Our 2026 Preseason Football Rankings Are Now Here
Every summer the question is the same - who are the best programs in Texas heading into the new season? Who has the talent, the coaching, the schedule, and the hunger to be standing at AT&T Stadium in December with a state championship trophy? We spent months evaluating every program in the state. We looked at returning rosters. We looked at schedules. We looked at program trajectories and coaching changes and every piece of information available heading into August. And now we are ready to give you our answer.
The 2026 Pitch Threads Preseason Top 50 is live. Here is your look at the top 20 - and why we put every single one of them exactly where we did.
1. NORTH SHORE MUSTANGS | 14-2 | HOLDING
North Shore is number one in Texas and it is not a debate. Six state championships. Defending 6A Division I state champions. A 14-2 record last season capped by a 10-7 defensive masterpiece over Duncanville in the title game. The Mustangs come back in 2026 with the mentality of a program that has been here before - multiple times - and knows exactly what it takes to finish the job in December. Until someone knocks them off that mountain, North Shore holds the top spot.
2. DESOTO EAGLES | 13-3 | HOLDING
DeSoto at number two is the most fascinating story of the entire preseason. Four state championships. Defending 6A-D2 state champions. Now in 5A-D1 after the UIL realignment - and still sitting at number two in the entire state of Texas. The Eagles are the most dangerous program in 5A-D1 before they have played a single snap in their new classification. Sarod Baker, LeMarcus Summers, Rickshown Hanks, and Elijah Edwards anchor a roster that is built to dominate whatever classification it plays in. DeSoto is number two overall and the runaway favorite for the 5A-D1 state title.
3. DUNCANVILLE PANTHERS | 12-2 | HOLDING
Duncanville lost the 6A-D1 title game to North Shore 10-7 last season. One score. That is the margin that separates the Panthers from back-to-back state championships. Three titles in program history - 1998, 2022, and 2023 - and a roster that reloads rather than rebuilds every single year. The 2026 schedule opens with Allen on August 28th and includes DeSoto in Week 3 - which means Duncanville is going to be battle-tested before district play even begins. This is a program that belongs at number three and has everything it needs to climb higher.
4. SOUTH OAK CLIFF GOLDEN BEARS | 14-3 | UP 4
SOC jumps four spots into the top five and the reasoning is simple - three state championships in five years, a 14-3 record last season as defending 5A-D2 state champions, and a program under Jason Todd that has built the most consistent dynasty in 5A football. The Golden Bears are Dallas' program. They play with an identity and a toughness that is impossible to manufacture. SOC at number four is a program that has earned every bit of that placement with what they have done over the last five years.
5. SMITHSON VALLEY | 15-1 | DOWN 5
Smithson Valley drops five spots from their previous ranking but do not let that number fool you - the Rangers are still one of the most complete programs in 5A and a legitimate state championship contender. A 15-1 record last season that ended with a state title is a standard that demands respect heading into 2026. Ty Knutson, now committed to Texas, quarterbacked this team to a championship. The question of who steps into that role in 2026 is what keeps Smithson Valley from being higher on this list. When that question gets answered, the Rangers could move up in a hurry.
6. FRISCO LONE STAR RANGERS | 15-1 | HOLDING
15-1 and a state final appearance last season is the foundation. Trey Wright - the player who led the entire country in total yards as a sophomore with 5,863 yards and 59 touchdowns - coming back for his junior season is the reason Lone Star is number six in the state. Add Karece Hoyt, the number one athlete in Texas, and a program under Jeff Rayburn that has developed NFL players and you have one of the most dangerous rosters in 5A-D1. Lone Star said they are going 16-0 this season. We believe them.
7. ALLEN EAGLES | 14-1 | HOLDING
Allen at number seven is a program that does not need an introduction. Five state championships. A 14-1 record last season as semifinalists. A facility that holds over 18,000 fans. The Eagles open 2026 with Duncanville, then DeSoto, then Carroll, then Prosper - four consecutive elite programs in the first month of the season. If Allen comes through that gauntlet with their confidence intact, they are going to be a major threat to anyone in 6A-D1 come November. This program has too much pedigree to sleep on.
8. LAKE TRAVIS CAVALIERS | 14-1 | HOLDING
Six state championships - five of them in consecutive years from 2007 through 2011. A 14-1 season last year that ended in the regional semis. And Cooper Webb, the Texas-commit with a 94-mph fastball - wait, wrong sport. Lake Travis football returns with one of the most balanced and experienced rosters in 6A. The Cavaliers play in an Austin-area landscape that gets tougher every year, and their schedule featuring Westlake in October is one of the most anticipated regular season matchups in the state. Lake Travis belongs in the top ten. They have been earning that placement for nearly two decades.
9. ALEDO BEARCATS | 14-1 | HOLDING
Twelve state championships. Aledo has more rings than any program in Texas high school football history. The Bearcats went 14-1 last season and now they make the jump to 6A for the first time in program history. Everything Aledo has built - the culture, the system, the expectation of winning - moves up with them. The only question is how quickly this program adjusts to a larger classification. Based on everything Aledo has done historically, the answer is immediately. They are number nine and they are going to make 6A feel the move.
10. SOUTHLAKE CARROLL DRAGONS | 14-1 | HOLDING
Eight state championships. One of the most decorated programs in the history of Texas high school football. Carroll went 14-1 last season as semifinalists and enters 2026 with the kind of pedigree that makes every opponent circle the date on their calendar months in advance. The schedule opens at Jenks in Oklahoma - one of the top programs in the country - before coming back to Texas for North Crowley and Allen. Carroll is the program that always finds a way to be relevant in November and December. Number ten is where they land now. December is where they want to be.
