10 storylines to watch as 2026 GHSA football season approaches
The 2026 football season kicks off this week with four games in two days at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Here are 10 storylines to follow this season.
Corky Kell: Since its inception in 1992, the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic has signaled the start of the Georgia season. This year, it’s the start of the season nationwide. The Georgia High School Association gave permission to play the event’s four Mercedes-Benz Stadium games early to accommodate the stadium’s booking dates. So fans get a treat — four games ahead of schedule. They are South Gwinnett vs. Lanier and Grayson vs. North Gwinnett on Wednesday and Cambridge vs. Brookwood and Walton vs. Roswell on Thursday. Grayson and North Gwinnett are Gwinnett County Schools’ winningest programs since 2017, the last time they faced each other. The state that will open second is Alaska, on Aug. 13. See the full schedule.
Reclassification: There are seven classes again, but they’re named more sensibly, going from 7A to 1A instead of 6A to 1A Division II. Notable schools that moved up in class (taking into account new class names) were reigning state champions Creekside and Worth County. Others include Kell, Jefferson, LaGrange, Toombs County and Brooks County. The 44 that went down needed relief, as they averaged 3.1 victories last season. Westside of Augusta (10-2) and Sprayberry (9-2) are the best among them.
PSR has the power: The GHSA will use its Post Season Rankings Formula (PSR) to select and seed all 32 playoff teams in each class this season, a major break from the traditional way of seeding on region finish. The basic formula is winning percentage times opponents’ winning percentage times opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage. Region finish no longer matters except to guarantee region champions a top-16 seed in a 32-team field. A region runner-up can get a higher seed than its region champion, or a sixth-place finisher in one region can get a higher seed than a third seed from another, or its own, region. The PSR is popular and trustworthy because it’s easy to calculate and understand. But it has its critics. Computer rankings experts, including AJC contributor Loren Maxwell, decry the PSR’s accuracy, and a 2025 AJC article pointed out questionable seedings had the PSR been used to seed in all classes last season.
Great regions: Reclassification, held every two years, means new regions. The most intriguing is 4-6A, where south Fulton County neighbors and recent state champions Creekside and Hughes are together again. They have not played since 2019. Also in that region are Woodward Academy and Newnan. Class 5A also is reuniting teams that haven’t played since 2019. They are North Oconee and Jefferson in Region 8 and Marist and Blessed Trinity in Region 6. Cambridge, Sprayberry and St. Pius bolster the Marist-Blessed Trinity region. Rome won its seven region games by an average score of 52-8 last season, but that won’t be realistic in the new 6-6A, which features 11-game winners Kell and Sequoyah. Region 1-3A will have Worth County and Carver of Columbus, both reigning champions. Those schools, both more than 65 years old, will meet for the first time Nov. 6.
Teams to watch: The teams with the most seniors and juniors ranked on the 247Sports Composite are Grayson (11), Buford (10), McEachern (8), Gainesville (8), Creekside (8) and Douglas County (6). Toombs County’s five is remarkable for a 3A school. Also keep an eye on McEachern, which picked up four Power 4 prospects who transferred. Douglas County, Carrollton and Lithonia also gained key additions. Bowdon can become the second team in history, first since Eagle’s Landing Christian in 2015-19 to win five straight championships, though graduation hit the Red Devils hard. Carver of Columbus and Hebron Christian can win their third straight state titles.
Big games: Most of the best region rivalry games will continue, such as Thomas County Central vs. Lee County, Carrollton vs. Douglas County and Milton vs. Gainesville vs. Roswell. But there are an unusually high number of elite non-region games brought about partially because of the GHSA’s PSR, which made coaches hesitant to schedule likely losses. That meant good teams needed to play each other, or else nobody would. Among those games are Grayson vs. North Gwinnett, Grayson vs. Buford, Colquitt County vs. Thomas County Central, Jefferson vs. Calhoun, North Oconee vs. Calhoun, Sandy Creek vs. Grayson, Sandy Creek vs. Douglas County, Carver of Columbus vs. Douglas County, McEachern vs. Gainesville and Brookwood vs. Marist.
Private decisions: The GHSA’s private playoff division gained teams when Westminster, Pace Academy and Eagle’s Landing Christian chose not to keep playing up in class. The three went 7-23 last season competing above their enrollment in the old Class 4A. The private division will have 27 teams, up from 25. Savannah Country Day left for the Georgia Independent Athletic Association.
Players to watch: The state’s best player by most accounts is Blessed Trinity defensive lineman DJ Jacobs. The consensus No. 4 prospect is a three-time all-state player and former AJC Class 4A defensive player of the year. The next-highest rated is Hampton all-state wide receiver/defensive back Kamarui Dorsey, at No. 12. Three running backs — Moonie Gipson of Kell, Gary Walker of Creekside and Marquis Fennell of Valdosta — made the AJC’s Super 11 team. No quarterbacks did, but Gainesville’s Kharim Hughley and Carrollton’s CJ Cypher are blue-chip prospects chasing state championships, and Worthy County’s Lyndon Worthy is on pace to become the seventh to pass for 12,000 yards in a career. Defending 5A champion has a new quarterback, Aiden McPherson, an all-state passer who transferred from Rome.
Coaching matters: Some big-name programs have new coaches, and some big-name coaches have new programs. Or both. Santavious Bryant, the young coach who went 37-5 at Grayson with a 2024 state title, is now Gainesville’s coach. Bill Stewart, who won a 2017 state title at North Gwinnett, has taken over at Rome. Rich Fendley, who led Bowdon to four straight titles, has moved on to Rockmart, where he replaced Biff Parson, who moved on to Hart County. Jamie Abrams got the Bowdon job. Rance Morgan will continue Clinch County’s 52-year tradition of hometown head coaches, replacing Jim Dickerson, who won five state titles for his alma mater. Hebron Christian has its third coach in three seasons, Quentin Davie, a first-time head coach. The previous two Hebron coaches (Kenny Dallas, Jonathan Gess) won state titles. Tucker Pruitt, coach of 2021 state champion Fitzgerald, is getting his shot in the highest class at Camden County. Long-floundering Bradwell Institute hired two-time former Cedar Grove state champ John Adams. History says Westlake can expect big things from former Northgate, Stockbridge and Georgia Southern coach Kevin Whitley.
Two-day finals: This year’s football finals will be played over two days Dec. 15-16 instead of three. The flag football championships, normally played before the traditional football finals, have been given their own day, Dec. 8, in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The two-day traditional football finals will squeeze four games into one day, which means starting in the morning, probably at 11. The championships, played for the third straight season at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, are being evaluated for their financial practicality. The event lost money for the first time last year largely because of the expense of playing in the Falcons’ home stadium. The performance of this year’s finals could determine the finals’ future in Mercedes-Benz, if a decision to move isn’t made before then.