No. 1
St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) headlines our look at the top 100 high school football teams in the country heading into 2026 season, which kicks off in Hawaii in 23 days.
Alabama, Arizona, New Jersey, Ohio and Tennessee were the only other states that had at least four teams included.
Braves begin season at No. 1 for third time since 2018.
Brent Browner has led Gaels to 62-4 record as he enters his seventh season as head coach.
Panthers have finished ranked in the top 10 all but one season since 2017.
Ascenders have 27 players rated as a three-star recruit or higher.
Carson Palmer led Eagles to first state title since 2011 in his first season as head coach and looks to do it again in 2026.
Wolves became first team from Georgia to be crowned MaxPreps National Champions last season and get tested early against No. 38 Gainesville, No. 35 Central and No. 13 Grayson during first five weeks.
Inland Empire power brings back a lot of key players and added one of the best quarterback/wide receiver duos in the state in
Jaden Jefferson and
Quentin Hale from Cathedral (Los Angeles).
Monarchs have finished ranked in top 10 every season since 2016.
Panthers have made six state championships game appearances over last eight years and will be in the mix again in 2026.
Last year's MaxPreps National Player of the Year is back in five-star running back
David Gabriel Georges as Baylor looks to repeat as Division II Class AAA state champs.
Greg Carswell takes over as head coach and will have a loaded roster in his first season.
Defending Open Division state champs have won at least 10 games in each of the last five seasons.
Five-star junior quarterback
Neimann Lawrence comes over from Northwestern (Miami) and should make a huge impact for back-to-back Class 4A state champs.
Eagles have gone 27-2 over last two seasons and will have one of the most complete teams in the Lone Star State.
Travis Dixon has led Huskies to 21-3 record during his first two years as head coach and has his best team yet heading into 2026.
Defending Class 8A state champs are coming off a 14-0 campaign and the school's first state title.
Finished last season a perfect 15-0 and outscored opposition 845-125.
Will Mencl and
Jai Jones are one of the best quarterback/wide receiver duos in the country and are both back after leading Wolves to their first Open Division state championship game appearance since 2021.
Back-to-back Class 6A state champs have gone 27-1 over last two years.
Four-star quarterback
Trent Seaborn headlines the talent returning for Warriors as they go for seventh state title over last eight years.
Defending Non-Public A state champs return plenty of talent led by five-star linebacker
Tahj Gray.
Defending 6A Division 1 state champs have gone 43-4 under Willie Gaston since he took over as head coach in 2023.
Back-to-back WCAC champs will have a good chance at a three-peat thanks to a loaded defense led by
James Pace III.
Jett Harrison is one of the best wide receivers in the country regardless of class and should have the Hawks in contention to win 10th state title since 2013.
SaRod Baker rushed for 1,619 yards and 21 touchdowns in the playoffs alone last year and will be a key contributor for reigning 6A Division 2 state champs.
Justin Rogers has led Yellow Jackets to a 53-3 record and two state titles since taking over as head coach in 2022.
Rockets will be tested early with two huge out-of-state matchups at Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) and No. 7 Buford (Ga.).
Jason Todd has led Golden Bears to five straight state title game appearances, winning it all in 2021, 2022 and 2025.
Santavious Bryant led Grayson to a state title in 2024 and looks to do the same with a talented Red Elephants squad headlined by Clemson-bound quarterback
Kharim Hughley.
The Crusaders had their four-year streak of state titles come to an end last season but expect them to be back in the mix in 2026.
Bulls have won back-to-back state titles and gone 28-2 over last two years.
Brody Rudnicki accounted for over 300 yards of total offense and six touchdowns in last year's Division 1-AA state championship game, headlining the talent returning for Bulldogs.
Bobby Bentley is a proven coach, leading the Wildcats to first state title in 22 years last season.
Shamrocks are coming off first undefeated season since 2009 and bring back several key players led by
Gideon Gash.
Flyers come out of the gate with tough matchups against No. 37 Mount Carmel, No. 16 American Heritage and No. 37 Gainesville (Ga.).
Spartans have the second-longest active state title streak entering 2026 season, winners of eight in a row.
Four-star athlete
Brayton Feister will be a huge addition after making the freshman, sophomore and junior All-America teams over the last three years at Archbishop Hoban (Akron).
Casey Sutera takes over as head coach as he looks to lead Chargers to seventh state title since 2018.
