AJC Varsity

Where Georgia teams stand in early national high school football rankings

Three of Georgia’s reigning state champions are ranked in the top 50 of one preseason poll.
Class 4A state champion Creekside is one of several Georgia-based powerhouses ranked well by several national preseason polls. (Daniel Varnado for the AJC)
Class 4A state champion Creekside is one of several Georgia-based powerhouses ranked well by several national preseason polls. (Daniel Varnado for the AJC)
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Georgia could repeat with another high school football national champion this year if preseason rankings are any indicator.

The state is well-represented in the first round of rankings releases, including national polls from High School Football America, SBLive and the Public Schools Top 100.

Georgia tied California with 29 teams in the HSFA’s top 300 poll, good for third-most in the country.

Reigning consensus national champion Buford leads the state at No. 5. The Wolves, who earned 2025 national title honors from USA Today, ESPN, MaxPreps, SBLive and Blue Star Media, are three spots ahead of No. 8-ranked Carrollton.

Georgia’s other top-50 HSFA teams are No. 14 Grayson, No. 24 Creekside and No. 44 Thomas County Central. Fourteen of Georgia’s 29 top-300 teams are ranked in the top 100.

Region 1-7A is the only GHSA region to get all of its teams in the top 300. Lowndes, Colquitt County and Valdosta are all ranked late in the top 100 while Richmond Hill and Camden County are ranked in the early 200s.

Class 7A has the most top-300 teams among GHSA classifications with 14. Sandy Creek is the only school from Class 4A, the lowest GHSA classification represented.

North Georgia boarding school Rabun Gap is the only non-GHSA member ranked in the top 300 from Georgia.

Georgia high school football teams in the HSFA preseason top 300

SBLive’s top-25 poll has three Georgia teams, all in Class 7A. Buford is ranked No. 3, Grayson is ranked No. 11 and Carrollton is ranked No. 14.

Buford, Grayson and Carrollton are the only teams that have played for a state title in Georgia’s highest classification the last two years. Carrollton eliminated Grayson in the quarterfinals last season before falling to Buford in the state championship.

Buford, Grayson and Carrollton are also three of the top five public schools in SBLive’s rankings.

The Public Schools Top 100 features 16 Georgia teams, including its top two spots. Reigning Class 4A champion Creekside is ranked No. 1, right in front of Class 5A champion Thomas County Central. The Seminoles and Yellow Jackets will compete in the same classification this year.

Both teams are coming off 15-0 seasons. Creekside broke the GHSA’s single-season scoring record last year, and Thomas County Central had the most lopsided state championship win, a 62-21 domination of Gainesville.

Carrollton (No. 6) and Buford (No. 9) were Georgia’s other top-10 teams in the poll. Georgia has the second-most teams in the poll behind Texas (18).

Georgia high school football teams in the T25PS preseason Top 100