Best High School Football Team in Every State Entering the 2026 Season | Preseason Rankings
The 2026 high school football season is almost here, and excitement is building as powerhouse programs across the United States prepare for another championship campaign. With elite recruits returning and several teams coming off undefeated seasons, the race for state titles and national recognition promises to be as competitive as ever.
USA TODAY Sports has unveiled its 2026 Super 25 preseason rankings, highlighting the nation's top high school football programs. While those rankings focus on the best teams in the country, every state has its own standout program entering the new season.
Below is a complete state-by-state breakdown of the best high school football team in every state entering the 2026 season, including each team's 2025 record and key returning players.
Best High School Football Team in Every State (2026 Preseason)
Alabama
Team: Thompson (Alabaster)
2025 Record: 11-3
Key Players: EDGE Cameron Pritchett (Sr.), QB Trent Seaborn (Sr.), S Junior Tu'upo (Sr.)
Alaska
Team: Soldotna
2025 Record: 10-0
Key Players: RB Chase Hall (Sr.), CB Zackary Kemp (Sr.), DL Koda Lepule (Sr.)
Arizona
Team: Basha
2025 Record: 12-1
Key Players: OT Jake Hildebrand (Sr.), QB Jake Rogers (Sr.), EDGE Landen Wade (Jr.)
Arkansas
Team: Bryant
2025 Record: 13-0
Key Players: S Terriun Jones (Sr.), EDGE Samuel Nelson (Sr.), TE Hayden Sublette (Sr.)
California
Team: St. John Bosco (Bellflower)
2025 Record: 9-2
Key Players: QB Koa Malau'ulu (Jr.), IOL Elisha Mueller (Jr.), LB Josiah Poyer (Sr.)
Colorado
Team: Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village)
2025 Record: 14-0
Key Players: OL Jackson Roper (Sr.), RB Elijah Cromwell (Jr.), WR Alijah Landrum-Hamilton (Sr.)
Connecticut
Team: Choate Rosemary Hall (Wallingford)
2025 Record: 8-2
Key Players: CB Breydon Evans (Jr.), OL Liam Peters (So.), OL Luke Tenn (Sr.)
Delaware
Team: Middletown
2025 Record: 10-3
Key Players: EDGE Michel Adams (Jr.), WR DJ Davis (Sr.), LB Tysir Young (Jr.)
Florida
Team: IMG Academy (Bradenton)
2025 Record: 9-0
Key Players: EDGE Zyron Forstall (Sr.), WR Eric McFarland III (Sr.), QB Jayden Wade (Jr.)
Georgia
Team: Buford
2025 Record: 15-0
Key Players: EDGE Luke Nabors (Jr.), WR Seven Rashad (Jr.), LB Braden Watson (Sr.)
Hawaii
Team: Mililani
2025 Record: 7-4
Key Players: LB Toa Satele (Sr.), WR Zion White (Sr.), QB Dallas Carter (Sr.)
Idaho
Team: Bishop Kelly (Boise)
2025 Record: 13-0
Key Players: OL Brady Hale (Sr.), DE Jack Henderson (Sr.), OL Brandon Root (Sr.)
Illinois
Team: Mount Carmel (Chicago)
2025 Record: 14-0
Key Players: WR Quentin Burrell (Sr.), CB Tavares Harrington (Sr.), LB Roman Igwebuike (Sr.)
Indiana
Team: Brownsburg
2025 Record: 14-0
Key Players: QB Oscar Frye (Sr.), WR Branden Sharpe (Sr.), DL Dami Sowunmi (Sr.)
Iowa
Team: Dowling Catholic (West Des Moines)
2025 Record: 12-1
Key Players: OL Carter Barrett (Jr.), LB Carlos Blount Jr. (Sr.), QB Ethan La Cava (Sr.)
Kansas
Team: Manhattan
2025 Record: 11-2
Key Players: ATH Adonis Dunnigan (So.), RB Joseph Mortensen (Sr.), LB Max Evans-Pryor (Sr.)
