Top 10 Georgia High School Football Teams in Class 4A
Updated 9/20/2026
While every team in the top five won last week, including top-ranked Sandy Creek, the bottom half of ITG Next’s 2026 Georgia high school football Class 4A rankings saw two teams lose.
North Hall lost to unranked Flowery Branch 42-35. Baldwin also fell to an unranked opponent as Howard defeated the Braves 49-43. Baldwin drops out of the rankings, while North Hall falls three spots to No. 9.
Mary Persons moves up to No. 8, and Westover debuts in the poll at No. 10.
- Sandy Creek
- Troup County
- Peach County
- Cairo
- Monroe Area
- Stephenson (+1)
- Douglass (+1)
- Mary Persons (+2)
- North Hall (-3)
- Westover (NR)
Out: Baldwin
Updated 9/13/2026
ITG Next’s 2026 Georgia high school football Class 4A rankings settle down a bit after last week’s poll saw a ton of movement.
Sandy Creek remains in the top spot with Troup County and Peach County remaining just ahead of a red-hot Cairo team, which looked impressive in a shutout win over Westover last Thursday.
Stephenson bounced back after a loss to Tucker two weeks ago with a 40-33 win over Griffin.
- Sandy Creek
- Troup County
- Peach County
- Cairo
- Monroe Area
- North Hall
- Stephenson
- Douglass
- Baldwin
- Mary Persons
Updated 9/6/2026
Troup County may have had the night’s most impressive win among any of the classifications last week with their 40-0 shutout of Calhoun. As such, the Tigers of head coach Tanner Glisson are rewarded by moving up four places to the No. 2 spot in ITG Next’s 2026 Georgia high school football Class 4A rankings.
That’s because Stephenson was upset by previously unranked Tucker, dropping the Jaguars to No. 7 this week.
The Douglass Astros were also upset by Douglas County 35-24, and they fall five places this week.
Baldwin’s win over Dublin elevated the Braves to 3-0 and into the rankings for the first time this season.
Sandy Creek remains in the top spot after surviving 28-19 over North Clayton.
Calhoun falls out of the rankings.
- Sandy Creek
- Troup County (+4)
- Peach County (+1)
- Cairo (+1)
- Monroe Area (+2)
- North Hall (+2)
- Stephenson (-5)
- Douglass (-5)
- Baldwin (NR)
- Mary Persons
Out: Calhoun
Updated 8/30/2026
The top four teams in ITG Next’s 2026 Georgia high school football rankings for Class 4A all won this past week, including top-ranked Sandy Creek. The Patriots are playing as well as any team in Class 4A following their 21-0 win over Douglas County and their season-opening win over Grayson.
The Stephenson Jaguars have given up just one touchdown on the season after they blanked Decatur 50-0 and, in doing so, remain at No. 2.
The Douglass Astros improved to 2-0 after a 16-point defeat of Hampton.
Calhoun and Mary Persons tumble two spots each following losses last week.
- Sandy Creek
- Stephenson
- Douglass
- Peach County
- Cairo
- Troup County
- Monroe Area (+2)
- North Hall (+2)
- Calhoun (-2)
- Mary Persons (-2)
Updated 8/23/2026
Sandy Creek remains solidly atop ITG Next’s 2026 Georgia high school football rankings for Class 4A with an impressive win over Class 7A’s Grayson in Week 1.
In fact, most of the top 10 teams looked good.
The Oconee County Warriors lost to rival North Oconee and fall out of the top 10, but there’s a good chance we’ll be hearing from them again before the season ends.
Cairo defeated Thomasville, as David Coleman continues to impress as the head coach of the Syrupmakers.
North Hall enters the top 10 poll at No. 10.
- Sandy Creek
- Stephenson
- Douglass
- Peach County
- Cairo (+4)
- Troup County
- Calhoun
- Mary Persons
- Monroe Area (+1)
- North Hall (NR)
Out: Oconee County
Preseason – Updated 7/20/2026
Here are ITG Next’s 2026 Georgia high school football preseason rankings for Class 4A.
1. Sandy Creek
The defending Class 3A state champion Sandy Creek Patriots are our top pick in the 2026 Class 4A preseason top 10 rankings.
Returning quarterback and wide receiver Corey Hadley will give Sandy Creek a great opportunity to win a second consecutive state title.
2. Stephenson
A team to keep an eye on is Stephenson, which had one of its best seasons in the last decade in 2025, finishing with 11 wins.
The Jaguars will return their leading rusher in senior Jayden Johnson, leading wide receiver Noah Mahoney, leading defender Kwame Green, and quarterback Zabrian Boler. Boler threw for 1,266 yards and rushed for 287 yards with four touchdowns last season.
3. Douglass
The Douglass Astros are coming off a nine-win season and could be poised for yet another solid year in 2026.
The team will return its top two wide receivers in Damarien Parrott and Zalen Green and its top three rushers in Jecori Anderson, Janarius Gooden, and Jamari Smith. Quarterback Kendrick Henderson will return for his senior year.
The Astros will need to find some playmakers on defense to replace Keontae Webb and Akharee Neal.
4. Peach County
Head coach Marquis Westbrook showed just how well he can build a program while at Warner Robins, and now he’s looking to continue that coaching magic at Peach County after 11-2 and 10-2 seasons in 2024 and 2025, respectively, in Fort Valley, Georgia.
Westbrook will bring back the team’s top three leading rushers from last year in Ashton Barton, Zion Ellison, and Deandre Stinson.
5. Oconee County
Head coach Ben Hall’s Oconee County team will bring back its leading receiver in tight end Mason Hall, plus running backs Darius Darden and Josh Woelfl.
Look for the Warriors to be solid in 2026.
6. Troup County
Head coach Tanner Glisson’s Troup County Tigers will bring back eight starters on offense and eight starters on defense in 2026, giving the team another shot at making a deep run in the playoffs.
Chase Mosley will assume quarterback duties this season.
7. Calhoun
Calhoun will return quarterback Trace Hawkins and leading rusher Hudson Chadwick, but graduated top wide receiver Justin Beasley. Hawkins is ranked as one of ITG Next’s top 10 quarterbacks in Georgia entering the 2026 season.
Still, Calhoun will be right in the mix.
8. Mary Persons
Mary Persons will be a team to watch as head coach Brian Nelson’s Bulldogs return a load of talent from last year’s 5-5 squad.
Nelson will have his top rusher, top three receivers, and three starting offensive linemen back. Nelson must replace starting quarterback Mac Nelson this season and plans to turn to Jordan Singleton, who played free safety last year, to lead the offense.
“Jordan has had a good offseason throwing the football, and he’s very capable of playing well there,” Nelson said of Singleton. “Plus, he’s got some good pieces around him.”
Nelson confirmed that Singleton will not play safety again this season.
9. Cairo
Head coach David Coleman has quietly built Cairo into a championship-caliber program, including last year’s 10-3 team that secured the region title in Region 1-3A.
Coleman will have two-year starting quarterback Bryce Puckett and leading running back Bryian Duncan back this year to guide a talented offense as Cairo looks to keep moving through the playoffs.
10. Monroe Area
Monroe Area enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2025 with a 9-3 finish.
With leading wide receiver Bryce Bell, athlete Cooper Shumate, and top defender Cortavious Scott returning, look out for the Purple Hurricanes this season.
