like Parrish, Hightower and others.
“Those guys, the work ethic that they showed and the development that they were able to accomplish during their time at Barton is huge for our culture,” Hester said. “We talk all the time in recruiting, that we’re looking for a good fit. Our fit is not going to be the same as other schools. And that’s fine. We want selfless guys that have a team mentality.”
The buy-in is real.
“It’s always been faith, family, education and football,” Hightower said. “It was just a full circle moment to chase my dreams of playing collegiate football, to be able to be around and take care of my family and also be around some like-minded people that share the same values as me.”
More Bulldogs to Watch
Here are other players that could have a big impact for Barton this season. This list is by no means exclusive, just a reflection of media day mentions.
Keno Jones (LB) – A high-motor playmaker from Rocky Mount (Northern Nash HS), who finished with 39 tackles, 4.5 TFLs and one fumble recovery in 2024.
Bailey Carraway (LB/DL) – A transfer from Coastal Carolina who is battling back from injury but could see ample snaps.
Jaylen Neal (WR) – A breakout candidate from Yanceyville (Bartlett Yancey HS) with speed and upside; earned praise from teammates for his strong spring.
Hester said the wide receiver room is “as deep as I’ve ever been around – and we’ve got size, really great size.” Returnees include Khavarie Hightower (Burlington | Cummings HS), Isaiah Jacobs (Raleigh | Enloe), Zakvil Smith (Wilson | St. Aug’s transfer), Brendan Williams (Virginia Beach | Kellam HS) and Tiquez Mallette (Charlotte | South Meck HS).
Jaylen Brown (OL) – The right tackle from Rocky Mount (transfer from St. Augustine’s) returns as one of the Bulldogs’ most experienced offensive linemen.
Tremel Hester (OL) – Greensboro (Page HS) product with starting experience on the offensive line.
Robbie Delgado (OL) – Versatile lineman from Pittsboro (Northwood HS) who played center and tight end in stretches last season.
Al Lee (QB) – Guided Reidsville to a 2023 state championship, saw action in three games a year ago as a true freshman. He finished with 591 yards and three TDs.
Motivation from the Middle of the Pack
Barton was picked fourth in the Conference Carolinas preseason poll — behind UNC Pembroke, North Greenville and Shorter. It’s a spot Coach Hester knows he won’t have to say much about.
“You don’t have to say anything,” he said. “Just put that on the board and say that’s where we’re picked. The great thing about athletics and football specifically is it doesn’t matter what people vote preseason. It matters what it is at the end.”
With another solid recruiting class, healthy returners and a team-first culture that’s taken root, Barton isn’t concerned with projections. The Bulldogs are focused on execution — one snap, one play, one week at a time.
The Bulldogs will play in the first official Conference Carolinas game since the 1970s when they visit North Greenville on Saturday, Sept. 13. Barton’s first home conference game won’t come for another month, Oct. 18, when Chowan visits.
Conference Carolinas will hold a championship game between the top two teams in the standings on Nov. 15. The winner gets the league’s automatic berth into the D2 playoffs. Thanks to a special scheduling arrangement, the No. 3 and 4 teams from Conference Carolinas and the SIAC will play games against each other that week as well.
“I’m anxious to see how our guys answer the challenge,” Hester said. “We’ve got an opportunity. If we’ll come together as a team, that will be the determining factor.”
📅 Who is Barton playing this season? View the Bulldogs full 2025 schedule HERE.