Kentucky
Team: Trinity (Louisville)
2025 Record: 13-2
Key Players: CB Allen Evans (Sr.), DL Sebastian Blue (Sr.), S Elijah Burns-Crump (Sr.)
Louisiana
Team: Ruston
2025 Record: 11-3
Key Players: TE Ahmad Hudson (Sr.), RB Dalen Powell (Jr.), S Jayden Anding (Sr.)
Maine
Team: Thornton Academy (Saco)
2025 Record: 11-1
Key Players: DL Wyatt Ashbaigh (Jr.), OL Quinn Purvis (Sr.), LB Brennan Tabor (Sr.)
Maryland
Team: St. Frances Academy (Baltimore)
2025 Record: 9-1
Key Players: EDGE Jermaine Smith Jr., CB Raylaun Henry (Sr.), EDGE Anthony Sweeney (Sr.)
Massachusetts
Team: Catholic Memorial (West Roxbury)
2025 Record: 10-2
Key Players: WR Ramar Thomas (Jr.), S Jackson Tucker (Sr.), QB Kingston Rust (Sr.)
Michigan
Team: Catholic Central (Novi)
2025 Record: 14-0
Key Players: QB Duke Banta (Sr.), ATH Gideon Gash (Sr.), OT Matthew Brady (Sr.)
Minnesota
Team: Maple Grove
2025 Record: 10-1
Key Players: TE Karris Ellingson (Sr.), CB Luke Smith (Sr.), CB TJ Williams (Sr.)
Mississippi
Team: Tupelo
2025 Record: 13-2
Key Players: OL Antonio Berry (Sr.), RB Kylan Bobo (Sr.), LB Kaiden Buchanan (Jr.)
Missouri
Team: Blue Springs South
2025 Record: 9-1
Key Players: OL Jude Couzens (Sr.), LB Prince Goldsby (Sr.), OL Owen Smith (Sr.)
Montana
Team: Frenchtown
2025 Record: 11-1
Key Players: WR Cooper Michaud (Sr.), S Cole Pfahler (Sr.), QB Dawson Rodoni (Sr.)
Nebraska
Team: Millard South (Omaha)
2025 Record: 12-1
Key Players: QB Trae Taylor (Sr.), S Tory Pittman III (Sr.), WR Antayvious Ellis (Sr.)
Nevada
Team: Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
2025 Record: 11-1
Key Players: QB Chance Thomas (Sr.), CB Hayden Stepp (Sr.), DL Tayaun Lawrence (Jr.)
New Hampshire
Team: Phillips Exeter Academy
2025 Record: 6-3
Key Players: ATH Eli Melendes (Sr.), RB Antonio Serna (Sr.), CB Jack Snyder (Sr.)
New Jersey
Team: Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey)
2025 Record: 11-1
Key Players: QB Carson Schoen (Jr.), LB Mikhali Allen (Sr.), EDGE Aidan O'Neil (Sr.)
New Mexico
Team: Cleveland (Rio Rancho)
2025 Record: 12-1
Key Players: OL Wyatt Lohr (Sr.), WR Evan Nanez (Jr.), TE Noah Valler (Sr.)
New York
Team: Iona Prep (New Rochelle)
2025 Record: 11-1
Key Players: OL Dilen Mulaj (Jr.), LB Mamadee Sangaray (Sr.), DL Joshua Simmons (Sr.)
North Carolina
Team: Hough (Cornelius)
2025 Record: 14-0
Key Players: QB Ethan Royal (Sr.), CB Joshua Dobson (Sr.), S Davion Jones (Sr.)
North Dakota
Team: Kindred
2025 Record: 10-1
Key Players: TE Brooks Bakko (Sr.), OL Luke Starcevic (Sr.)
