Every year, the Deseret News polls the state’s high school football coaches to rank the top five teams in their own classification. A year ago, five of the seven teams projected as preseason No. 1s went on to win state championships. The year before that it was six of seven.
That consistency from the coaches bodes well for the seven teams tabbed as preseason No. 1s in 2025 — six of which are also defending state champs.
Corner Canyon (6A), Orem (5A), Ridgeline (4A), San Juan (2A), Beaver (1A) and Rich (1A 8-player) are the five defending state champs who begin the season ranked No. 1 in their respective classification.
Morgan in 3A is the only preseason No. 1 that’s not a defending state champ.
The 2026 season gets underway Thursday, Aug. 13, with Mountain Ridge hosting Skyridge, followed by a full slate of games a night later on Aug. 14.
Here’s a closer look at each classification, with the complete rankings listed below.
Class 6A projections
Despite a changing of the guard at the helm for Corner Canyon — as former coach Eric Kjar departed for Weber State — expectations have not changed in 2026.
The Chargers narrowly edged region foes Skyridge and Lone Peak for the top spot in the 6A preseason coaches rankings as Casey Sutera takes over for Kjar, who only lost 10 games in nine wildly-successful seasons with the Chargers.
“We know we have a high expectation because of the standard coach Kjar has created at Corner Canyon. We expect to keep the same tradition and we know that starts with the process,” said Sutera, who spent the past four years as Brighton’s head coach. “Our players have done a great job of investing into our offseason strength program and I feel like we are in a good place coming out of our summer camp.”
The usual class of 6A contenders will be in the hunt with Corner Canyon, with Skyridge, Lone Peak, Davis and Mountain Ridge rounding out the preseason top five.
Corner Canyon received five first-place votes from 6A coaches, while Skyridge and Lone Peak each received four first-place votes.
The Chargers return three offensive starters and five defensive starters in the quest to try and win a fourth-straight state championship in 2026.
Of the top five in 6A, only No. 5 Mountain Ridge returns its starting quarterback from a season ago.
Class 5A projections
Just like in 6A, there was a coaching change at the top of 5A this past offseason, but the expectations are still sky high for the defending state champion Orem Tigers.
With Andy Stokes taking over as head coach in 2026, Orem still received 90% of the first-place votes from 5A coaches this preseason.
He’s inheriting a team with four returning starters offensively and three defensively. The program also got a huge boost in the offseason with Oklahoma commit Krew Jones transferring to Orem from Ridgeline.
“Orem returns a strong foundation of talent, including several experienced skill players and a growing group of underclassmen. The schedule is challenging, featuring national powers and top Utah programs, but the combination of championship culture and strong offseason development is promising,” said Stokes, who previously was a head coach at Dixie and Timpview.
Rounding out the preseason top five in 5A after Orem are West, Springville, Timpview and Olympus.
West and Springville both lost to Orem in the playoffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium a year ago, but both squads hope the experience gained in those losses is strong motivation for another push in 2026.
Class 4A projections
Coming off a perfect 14-0 season a year ago where the program finally got over the top on the big stage, Ridgeline is primed for another great run in 2026.
With six offensive starters back and four on the defensive side, Ridgeline was the runaway No. 1 pick in the 4A preseason coaches rankings as the Riverhawks received 12 first-place votes.
Rounding out the preseason top five are Crimson Cliffs, Provo, Skyline and Salem Hills — and all four also received at least one first-place vote.
“I’m excited about this year’s team. We have a great mix of returning starters and players who have patiently waited their turn behind some great players from last year’s team,” said Ridgeline coach Travis Cox. “They are a hungry group who worked extremely hard in the offseason, and I’m excited to watch that dedication pay off on the field on Friday nights.”
Ridgeline had eight first team all-staters a year ago, but seven graduated and the eighth transferred to Orem.
How well those newcomers adjust to their expanded roles will determine whether it’s a repeat year for Ridgeline in 4A.
Class 3A projections
For the fifth-straight season, Morgan will open the season as the preseason No. 1 in 3A.
Even though the Trojans lost to Manti in the semis a year ago, and even though they only return a handful of starters in 2026, no program in 3A is more respected and feared than coach Jared Barlow’s squad.
“Exciting time of year. We replace a lot of graduating seniors, but have an excellent group doing it. Looking forward to see what legacy this team will leave with our school and community,” said Barlow, whose team returns just two offensive starters and four defensive starters.
Rounding out the preseason top five after Morgan are Cedar, Richfield, Juab and Grantsville.
Cedar is coming off a perfect 13-0 season and its first state championship in school history, and despite heavy roster turnover, coach Tye Hiatt expects the Reds to be in the hunt again.
