Friday Night Lights: Where Are They Now? (Sort Of)

A hypothetical "Where are they now?" update of the characters we love from Friday Night Lights.

When our favorite movies or television shows come to an end, so to do the lives of our favorite characters – until now.

Fortunately for me, I have the hindsight to figure out where these beloved figures ended up down the road.

Let’s have a look and find out where some of the memorable figures from Friday Night Lights ended up:

Eric and Tami Taylor

The Taylor’s were happy for a number of years in the City of Brotherly love before opportunity came a knocking. With the Dallas Cowboys falling short of making another deep run in the NFL Playoffs, owner Jerry Jones turned to former business partner Buddy Garrity for help recruiting a man who has long been on his radar – Coach Eric Taylor.

When Buddy paid Coach a visit, Eric couldn’t help but remove his sun glasses and crack a smirk in disbelief:

Coach: “What on earth are you doing here Buddy?! God damn I know I messed up not taking over the helm of that Super Team in Dillon but you didn’t have to fly all the way here just to remind me of that!”

Buddy: “Eric, I’m here with a proposal far larger than the Dillon Panthers. Forget about the Super Team. But yeah, you missed the boat on that one. How on earth did you pass that up for…Philadelphia? I mean, Eric, I handed you another state title on a silver platter…”

Coach: “Enough with the pleasantry, Buddy, what is it you want exactly?”

Buddy: “Eric, how would you like to be the next coach of America’s Team?”

Coach: “America’s Team? Did you make a pit stop at the bar before stopping over here, Buddy? Don’t waste my time. Can’t you see I have a practice to run?”

Buddy: “Eric, I’ve never been so serious in my life. The Dallas Cowboys want you. Hell, the state of Texas needs you. No, AMERICA needs you!”

Coach looks at Buddy in silence for a few seconds, takes a deep breath and gives him a strong eyed stare.

Coach, in a very slow and deliberate manner: “Let me think about think about this. I’ve got to talk to my wife.”

Buddy: “Of course. Of course. I wouldn’t have it any other way without Tami’s approval. Do you want me to come talk to her?”

Coach: “That’s quite alright, Buddy. There’s some things she misses about Texas. Your unannounced drop-ins certainly aren’t one of them.”

After initial hesitation from Tami, she began to come around to the thought of leaving her once dream job as Dean of Admissions at Braemore College. Mrs. unbeknownst to Coach, Tami had grown tired of students filing complaints against her blunt talk approach. Safe spaces don’t exist in Mrs. Taylor’s office, now have a seat. The inability of this generation to express a train of thought in a written form longer than 140 characters had really taken its toll on Mrs. Taylor. With her faith in the future of our youth in doubt, Tami was more than open to the idea of returning to Texas.

The Taylor’s have returned home and now serve as King and Queen of Texas.

Julie Taylor

Who cares?

Tim Riggins

Riggins’ Rigs has grown into a successful chain across Texas. Tim used his share of the profits to fund several new hand-built sheds and a privacy wall to outline his property that would make President Trump blush.

At the recommendation of former contestants the Stratton sisters, producers for The Bachelor have contacted Tim on multiple occasions. Threes has consistently turned down the offer as his days of living in the limelight are behind him.

He lives a peaceful life while rarely wearing a t-shirt and leaves his property only to go on beer runs and watch his brother Billy coach on Friday nights.

Riggins has been named Texas’ most eligible bachelor every year since sophomore year of high school.

Billy Riggins

Billy is the brains, yes, the brains, behind the expansion of Riggins’ Rigs. When you keep making babies at rate Billy and Mindy are, you have to keep their future in mind. With the financial backing from one Buddy Garrity, half of Texas now gets an oil change at a Riggins’ Rigs.

Keep a lookout down the road for the Riggins’ baby boys. Billy’s long-term goal is to have each of his kids graduate from Dillon with a State Championship ring.

He would also go on to be named Dad of the Year in Texas with his brother Tim on hand to give a tear jerker of an introductory speech.

Buddy Garrity

On top of serving as a recruiter on behalf of Jerry Jones, Buddy now serves as the fundraising chairman for the Texas Republican Party. You can spot him in the Cowboys owner’s box on Sunday afternoons.

“Eric, we need to talk…” can still be heard each and every Monday following a Cowboys’ loss.

Lyla Garrity

Lyla has three cats and has since divorced, multiple times.

Matt Saracen

Saracen moved to Brooklyn following graduation with an art degree. He broke it off with Julie after a piece of steel from one of his projects fell on his head and knocked some sense into him.

A self-portrait in his Dillon jersey portraying a confused, embattled and sad-looking teenager titled “Seven” is the feature piece in his gallery.

Landry Clarke

Lance, as Coach would call him, would find himself caught up in a college athletics scandal. He served as the football team’s tutor, AKA writing their papers and taking their tests, and would eventually have the whistle blown on him by a freshman girl that he relentless stalked.

Tyra Collette

Tyra followed in Tami Taylor’s footsteps and became a guidance counsel of her own.

On more than one occasion, she had to give a student the run around regarding her checkered past that stemmed from some social media stalking.

Let’s just say Ms. Collette enjoys her Friday happy hours with the faculty. You can take the girl out of Dillon but you can’t take the Dillon out of the girl.

Jason Street

Street made a big splash by negotiating Coach Taylor’s deal with the Cowboys and bringing his client “Smash” Williams along for the ride.

Six continues to wheel and deal – pun kind of intended – his way into becoming one of the most powerful NFL agents.

Brian ‘Smash’ Williams

Smash had a successful college playing career before getting drafted in the fifth by the Cleveland Browns. With the money he earned from his first contract, he bought his momma a house.

After a few seasons of playing to little success for an abysmal team, Coach Taylor traded for him in his first acquisition with the Cowboys.

The Smash is back, baby!

Luke Cafferty

After finishing his basic training with the armed forces, Luke was assigned to an overseas base in France. He would go on to fall in love with a local. She turned out to be a pacifist and convinced him to leave his post.

The two of them continue to wanderlust as faithful members of the Peace Corps.

Joe McCoy

Joe went belly up during the mortgage crisis. He turned to the bottle to drown his sorrows and became an even bigger asshole – if you can believe it.

You can now find him at a race track near you wagering what little money he has left on the ponies.

J.D. McCoy

Before his father went off the deep end, J.D. was able to use Joe’s connections to land an internship with Senator Ted Cruz.

For the first time in his life, J.D. is not the most despised person in the crew he rolls with.

Vince Howard

Vince found out after graduation that the identity of his real father was a former boxer who had since passed away. Devastated by the news, he gave up football and moved to Los Angeles. There he would subtly enter the world of boxing, accepting underground fights in the friendly confines of Mexico.

Eager to follow in his father’s footsteps, he took a leap of faith and reached out to longtime family friend Rocky Balboa. While his initial efforts were met with backlash from the former heavyweight champion, he was able to eventually sway him into accepting a managerial role and moved to Philadelphia to study under his tutelage.

He was able to quickly work himself into a championship bout. Although he was unsuccessful, he is now considered an up-and-comer with top contender status.

Today you know him simply as Creed.