A high school football coach and his teacher wife were killed in a car crash in Texas just days after the school year began.
East Bernard High School head football coach and athletic director Jeremy Jenkins and his wife, Brandy Jenkins, died Aug. 15 in a single-vehicle crash in Wharton County, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety and East Bernard Independent School District.
Jenkins, 51, and his wife, 46, were traveling north on State Highway 60 near County Road 210 shortly after 10 p.m. when their 2025 Tesla Model Y approached a curve, left the roadway and overturned, according to DPS. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
The crash remains under investigation, and authorities have not publicly identified a cause for the vehicle leaving the roadway.
East Bernard ISD Superintendent Courtney Hudgins said the couple's influence extended far beyond their positions as coach and teacher.
School officials and community members described Jeremy Jenkins as a mentor who cared deeply about the development of young people both on and off the field. The coach had become a prominent figure in the athletics program since taking over as the school's head football coach and athletic director in February 2024. During his first two seasons, he led the Brahmas to a 20-7 record and guided the team to the Class 3A Division II state semifinals in 2025.
Brandy Jenkins had recently joined East Bernard Junior High School as a teacher and had already begun building relationships with students. Students already loved her in just three short days of the new school year, Hudgins said.
The school district has made grief counselors and support services available to students, teachers and staff as the community works through the loss.
The couple leaves behind three sons—Tyson, 20, Gage, 18, and Jake, 16. A fundraiser has been established to help the brothers with their future educational and living expenses.
"100% of the net proceeds will go directly to Tyson, Gage and Jake and will be divided equally among the three boys. These funds will help support their education, living expenses and future needs as they move forward without their parents,” the fundraising page states.
A memorial service for the couple is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at Sugar Creek Baptist Church in Sugar Land.