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The feeling of football season fastly approaching is enough to make any grown man cry. Football is a way of life, and for a small fictional town in Texas, it was the only way of life. While we all wish we could be in Dillon, Texas, rooting on the beloved Panthers (we shall never speak of East Dillon), What better way to countdown the days until football by ranking the top 10 best characters of the Friday Night Lights television series.
10. Lyla Garrity
Cheating on your boyfriend, who recently became paralyzed, isn’t the best look, right? Lyla Garrity overcomes the most challenging moment of her life and grows as a person as the show progresses. However, cheating on Jason Street with his best friend is an instant prison sentence and a reason that Lyla Garrity will never reach the top 5 status on any list I create about this show. She will, however, make the top 3 smoke shows of all time in television history. Be looking out for that award in your mail Miss Garrity.
9. Landry Clarke
Landry Clarke is involved in the most ridiculous story of the entire show when he brutally murders the man trying to sexually assault Tyra. While the show will forever stand the test of time, murdering someone and then kind of forgetting it ever happened was a tough pill to swallow. Even if it was everyone’s favorite kicker standing up for the woman he loved. Hard to get past murder, Lance.
8. Jason Street
No character deserved a happy ending more than Jason Street. With every challenge he faced after his injury, the former star quarterback proved why he was a leader on and off the field. Jason Street is Friday Night Lights, and I really thought he would be higher on my list. The chips fell where they did, and while he may be number eight on my list, he is number one in my heart.
7. Brian “Smash” Williams
The “Smash” is a name no one will ever forget if you’ve watched the show. So many times, you just wanted Brain’s mom to slap him in the back of the head to let him know he is making so many mistakes. Smash finally figures everything out after the knee injury that he thought would prevent him from ever playing football again. His last scene on the show, when he is playing on the field with his best friends, is an image that will forever play in my mind.
6. Tyra Collette
Tyra Collette thought of herself as the typical small-town girl who never believed she could be any more than that. Tyra showed more growth than any character on the show, including talking Landry into covering up a murder for a little while. Did I already mention one hundred times that I hated that storyline?
5. Buddy Garrity
Everyone’s favorite con-man lands at number five on the list. Buddy Garrity is the perfect combination of unintentional comedy mixed with the personality of the guy we all know that stayed in our hometown and still talks about his days under the Friday night lights. Buddy Garrity is a Dillon treasure and the best pain in the ass that Coach Taylor could’ve ever asked for.
4. Tim Riggins
I have to go on record saying I hated the Tim Riggins character for a long time. It took me a few rewatches to understand the complex life Riggins lived. Looking back, Tim lived a life that every high school boy could only dream of. He never went to school, drank like a middle-aged man going through a mid-life crisis, and somehow landed Lyla Garrity for a little while. Cheers to Tim Riggins! One can only hope that he didn’t go back to jail for any other mistakes Billy made.
3. Matt Saracen
Matt Saracen is the dream of any kid riding the pine in hopes of getting his big break on the field. I’m sure kids aren’t hoping the star QB is paralyzed to grab the spotlight, but seven was forced to take the reins of a prestigious program and didn’t let Coach Taylor down. The chemistry between seven and coach is the true star relationship of the show. Can we just forget that Julie Taylor was even a thing?
2. Tami Taylor
Tani Taylor is the kind of woman the Zach Wilson’s of the world could only dream of spending their lives with. Misses Coach is the ultimate cheerleader, mother, and wife to a family and community in desperate need of guidance. If you were to fall into one of the biggest high school coaching jobs in the state of Texas, there is nobody else in your corner you should want other than Tami Taylor.
1. Coach Taylor
If you don’t feel like running through multiple brick walls when you hear Coach Taylor say, “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose!” Are you even a fan of life in general? Coach Taylor earns the honors of being the greatest character on Friday Night Lights just by being Coach Taylor. The coach every player dreams of having. Coach Taylor pushed his players to their limits, and when they achieved greatness, he drove them more. Coach Taylor is the ultimate football guy. Now excuse me while I go watch the series again and run through a few walls. CLEAR EYES, FULL HEARTS, CAN’T LOSE!
