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Houston County enters the 2026 season after one of the most successful seasons in school history. The team hosted its first playoff game since 2015, finished second in the region, and beat region rival Lee County for the first time ever after losing the first 11 meetings in the series. The team’s nine regular-season wins are tied for the most in school history, and its 10 wins overall are tied for the second most in school history.

It’s been 34 years since the inaugural Corky Kell Kickoff Classic, as it was then known, put toe to leather for two games in the Georgia Dome. McEachern beat Brookwood 21-14 and Newnan downed South Gwinnett 24-6. In the years since, the event has grown, morphed and changed its name to honor one of the founders, legendary Brookwood head coach Dave Hunter, who alongside Carlton ‘Corky’ Kell, created the greatest high school football event in the nation.

High School football in the state of Georgia is just around the corner as Georgia High School Football Media Day and the 2026 Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic Media Day will take place this week. Both days of Georgia High School Football Media Day will be streamed digitally on the Atlanta News First website/app as well as the National Federation High School (NFHS) Network.

The Trojans are wanting more and the newly designed Class 4A could be the canvas upon which Peach paints its heroics. Peach County, a perennial playoff power, enters Class 4A with a relatively clear goal, a deep playoff run. And with head coach Marquis Westbrook entering his fourth season at the helm, he has seen an entire class grow from freshman to seniors. And that could pay dividends. Westbrook led Warner Robins to four-straight state championship games from 2019-2022 and won in 2020 and 2021.

The talent in the Class of 2027 will be on full display in Georgia’s highest classification this season and today’s blog will highlight these rising seniors specifically with the top 25 highest-rated players according to both the 247sports and On3 ratings. I filtered out the players that are not in Class 7A from the overall Georgia ratings to create this list. Both recruiting platforms share a similar top 25 once all of the other classifications are filtered out.

Toombs County is on a quest to win championship number two in 2026 and to continue what has been the best run in school history. Coach Buddy Martin has transformed a program that, before he arrived, had never made it past the quarterfinals and hadn’t reached that round since 2008 into one of the premier programs in Georgia’s smaller classifications. The past two years have been especially successful, with the team winning the 2024 Class A-DI state title and making the finals once again in 2025.

The star-studded brothers at Blessed Trinity have continued to make a name for themselves throughout their high school careers. DJ, a five-star EDGE rusher, is known as one of the best defensive players in not only the state of Georgia, but in the nation in the class of 2027. The older of the brothers committed to Ohio State back in December of 2025 and is rated as the top player in his recruiting class on 247Sports.com.

There will be a new football state champion crowned in Class 2A this season following the reclassification cycle that sent two-time defending state champion Carver-Columbus into Class 3A. Now, eight regions that are unique in their own respect will battle for the prize in a wide-open field of teams. There are more than a dozen schools that are in Class 2A, but do not have football programs—leaving 57 football teams in the class this fall.

The private classification enters a season of unknowns in 2026, but one of the knowns will be some of the top teams in the class. The 2025 season saw some movement at the top of a classification that has seen multiple elite schools dominate its short history, but this year a number of teams already look like championship contenders. Hebron Christian is entering the 2026 season after winning its second straight championship. However, the team will have its third coach in three seasons.

With the 2026 football season on the horizon, Class 6A is full of storylines heading into an interesting season. With many teams in new regions and new classifications, the 2026 season will be one of the most exciting in recent memory. Is this Effingham County’s year? Effingham County is in a pivotal year under Coach Ford. The Rebels have a 34-20 record under Coach Ford, but this coming season will feature the most talented team he has had.