“We will have some new faces in different roles ... this fall, but we believe they will be ready to step in and compete at a high standard. A lot of these kids have been in the program for a couple years. They have been making plays on special teams and have been in backup roles, but it is now their turn to step up and lead the program,” said Hiatt.
Class 2A projections
Will it be another copy-and-paste type season for the San Juan Broncos in in 2026?
The program has won five-straight 2A state championships with a combined 59-5 record during that stretch. Four of those five losses came against upper-classification teams as well.
With that long track record of success, and roughly half its starters back from a year ago, San Juan was the runaway choice for the top spot in 2A in the preseason coaches voting this summer.
Rounding out the top five in the nine-team classification are Summit Academy, South Summit, South Sevier and Delta.
“We are coming into the season with a team that lacks some varsity experience, but what they lack in experience they are making up for by the hard work this summer,” said San Juan coach Barkley Christensen. “We have been very pleased with this group’s summer attendance and these guys have attacked the weight room and offseason program with a level of commitment that has got us coaches very excited. They have embraced the challenge of carrying on the standard that has been built here over the past several years.”
Class 1A projections
Fresh off its first state championship in nearly two decades, Kanab is in a great spot to compete for a 1A title again in 2026.
Led by six returning offensive starters and five on defense, Kanab was tabbed the preseason No. 1 by 1A coaches. It won all three playoff games a year ago by double digits.
“The boys are excited and working hard. We have kids competing for positions and looking to find roles. We return about half of our starters, so we should have a fairly experienced group,” said Kanab coach JR Quarnberg. “We do feel like we have more depth than we have had in the past, hopefully that can be strength for us.”
Rounding out the top five in 1A after Kanab are Beaver, Duchesne, North Summit and Enterprise.
Beaver lost to Kanab in the 1A championship a year ago, but it has some work to get back to that spot this season with the fewest number of returning starters among 1A contenders.
Class 1A 8-player projections
Rich High has owned 8-player football the past three seasons, and the expectations are for that reign to continue in 2026.
The Rebels received all but one first-place vote from 1A coaches ahead of the upcoming season, as they grabbed the top spot in the top five followed by Milford, Monticello, Altamont and Whitehorse.
“I’m excited for this group of guys. We have some big shoes to fill but have several returning and some motivated underclassmen that are eager to compete,” said Rich coach Tyson Larsen. “As long as we can stay healthy, I’m hoping that we’ll field a competitive and hardworking team. It should be a fun year.”
Rich beat Milford 21-12 in last year’s title game, and Rich returns two offensive starters and three defensive starters from that group.
Milford returns three offensive starters and four defensive starters.
2026 preseason high school football rankings
Each year, the Deseret News asks every football coach in the state to vote for the top five teams in their classification. The votes are tallied, and five points are assigned for a first-place vote, four for a second-place vote, etc. Coaches aren’t allowed to vote for their own team. The following are the results from the coaches who elected to participate (first-place votes indicated in parenthesis):
Class 6A
Team 2025 record
- Corner Canyon (5) 12-2
- Skyridge (4) 9-3
- Lone Peak (4) 8-5
- Davis (1) 10-2
- Mountain Ridge 10-3
Others receiving multiple votes: American Fork, Herriman.
Class 5A
Team 2025 record
- Orem (19) 12-2
- West (1) 11-2
- Springville (1) 12-2
- Timpview 6-6
- Olympus (1) 6-6
Others receiving multiple votes: Bountiful, Box Elder, Brighton, Fremont, Woods Cross, Pleasant Grove, Alta, Maple Mountain.
Class 4A
Team 2025 record
- Ridgeline (12) 14-0
- Crimson Cliffs (3) 10-2
- Provo (4) 8-5
- Skyline (2) 9-4
- Salem Hills (1) 7-4
Others receiving multiple votes: Hurricane, Green Canyon, Stansbury, Desert Hills, Mountain Crest, Park City.
Class 3A
Team 2025 record
- Morgan (7) 10-2
- Cedar (4) 13-0
- Richfield (2) 7-5
- Juab 9-4
- Grantsville 7-5
Others receiving multiple votes: Manti, Logan.
Class 2A
Team 2025 record
- San Juan (7) 11-2
- Summit Academy (1) 6-6
- South Summit (1) 8-5
- South Sevier 10-2
- Delta 2-8
Others receiving multiple votes: Emery.
Class 1A
Team 2025 record
- Kanab (7) 11-1
- Beaver 10-3
- Duchesne (1) 9-3
- North Summit 6-6
- Enterprise 4-7
Others receiving multiple votes: Millard.
Class 1A 8-player
Team 2025 record
- Rich (9) 10-3
- Milford (1) 9-3
- Monticello 6-6
- Altamont 8-3
- Whitehorse 6-3
Others receiving multiple votes: UMA Camp Williams, UMA Hill Field, St. Joseph.