If you’ve been paying attention to Paint Branch Varsity Football for the past 2 years, you’d know that we’ve had 2 consecutive Division Championships and 1 Regional championship. Last year’s season ended with an 11-2 team and this one ended with a 9-3 team under the helm of Head Coach Michael Nesmith whose expectations every year are a state championship.

Born in Bethesda Naval hospital born on September 2nd, 1974, raised in Germantown MD, Coach Ne has always had a deep affection for football. It has been around him his whole life from playing in the street to his current coaching job. Coach Ne started playing contact football in 7th grade, 1986. He started in the street with his two friends Trey and Mike where they often played 3 on 3 football with the bigger kids on the block.

When asked what made him want to start coaching, He said “When Trey and Mike and I used to play the bigger kids, Trey had plays, and we had a plans and strategies, that’s why we won almost all of the time.” As a Screaming Eagle, He played Running Back and Linebacker. His younger brother played Linebacker.

Coach Ne has been coaching at Paint Branch since 2007 and has had plethora of winning seasons. He started his coaching career as the Head Pee Wee football coach for the Seneca Sports association Chiefs in 1993. When asked about the challenging parts about being a head, He replied with “ Now that its year round, you have to find a way to deal with the other many issues to handle like managing the behaviors and academics of 120 plus kids, Offseason training.” etc.
Coach Ne used his football IQ to put players in positions that they’ve never really dealt with but in the end that s what helped the program flourish. Coach Ne couldn’t really answer when asked where he would be coaching if it wasn’t at the branch. Coach said he would stop coaching “when he dies.” His dream coaching job would be to coach his favorite team the dallas cowboys, influenced by his friends Trey and Mike in his childhood.

On the field, You can often hear Coach Nesmith yelling from the stands. Whether it’s calling out plays, critiquing players or celebrating a touchdown, His energy is always felt. To the fans Coach Ne might just be a coach but to the players its much more than that.

Senior Fullback and Defensive lineman Colin Tucker who transferred from the 1-9 Blake program said that Coach Nesmith “ is a father figure, he cares about us on and off the field and gets us ready for the future. Junior Running Back and Outside Linebacker/Safety Cedric Content, also a Blake transfer, said he was a “Great coach, puts in a lot of work for the game and actually teaches you like a coach should.”

Sophomore Safety and Running Back Tatah Njoka, who started off with Varsity, said “He actually knows what he’s doing to be honest sometimes he’s more strict than I’d like him to be but it’s for the best because it changes the kids that are normal distractions and it gets them right. He yells a lot for many reasons but I like how he sets high standards for every player whether you’re a starter or not. I guess you could say he’s a great coach.”

Freshman Running back Justin Hockaday said “I think Coach Nesmith is a hard working Coach and wants to see us get better. When he yells he just wants to see us get better as players and I’m looking forward to having him as my coach again next year for my sophomore season.”