Lovie Smith And Son Resign Amid Arizona High School Football Controversy After Being Undermined

Lovie Smith and his son, Miles, have reportedly stepped away from the Desert Ridge High School football program in Arizona. The decision comes amid controversy following a series of player suspensions.

The coaching duo made headlines after dismissing its starting quarterback for calling an audible. It had a domino effect that led to the suspensions of 12 teammates.

Administration wants to give those suspended players an opportunity to return against Smith’s ruling. It has undermined the coaching staff’s power.

Arizona high school football team dismissed its quarterback.

Desert Ridge High School is located in Mesa, about 30 miles outside of Phoenix. The football team competes at the 6A level in the East Valley Region of Arizona.

Miles Smith took over as head coach last offseason. His dad was also brought on as part of a coaching tandem, taking a role as a volunteer assistant.

The Jaguars are off to a 2-6 start in Smith’s debut season. They’ve lost their last two games by a combined score of 99-7. Those defeats have come without a number of contributors on the field.

Earlier this month, starting signal caller Gunner Brewer was kicked off the team for calling an audible in a win over Cienega. He explained his thought process after the fact.

“I basically got the play, but in the huddle, I was thinking to myself like, I have a running back who can run the ball better than me, so I’m gonna trust in my guy. So, I changed the formation to put him in the backfield with me, and for him to run the ball.”

-Gunner Brewer

His head coach took the play change as a sign of disrespect.

“(Smith) said, ‘Hey, I felt like you disrespected me, and I can’t have that on my team. You’re off. Get your stuff and go,” Gunner’s mom Marie Brewer told the Arizona Republic.

Brewer suggested that calling audibles at the line of scrimmage was something that was encouraged by the former offensive coordinator. That assistant, however, was fired in September. Smith apparently does not take the same approach.

That dismissal had major repercussions. The following Monday, 12 players walked out of practice in protest of the decision. They were subsequently suspended. Many were seniors. It effectively ended their high school football careers. Underclassmen were given the opportunity to return in 2027.

In a Monday meeting following the game, Smith asked players about allowing Brewer back on the team. A dozen or more raised their hands in support. The coaching staff refused to overturn its ruling. It then told players that opposed the decision that they could leave.

A few days later, both Miles and Lovie Smith were involved in a bizarre altercation with parents. Suspended players showed up to the next game to support former teammates from afar. They tried to help boosters with pregame setup. The coaching staff shut it down.

According to local YouTuber Steven McCollum, several players showed up to a recent game to help boosters set up and show support for their former teammates.

However, the players allege they were forbidden from helping by the coaching staff. One parent then proceeded to take pictures of the inside of the locker room with equipment strewn across the floor.

This seemed to set Lovie Smith off.

Per the reporting from Steven McCollum of the pre game incident between coaching staff and parents from Friday Night … This was Lovie Smith and Head Coach Miles Smith reaction to the parents who were there Friday Night to help setup, and saw the equipment thrown on the locker room floor, and posters removed. Pictures were taken to document what happened, and this happened in the open, by the concession stands.

This was a few hours before the game. I reported the incident happened, and here is the video.

— The Main Event Show (@TMESportsShow) October 13, 2026

Without the 13 suspended players on the field, the team has been uncompetitive. They may now be allowed back, but at the expense of their head coach.

Miles and Lovie Smith resign.

12 News reports that the duo has stepped away from the coaching staff. They will not finish out the season. That decision was supposedly made after administration pushed to reinstate the suspended players.

I can confirm there was a district meeting today. I can confirm a meeting with the players after.

Just confirmed with many sources around the team, Coach Miles Smith and Lovie Smith have resigned.

I can also report that kids on the team are saying they resigned because admin wanted kids put back on the team, and they resigned instead.

— The Main Event Show (@TMESportsShow) October 19, 2026

Desert Ridge has two games left on its schedule. With the staff shakeup, it seems likely that the suspended players will be allowed back on the team.

The Jaguars take on Highland on Friday night with a chance to end a two-game losing skid. Miles and Lovie Smith won’t be on the sidelines.