Next football season will take some getting used to for Denton Ryan coach Dave Henigan.
All three of his sons — Ian, Seth and Quin Henigan — have played quarterback for him at Ryan. Quin, the youngest Henigan brother, is in his senior season.
“Probably six of the last eight years one of my kids has been the quarterback,” said Dave, who led Ryan to the 5A Division I state championship in 2020 with Seth as the signal-caller. “That will be different for sure [when Quin graduates], but the first 20 years I didn’t have my kid as a quarterback.”
Quin grew up watching Ian and Seth on the sidelines, and now he’s QB1 at Ryan. The two-year starter has helped lead Ryan, the state’s fifth-ranked 5A Division I team, to a 6–1 record this season. He’s one of several active Dallas-area high school football players to follow one or more of his brothers through the same program.
High School Sports
Four-star Flower Mound Marcus quarterback Colton Nussmeier is the younger brother of LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who was also a four-star standout at Marcus. Richland junior quarterback Brett Kates succeeded his older brother Drew Kates, who led the program to a 10–3 record and 5A Division I regional semifinals appearance in 2024. As the players carry on their family legacies, they are carving out their own paths and avoiding the comparison trap.
“I really try to ignore it because we’re playing different opponents, and we have different teams, so we go through different things,” Quin said.
Richland’s quarterback Drew Kates (8) carries the ball against Fossil Ridge in the first half of a high school football game at Birdville I.S.D. Fine Arts / Athletics Complex,Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in North Richland Hills.
Chitose Suzuki / Staff Photographer
All in the family
Richland’s Brett Kates had spent the last several years looking up to older brother Drew.
“I studied him and watched every little detail of him and tried to help him get better,” Brett said. “His improvement was just crazy. He got so much better over the years and it was really fun to watch.”
Brett is following in Drew’s footsteps, but his big brother wasn’t the first Kates to star at Richland. Richland coach Ged Kates, the oldest of three boys, also played for the school. So did his two brothers.
“We don’t really know where our football program stops and our family begins at this point,” Ged said. “It’s all encompassing. Besides our faith, it’s all we talk about at our house.”
The Kates dynasty likely won’t stop at Brett. Ged’s youngest son, Clay, is in eighth grade.
“We’re going to be doing it for a while, if the good Lord is willing,” Ged said.
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At Flower Mound Marcus, the Nussmeier dynasty will be alive for at least one more season. Colton remembers serving as a ball boy on the sidelines as he watched his brother Garrett star at quarterback.
“It was awesome,” Colton said. “It was great watching him play. It was one of my favorite things to do. I was looking forward to it during the week.”
Quin might be the last Henigan at Ryan for a while.
One of his favorite memories growing up as the little brother in the family came when Ryan, with Seth at quarterback and Dave as coach, won the 2020 5A Division I state championship.
“Obviously, I have the same goals,” Quin said. “I want to win a state title, me and my dad.”
Flower Mound Marcus High School quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (13) throws a pass during the first half as Plano West High School hosted Flower Mound Marcus High School in a District 6-6A football game at Clark Stadium in Plano on Friday night, November 13, 2020. (Stewart F. House/Special Contributor)
Stewart / Special Contributor
Playing their own game
Colton, who has also made a name for himself as a hooper at Marcus, said he thinks he’s a bit more athletic than his older brother Garrett.
The four-star prospect with at least 20 college offers has rushed for 247 yards and three touchdowns this season. As a passer, the young Nussmeier has recorded 1,382 yards and 12 scores for Marcus.
Colton tries not to compare himself to Garrett.
“I don’t really worry about that other stuff,” Colton said. “[Garrett] tells me to keep being me and just play my game.”
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After watching Drew excel at Richland, Brett said he’s been motivated to outwork him.
That healthy competition has helped Brett thrive in his first season as Richland’s starting quarterback. He’s got 1,396 passing yards and 14 passing touchdowns on the year for 5–2 Richland. Brett has also rushed for 353 yards and four scores.
“The best thing [Drew] told me was don’t try to be him and just try to play my game and play how I play,” said Brett, who admits he throws a better ball. “I think we’re different, the way we both play.”
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Dave Henigan said all three of his boys had high football IQ, but Quin is probably the most athletic. As a junior in 2024, he passed for 2,615 yards and 32 touchdowns. Ryan advanced to the 5A Division I state semifinals, where it lost 24-21 to Highland Park.
“He’s the most explosive. He’s the fastest runner. He dunks a basketball,” the Ryan coach said.
Denton Ryan quarterback Seth Henigan (9) throws a touchdown pass to Ja’Tavion Sanders during the second half of the Class 5A Division I state football championship game against Cedar Park at AT&T Stadium on Friday, Jan. 15, 2021, in Arlington, Texas. Ryan won the game 59-14. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)
Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer
Seth Henigan, who went on to play college football at Memphis, helped deliver Ryan its third state title.
Some are expecting Quin, who has recorded 1,283 passing yards and 11 passing touchdowns this season, to produce those same results.
But Dad said those expectations aren’t productive.
“Everyone wants to talk about comparing Quin to Seth because they’re the two most recent and we won the state title when Seth was here,” Dave said. “That’s not fair to Quin. Quin’s his own player. Quin has different teammates. Quin has a different team. We don’t talk about the past much.”