Ohio
Team: Anderson (Cincinnati)
2025 Record: 14-0
Key Players: QB Owen Scalf (Sr.), CB Ace Alston (Sr.), WR Tysin Weaver (Sr.)
Oklahoma
Team: Bixby
2025 Record: 13-0
Key Players: OL Kaeden Penny (Sr.), LB Cain Brackney (Sr.), RB/LB Jack Gill (Sr.)
Oregon
Team: West Linn
2025 Record: 11-1
Key Players: QB Sloan Baker (Sr.), OL Xander Mishkin (Sr.), CB Josiah Molden (Sr.)
Pennsylvania
Team: La Salle College (Wyndmoor)
2025 Record: 13-1
Key Players: WR Owen Johnson (Jr.), LB Zykee Scott (Sr.)
Rhode Island
Team: Bishop Hendricken (Warwick)
2025 Record: 7-3
Key Players: QB Isaiah Brito (Sr.), EDGE Elijah Guertin (Sr.), WR Jabari Jackson (Sr.)
South Carolina
Team: Dutch Fork
2025 Record: 12-1
Key Players: DL Jaden Wuerth (Sr.), EDGE Peyton Bishop (Sr.), IOL Brody Lorenzo (Jr.)
South Dakota
Team: Brandon Valley
2025 Record: 11-1
Key Players: TE Austin Dowd (Sr.), LB Miles Fokken (Sr.), QB Will VanLeur (Sr.)
Tennessee
Team: Baylor (Chattanooga)
2025 Record: 12-0
Key Players: RB David Gabriel Georges (Sr.), QB Keegan Croucher (Sr.), WR Antwaun Adams (Jr.)
Texas
Team: Waxahachie
2025 Record: 11-2
Key Players: QB Jerry Meyer III (Sr.), S JayQuan Snell (Sr.), RB Taylen Strange (Jr.)
Utah
Team: Orem
2025 Record: 12-2
Key Players: EDGE Krew Jones (Sr.), OT Maui Tonata (Jr.), OT Mataio Fano (Jr.)
Vermont
Team: Middlebury
2025 Record: 10-1
Key Players: QB Brady Lloyd (Jr.), LB Levi Nuceder (Sr.), ATH Jason Sperry (Sr.)
Virginia
Team: St. James Performance Academy (Springfield)
2025 Record: 8-1
Key Players: S Kenaz Sullivan, LB Tyson Washington, LB Wesley Flamer
Washington
Team: Puyallup
2025 Record: 12-1
Key Players: RB Briytan Bailey (Jr.), LB Michael Pulalasi (Sr.), QB Noah Smith (Sr.)
West Virginia
Team: Martinsburg
2025 Record: 11-3
Key Players: QB Brian Dick (Sr.), RB Kingston McDonald-Gibson, WR Boston Todd (Sr.)
Wisconsin
Team: Arrowhead (Hartland)
2025 Record: 13-1
Key Players: RB Jebari Craig Jr. (Sr.), QB Nolan Hanson (Sr.), TE Tre Oiler (Jr.)
Wyoming
Team: Star Valley (Afton)
2025 Record: 12-0
Key Returning Players: N/A
Top National Championship Contenders for 2026
Several of these state-leading programs are expected to compete for national recognition throughout the season, including:
- IMG Academy (Florida)
- St. John Bosco (California)
- Bishop Gorman (Nevada)
- Buford (Georgia)
- Thompson (Alabama)
- Don Bosco Prep (New Jersey)
- St. Frances Academy (Maryland)
- Mount Carmel (Illinois)
- Brownsburg (Indiana)
- Cherry Creek (Colorado)
These schools boast elite coaching staffs, loaded rosters, and multiple Division I recruits, making them among the favorites to finish the season in the national rankings.
Final Thoughts
The 2026 high school football season promises another exciting year filled with elite matchups, future college stars, and championship races across the country. While these teams enter the season as the favorites in their respective states, every Friday night presents a new challenge, and new contenders will emerge as the season unfolds.
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