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Chattanooga high school football 2026 coverage is officially underway as the season opens with a bang today, with nationally ranked defending Division II-AAA champion Baylor meeting Brentwood Academy in a state championship rematch on ESPN.
For Lito and I the wait is finally over.
Throughout the spring and summer, we had the opportunity to get out and see teams in 7-on-7 competition, summer practices and scrimmages. Now, after months of watching teams build chemistry, develop young talent and prepare for the fall, we are ready to see how it all comes together when the games count.
Over the next two and possibly three parts, SOTG will highlight some of the high school football teams we are most excited to see take the field in 2026.
South Pittsburg Pirates
We begin with the defending Class 1A state champion South Pittsburg Pirates, one of the most consistent small-school powers in Tennessee.
Despite graduating all five starters along the offensive line, South Pittsburg still enters 2026 loaded with offensive talent. That group is headlined by reigning Class 1A Tennessee Titans Mr. Football winner and Tennessee commit Dayon “DayDay” Cooper, along with All-State WR/DB and Austin Peay commit Brandon Goldsmith.
With that kind of talent returning, the Pirates once again look like the team to beat in Region 3-1A.
One of the newest pieces to the offense is quarterback Knox Israel, a transfer from Georgia whom I had a chance to watch during 7-on-7 competition at Howard High School this summer.
Israel immediately caught my attention with his touch as a passer and command of the offense. He looked comfortable making throws both inside and outside the pocket and showed the ability to attack different areas of the field.
There are two things I am especially curious to see from South Pittsburg this season.
First, how quickly can the new offensive line gel?
It is no secret that the offensive line is the engine behind what South Pittsburg wants to do offensively. I spoke with head coach Wes Stone at Howard this summer and mentioned all the speed surrounding Israel at the skill positions.
“Smokey, you know I like to run the ball and get downhill, but with all these weapons I might be forced to let Knox spread it around this year,” Stone said.
That could make this one of the more interesting South Pittsburg offenses we have seen in recent years.
The second question is on defense.
It will be extremely difficult to duplicate what the 2025 Pirates accomplished defensively after shutting out five playoff opponents on the way to a state championship. However, even coming close to that level of production would make South Pittsburg dangerous again in 2026.
Veteran defensive coordinator Shawn Peek leads that unit, and with his experience, I expect the Pirates to once again field a strong defense.
We have already seen flashes. In jamboree action, Cayden Loveless made his presence felt with a strip sack, scoop and score for the Pirates.
South Pittsburg will have plenty of new faces in important roles, but the talent and expectations remain high.
Red Bank Lions
There is also plenty of excitement surrounding Red Bank.
Ted Gatewood and the Lions enter 2026 coming off an 8-5 season that ended with a home playoff loss to eventual state champion Alcoa. This year, Red Bank brings back several of its biggest play-makers, including quarterback Austin Jones and top receiver Marcus Jones.
Austin Jones, the reigning Region 3-4A Player of the Year, may have an even bigger role this season. Fans could see him line up all over the field on both offense and defense after clips recently surfaced of him getting work on the defensive side of the ball during a scrimmage.
Lito and I recently had Red Bank assistant coach, Coach Davis in studio with us, and we asked him to describe the feeling around the program heading into fall camp.
“I’m not trying to put a target on our backs, because we already got one, but it’s feeling like 2000,” Davis said, referring to Red Bank’s state championship season.
That is a bold comparison and one that instantly raises the level of excitement around this group.
Most people already know about the Jones boys, Austin and Marcus, along with Dominic and Damari Gordon. But when we asked Coach Davis which player had stood out during the spring and summer, he gave us another name to remember.
“A kid that came in the spring reminds me of myself — Keenan Hambrick. If you don’t know Keenan, you will after this year,” Davis said.
That should immediately put Hambrick on the SOTG watch list.
According to Davis, the Lions are also carrying a simple motto into the season: “Keep it P,” meaning keep it professional.
Red Bank will have plenty of opportunities to prove just how serious its championship aspirations are. The Lions have major matchups ahead against Tyner, Rhea County and South Pittsburg.
They will be tested.
But as Coach Davis told us
“We are not ducking any smoke at Red Bank.”
Sale Creek Panthers
Sale Creek enters 2026 with a different challenge.
Head coach Jason Fitzgerald is coming off the best season in program history, but replacing a strong senior class will not be easy.
This year’s Panthers will lean heavily on the experience up front, led by three senior offensive linemen: Joe Brown, Makai Weber and Bryson Gaither.
Around that veteran offensive line, however, Sale Creek could be extremely young.
The Panthers may start as many as four freshmen on offense, which means there could be some growing pains early in the season. Still, Fitzgerald has confidence that this group will continue improving as those young players gain more game experience.
One freshman I am especially interested in seeing is Oliver “Big Pookie” Smith.
Smith already has impressive size for a freshman and looks capable of moving grown men right now. With consistent weight training under Fitzgerald and his staff, along with continued development in his technique, Smith could become a name worth following over the next four years at Sale Creek.
For the Panthers, the biggest question may not be talent. It may be how quickly that young talent grows up around an experienced offensive line.
If it happens quickly, Sale Creek could once again be a team nobody wants to deal with late in the season.
Chatt Prep brings back plenty of experience in 2026, but one major question hangs over the Sentinels entering the season.
How do you replace Deuce Gardner?
According to Pat Maccoon of TFP, Chattanooga Prep returns eight offensive starters and nine defensive starters. Still, replacing Gardner an All-State running back and the first-ever SOTG Player of the Year will be a major challenge.
I recently asked Coach Banks how the Sentinels plan to replace that kind of production.
“It’s hard to replace his production with one person,” Banks said. “It will be a committee of people. We have four solid running backs. We will spread the ball around, make teams play honest defense and not key on one person.”
That approach could make Chattanooga Prep more difficult to defend in a different way.
Quarterback Greg Vinson has already shown flashes entering the season, scoring a rushing touchdown in jamboree action and throwing a touchdown pass during a scrimmage.
He will also have weapons around him.
Kentrell Watkins Jr. is an athletic play-maker who can create once the ball gets into his hands, while Taevon Boykin brings another dose of speed and athleticism. Boykin was on the receiving end of Vinson’s touchdown pass during a scrimmage against Soddy-Daisy.
Another name everyone should know is Caleb Green.
The sophomore Region Newcomer of the Year offensive lineman already holds offers from Ole Miss, Memphis, Tulane and Western Kentucky. Green will be one of the most interesting young linemen in the Chattanooga area to follow this season.
With experience returning on both sides of the football, Chattanooga Prep has a chance to remain one of the area’s most intriguing teams even without Gardner carrying the offensive workload.
More to Come
South Pittsburg, Red Bank, Sale Creek and Chattanooga Prep are only the beginning.
Stay tuned for Part 2 as Lito and I continue highlighting the teams we are most excited to see take the field in 2026.
Class is officially in session.
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