Indians won at least 11 games for the first time since 2009 and don't expect a drop off this season.
Five-star junior safety
Casey Barner leads the talent returning after a 10-1 season.
Stuart Floyd led Cougars to 15-0 season in his first year as head coach and Class 6A state title.
Raptors have gone 29-2 over last two years and look to make it back to state championship game for third year in a row.
Have gone 33-8 over last three years and made it to at least the Class 6A quarterfinals all three seasons.
Bearcats have won at least 12 games every season since 2013.
Cougars lose a talented group to graduation but expect the Cougars to still be the favorites to three-peat in Division I Select.
Panthers made first-ever state title game appearance last season and will be right back in the mix in 2026.
Kevin Creasy has led Patriots to 150-11 record during his 11-year tenure with six state titles (2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025).
Ray Fenton takes over as head coach and will face one of the toughest schedules in the country with matchups against eight teams in the top 100.
Whirlies have gone 44-1 over last three years and won back-to-back state titles.
Three-time defending Class 6A state champs will be tested early with four out-of-state matchups against Anderson (Cincinnati, Ohio), Christian Brothers (St. Louis, Mo.), Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) and No. 12 Baylor.
Cody Flournoy takes over as head coach after leading Jackson to back-to-back Class 4A state titles.
The Bruins have dominated in-state competition in winning six Class 5A state championships since 2019.
Five-star junior quarterback
Donald Tabron II has led the Detroit power to back-to-back Division 1 state title game appearances.
Five-star quarterback
Trae Taylor and three-star wide receiver
Antayvious Ellis made the move to Millard South and should have them in position to win third consecutive Class A state title.
Expect a big year from junior quarterback
Louis Fortier as the Blue Tornado look to build on their run of five state titles since 2019.
The Friars hired Rick Garretson in February and expect him to make a huge impact at his alma mater.
Defending Class 2A state champs should be in the mix to compete for the state's inaugural Open Division playoff bracket that will feature the top-eight teams in the FHSAA.
Chad Grier has led the Chargers to four state titles over the last five years and had successful stints at Davidson Day (Charlotte, N.C.) and Oceanside Collegiate Academy (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) before taking over at Providence Day in 2020.
Eagles have reached the semifinal round in each of the last five years and won it all in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Quad Sanders has done nothing but win since taking over as head coach in 2023, leading Hornets to 36-2 record and back-to-back Class 7A state titles.
Back-to-back 5A Division 1 state champs bring back Texas pledge
Ty Knutson under center.
Bulldogs return several key players after a AAAAAA semifinal appearance in 2025.
Tom Knotts has led Silver Foxes to 190-28-1 record and 10 state titles since taking over as head coach in 2010.
Dreadnaughts have played in four consecutive state championships and should be in the mix to make the inaugural FHSAA Open Division playoffs.
Doug Ramsey has 235 career wins as he gets ready for his 30th season as head coach.
Five-star USC commit
Honor Fa'alave-Johnson impacts the game on both sides of the ball as much as any player in the country.
Purple Knights bring back plenty of key pieces after making their first state title game appearance in 46 years.
Eagles bring in a 30-game win streak after posting back-to-back undefeated seasons.
Rams should have one of the most talented teams in the Peach State led by four-star junior running back
Kevin Hartsfield.
Five-star running back
Landen Williams-Callis has rushed for 7,554 yards and 125 touchdowns over the last three years while leading Lions to 42-3 record.
Spartans have played in last four Class 6A state championship games and will have a good chance at five in a row with
Jamison Roberts at quarterback.
Carter Zingelmann is one of the highest-rated quarterbacks in the Class of 2028 and should have Cowboys in contention for a deep playoff run.
Bulldogs are coming off best season since 2009 and will be in the thick of things again with
Taihj Moore leading the charge.
San Diego State pledge
Isaiah Phelps has amassed 500 tackles while rushing for 1,700-plus yards and 18 touchdowns as he gets ready for a huge senior campaign.
After back-to-back Open Division titles in 2023 and 2024, the Lions look to return to the championship game after a 19-16 loss against Basha in the semifinals.
Seneca Driver headlines the talent as Rebels go for sixth state title since 2020.
Don't expect a drop off for the four-time defending state champs as Robert Green takes over as head coach after spending the last 12 years coaching at Navy.
