Top 10 Georgia High School Football Teams in Class 3A
Preseason – Updated 7/6/2026
Here are ITG Next’s 2026 Georgia high school football preseason rankings for Class 3A.
Reclassification has brought together four teams into Class 3A that played for state championships last season.
Worth County and Toombs played in the Class 1A-Division I state finals last year and both move to Class 3A this season.
Hapeville, which lost to Carver-Columbus in the Class 2A state championship game a year ago, returns to its same region as last year, Region 5-3A, along with Carver-Atlanta.
Semifinalists from a year ago that are in Class 3A this year include Sumter County and Burke County, along with quarterfinalists Douglass, Morgan County, Carver-Atlanta, Northeast, Thomson, and Rockmart.
Needless to say, Class 3A is loaded with several talented teams, and picking the top 10 was a challenge.
1. Carver-Columbus
I like the Tigers of Carver to be just as tough as they have been the past two seasons.
Yes, losing Zach Watts was big, but Calvary Christian transfer Jamar Williams will come in and fill the void nicely. He had over 1,600 all-purpose yards last season as an athlete, so he could fill several roles for Carver this year.
Another Calvary Christian transfer is sophomore wide receiver King Hinton, a speedster who, along with returning junior TJ Woodson, will provide returning quarterback Sebastian “Box Top” Heard with two top-tier targets in the passing game this year.
Carver will return most of their offensive line, including senior four-star lineman Terrance “Tre” Warren III, Jason Mayo, Quarteze Stevenson, and Kurtis Tolar up front.
The defense will return top linebackers Jaiden Taylor and Daijon Daniels, plus defensive end Artraivis Edmond.
Kendrick Pearce-Spencer is back to handle the kicking and punting duties this season.
2. Toombs County
3. Worth County
Toombs County and Worth County played for the Class 1A-Division I state championship last year. Both are in Class 3A this year and are my choices for the No. 2 and No. 3 teams to start the year.
Both teams return their starting quarterbacks, and they’re two of the best in not only Class 3A but the entire state. The Bulldogs return quarterback Joseph Owens, and Worth County brings back Lyndon Worthy, who is one of ITG Next’s top 10 quarterbacks entering the 2026 Georgia high school football season.
Toombs County also returns athlete Nick Carroll and three-star running back and cornerback Donterrius Mincey, a Georgia State commit.
The 2025 state champion Worth County Rams of head coach Jeff Hammond will return senior wide receiver Ja’Quaveon “JN” Nelson on offense and standout junior outside linebacker Malik Muhammad, who has approximately 20 offers, including Alabama, Florida State, and Georgia.
4. Northeast
Watch out for Northeast this year, as the Raiders return many of their starters from 2025, including quarterback Jordan Wiggins, top receivers Scottavian Thomas and Tavares Tinsley, and top rusher Kortnei Williams.
The defense will lose a few key players but return defensive back Keiland “Juju” Miley and athlete Jaiden Center, who pulled down three interceptions as a freshman last year.
5. Rockmart
Rockmart will be a team to watch as the Yellow Jackets prepare for 2026 under new head football coach and four-time state champion Rich Fendley, who arrived from Bowdon, where he led the Red Devils to four straight titles.
He takes over a Yellow Jackets program that will return several key players from last year’s 11-2 squad.
“We’ve got about 17 to 18 guys that either started or played quite a bit for us last year,” Fendley said.
That will include all starters on the offensive line and one of the state’s top receivers in junior Gavin Green.
Green will have new quarterback Charlie Cannon to run the offense. Cannon was a two-year starter for Coosa, where he was a First Team All-Region selection, throwing for 3,000 yards with 30 touchdowns the past two seasons.
Fendley and Rockmart will have several backs to carry the football this year, including senior Devin McCoy, senior JT Taylor, and junior Cortez Wright.
Fendley pointed to rising freshman Earnest Stephens, who is drawing comparisons to another former Rockmart rushing great.
“Folks are saying he might be the most highly recruited kid from Polk County since Nick Chubb,” Fendley said of Stephens, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound running back. “Keep up with him. He’s going to be special.”
6. Sumter County
Sumter County came within a game of reaching the Class 2A state finals last year. Head coach Will Rogers will bring back eight starters from the offense that helped them to their 12-2 season.
Also joining the Tigers will be quarterback Max Copley, who has transferred from Wayne County.
The defense returns four starters, including defensive tackle Jamicquel Solomon and defensive back Glendon Hill.
7. Douglass
The Douglass Astros will return most of their offensive playmakers from last year’s nine-win team. Leading receivers Damarien Parrott and Zalen Green will be back, as will dual-threat quarterback Jahlil Roderique. Top running backs Jecori Anderson, Janarius Gooden, and Jamari Smith are all expected to return in 2026.
8. Thomson
Thomson is coming off a deep playoff run after winning the region last year with a win over Burke County late in the season.
The Bulldogs must replace their quarterback, top rusher, and top receiver from that 2025 team.
Seniors Zay Brinson and Noah Merriweather are returning playmakers who could fill those roles this season. They combined to score 20 touchdowns last year.
Under head coach Michael Youngblood, Thomson has averaged 10 wins per season with four region titles over the past five years, including the 2022 Class 2A state championship season when they finished 14-1.
9. Hapeville Charter
The Hapeville Hornets are hoping for a return to the state finals, where they came up short last season against Carver-Columbus in Class 2A.
Running back Ray Damond Stiggers led the team in rushing last season and will return along with quarterback Keylan Pope, the 2025 Region 5-2A Offensive Player of the Year.
T-10. Appling County
Appling County and Burke County are tied for the No. 10 spot.
Appling County will bring back just about everybody from last year’s 8-4 squad that won their region with a perfect region record.
New head coach John David Sellers takes over a team that returns leading rusher Jaiden Knight, who rushed for over 1,500 yards with 23 touchdowns last year and also had two receiving touchdowns. Knight also returns to his defensive back spot, where he had two interceptions in 2025.
Junior quarterback Harrison Hickox and top receiving targets Tylis Harrell and Rhett Thomas also return.
T-10. Burke County
Burke County lost its final game to Carver-Columbus last year, making it the second straight season the Bears came up short against the Tigers. Last year was a semifinal loss, while the 2024 season finale was in the Class 2A state championship game.
Head coach Franklin Stephens said his Bears team will return just 10 starters from last year.
One of the biggest players who will not return is three-year starting quarterback Sean Vandiver. He threw for over 4,500 yards and rushed for 1,488 yards with a total of 82 touchdowns over his career.
Stephens said junior quarterback Ronquavious Morris will be called on to take over the offense this season. Morris also played strong safety on defense in addition to seeing limited time at quarterback behind Vandiver last season.
Worth Noting
I like Columbia a lot. They bring back a lot of talent from last year’s five-win season.
Appling County could make some noise under new head coach John David Sellers, an Appling County grad who played quarterback for the Pirates.
Elbert County returns sophomore quarterback Brody Baker, who threw for over 2,000 yards as a freshman with 14 touchdowns, and running back Tyler Turman, who rushed for over 500 yards last season.
