This Cleburne Yellow Jackets Sports Minute is brought to you by Airmasters, Inc.
Second-year Cleburne head football coach A.J. Sheppard is finishing his first full offseason with the Yellow Jackets program.
Cleburne did not participate in a formal spring football season this year, as Sheppard chose instead to give the team an earlier start to the 2026 campaign. The decision allows the Yellow Jackets to gain an extra week of preparation when fall workouts begin Aug. 3. The first day of contact is scheduled for Aug. 8.
An additional benefit of the adjusted schedule is that Cleburne will be able to participate in two scrimmages instead of one before the regular season begins.
There is still plenty of work ahead for the program. Sheppard, a defensive-minded coach, is focused on improving a unit that surrendered 42 points per game last season. The Yellow Jackets must also replace graduating quarterback Luke Stewart, who accounted for 2,100 passing and rushing yards in 2025.