11. SHELDON C.E. KING | 13-3 | HOLDING
Zero state titles - but a 13-3 record last season as 6A-D2 state finalists is the kind of performance that earns a top fifteen placement in any preseason ranking. CE King came within one game of winning it all last year and the experience of playing on that stage is invaluable heading into 2026. With a schedule that includes North Shore and Summer Creek in non-district play, the Panthers are going to be tested early. They are a program on the rise and number eleven reflects exactly where they are in their trajectory.
12. CARTHAGE BULLDOGS | 16-0 | UP 7
Carthage jumps seven spots and makes their case as one of the biggest movers in the preseason rankings. Sixteen wins. Zero losses. A 16-0 record last season is one of the most dominant single-season performances in Texas high school football regardless of classification. The Bulldogs are a program that has been producing NFL talent and winning championships in East Texas for decades. They arrive in the 2026 preseason rankings as one of the most complete teams in the state and the clear favorite in their classification.
13. STEPHENVILLE YELLOWJACKETS | 16-0 | UP 4
Another program with a perfect 16-0 record last season makes a significant jump in the preseason rankings. Stephenville at number thirteen is a program that has been one of the most consistent winners in Texas high school football for generations. They qualified for the 7-on-7 state tournament, they return talent across the roster, and they play with the kind of program identity that wins when the schedule gets hard. Stephenville is dangerous and number thirteen does not fully capture how dangerous.
14. NORTH CROWLEY PANTHERS | 12-3 | UP 4
North Crowley at fourteen is a ranking that carries a massive asterisk heading into 2026 - the John Meredith III eligibility situation is the biggest story surrounding this program right now, and the outcome of that UIL appeal is going to dramatically affect how this ranking looks by September. The Panthers reached the 6A-D1 Regional Final last season before falling to Allen. With new head coach DeMarcus Harris taking over and a roster that still has elite talent beyond Meredith, North Crowley is still a top fifteen program. The appeal is pending. Watch this space.
15. DICKINSON GATORS | 11-1 | UP 5
Dickinson jumps five spots into the top fifteen and the reasoning is straightforward - this is a Houston-area program that has been building toward something significant and the 2026 season looks like the year it arrives. An 11-1 record last season and a rising trajectory under their coaching staff makes Dickinson one of the more intriguing programs in the preseason rankings. The Houston-area landscape is loaded in 2026 and Dickinson is going to have to prove themselves against North Shore, Summer Creek, and CE King. But they have the talent to do exactly that.
16. RICHMOND RANDLE BULLDOGS | 15-1 | DOWN 5
Randle drops five spots from their previous ranking but fifteen wins and a state final appearance last season demands top twenty placement in any credible preseason ranking. The Bulldogs went to the 5A-D1 championship game and lost a heartbreaker to SOC 38-35. They have been to two consecutive state finals and won the title in 2024. This program knows how to compete in December. The drop in ranking reflects the uncertainty that comes with roster turnover after deep playoff runs - but Randle reloads. They always do.
17. PORT ARTHUR MEMORIAL TITANS | 13-1 | DOWN 7
Port Arthur Memorial drops seven spots from their previous ranking but still holds a top twenty placement based on a 13-1 record last season and the kind of program tradition that demands respect. The Titans are one of the most celebrated programs in Southeast Texas football history and they come into 2026 with the talent and the coaching to compete in a loaded district. The drop reflects some uncertainty about roster continuity - but Memorial is a program that has seen these questions before and answered them every time.
18. KILGORE BULLDOGS | 18-0 | HOLDING
Kilgore at eighteen with an 18-0 record is a ranking that raises eyebrows - how is a team with a perfect record ranked eighteenth? The answer is classification and competition level. Kilgore has been dominant in their bracket but stepping up to face the programs above them on this list is a different conversation. What keeps Kilgore in the top twenty is exactly that record - you cannot go 18-0 by accident and this program has the coaching and the culture to compete at a level that justifies this placement. If they prove themselves against elite competition early, this ranking climbs fast.
19. AUSTIN VANDEGRIFT VIPERS | 12-3 | DOWN 7
Vandegrift drops seven spots but the defending 6A-D2 state champions belong in the top twenty heading into a season where they are coming back to defend a title they earned in 2024. A 12-3 record last season as semifinalists shows this program can compete when it matters - and winning a state championship over Southlake Carroll 24-17 gives them the credibility that no preseason ranking can take away. The Vipers are in 2026 with a target on their back. How they respond to that pressure is the story to watch in Central Texas.
20. WEST ORANGE-STARK MUSTANGS | 11-3 | DOWN 6
West Orange-Stark closes out the top twenty as one of the most consistent programs in Southeast Texas football. An 11-3 record last season and the kind of program tradition that has produced state championships and NFL players over multiple decades earns them a top twenty placement heading into 2026. The Mustangs play in one of the most competitive regions in the state and every win they earn comes against quality competition. West Orange-Stark at twenty is a program that could move up significantly if they start 2026 the way their offseason preparation suggests they are capable of.
Those are your top 20. The full top 50 is live right now.
North Shore. DeSoto. Duncanville. South Oak Cliff. Smithson Valley. Lone Star. Allen. Lake Travis. Aledo. Southlake Carroll. These are the programs at the top of Texas high school football heading into 2026 - and the full picture goes fifty teams deep.
The complete Pitch Threads Preseason Top 50 is live right now on the rankings tab at the top of this page. Every program from number one to number fifty. Every ranking explained. Every trend identified.
The 2026 season starts in August. The rankings are live today. Go see where your team landed.
Pitch Threads | Texas High School Football