- Six Games Across ESPN Platforms, August 14-23
- 45 Players Ranked in ESPN 300 and ESPN Junior 300, including three of the Top Five Seniors
- Ten Top-25 Nationally Ranked Teams Including Six in the Top-Ten
The ESPN High School Football Kickoff returns for its 16th year, Thursday, Aug. 14 – Saturday, Aug. 23. The six-game slate includes 45 players ranked in the ESPN 300 and ESPN Junior 300 and will be featured on ESPN, ESPN2 and the ESPN App. Of the ESPN 300 athletes participating, 22 have committed to top Division I college football programs, including Alabama, BYU, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Miami, Ohio State, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, and Washington.
2025 ESPN High School Football Kickoff Schedule
*Notes: All times are ET
*Player rankings from ESPN 300 (Seniors in the Class of 2026) and ESPN Junior 300 (Class of 2027)
Thursday, August 14
No. 11 Milton (Ga.) at No. 12 Buford (Ga.)
7 p.m. ET on ESPN2 from Buford High School Phillip Beard Stadium in Buford, Ga.
- Milton is the reigning back-to-back Georgia state champion (7A in 2023, 5A in 2024). The Eagles finished last season undefeated, and are ranked as the No. 11 team in the country. TE Grant Haviland is the No. 113 ranked junior in the country
- Buford lost to Milton 13-10 last year in the first game of the season. The Wolves’ only other loss was to Carrollton in in 6A state semifinal. The Wolves are ranked No. 12 nationally, and feature No. 55 DT Bryce Perry-Wright (Texas A&M commit) and No. 175 ATH Tyriq Green (Georgia commit), among over a dozen 3-4 star recruits. This game marks the debut of the brand new 10,000 seat Phillip Beard Stadium, the new home for Buford high school football.
Friday, August 22
No. 17 St. Joseph’s Prep (Pa.) vs. No. 9 American Heritage (Fla.)
6 p.m. ET on ESPN2 from the Broward County National Football Showcase at Brian Piccolo Stadium, St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
- American Heritage is the defending 4A Florida state champion, and they enter the season ranked No. 9 nationally. Dia Bell (Texas commit) is No. 4 ranked player overall and the No. 1 QB in the country. WR Brandon Bennett (FSU commit) is the No. 207 ranked senior, while CB Amare Nugent is the No. 274 ranked junior.
- Joseph’s Prep has won nine Pennsylvania state championship in the past twelve years, capping off their second three-peat in that time with another 6A state title last season. The Hawks are ranked No. 17 nationally, and return four 3 & 4-star recruits including No. 257 ranked junior – QB Charlie Foulke IV.
Friday, August 22
No. 4 IMG Academy (Fla.) at Hoover (Ala.)
9 p.m. on ESPN2 from the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Ala.
- IMG Academy is ranked No. 4 nationally and the Ascenders have an incredible 15 players ranked in the ESPN 300 Senior and ESPN 300 Junior rankings, including four seniors ranked in the top 50.
- Hoover advanced to the Alabama 7A semifinals last season (after defeating eventual 7A championship Thompson in the regular season). The Bucs return senior DE Tyson Bacon (Miami commit) and senior WR Jonah Winston (Alabama, Auburn, FSU). RB C.J. Cowley is the No. 209 ranked player in the junior class.
Saturday, August 23
No. 1 Mater Dei (Calif.) at No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.)
3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN from the Broward County National Football Showcase at Brian Piccolo Stadium, St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
- Mater Dei is ranked No. 1 in the country , after capturing the CIF Open Division Championship last season (their fifth title in seven seasons). The Monarchs senior class is stacked with six ranked players in the ESPN 300, and two additional players ranked in the ESPN Junior 300.
- Thomas Aquinas is ranked No. 6 nationally, after making their way to yet another FL 5A state championship (their sixth state title in a row). The Raiders feature No. 42 senior CB Justice Fitzpatrick (Georgia commit), as well as four juniors ranked in the ESPN Junior 300.
No. 5 St. Frances Academy (Md.) vs. No. 8 Chaminade-Madonna (Fla.)
8:00 p.m. on ESPN2 from the Broward County National Football Showcase at Brian Piccolo Stadium, St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
- Frances is ranked No. 5 in the country, after capping off last season with a 30-3 win over IMG to end the year. The Panthers feature the No. 2 overall player DE Zion Lee (Maryland commit) and the No. 23 player S Jireh Edwards (Alabama commit); while their junior class features two ESPN 300 ranked players as well.
- Chaminade-Madonna has won nine Florida state championships (including four consecutive and seven of the last eight. The Lions are ranked No. 8 in the country, and they return RB Derrek Cooper, the No. 7 overall player and No. 1 ranked RB in the senior class, as well as No. 300 senior WR Denairius Gray (Kentucky commit).
No. 20 Folsom (Calif.) at Grant Union (Calif.)
10:30 p.m. on ESPN from Grant Union High School in Sacramento, Calif.
- Folsom enters the season ranked No. 20 nationally. The Bulldogs will look to make another deep CIF playoff run with No. 49 senior Ryder Lyons QB (BYU commit), protected up-front by No. 214 senior Vlad Dyakonov OT (USC commit).
- Grant Union is the defending CIF Open Division 2 State Champion (having claimed that title two of the past three seasons). TE Rahzario Edwards is the No. 58 player in the junior class, fielding over 25 offers including: Alabama Florida, Michigan, Miami, Ole Miss, Oregon, and USC to name just a few.
2026 ESPN Senior 300 Participants
| Rank | Player | Pos. | High School | College Commitment |
| 2 | Zion Elee | DE | St. Frances Academy (Md.) | Maryland |
| 4 | Dia Bell | QB-PP | American Heritage (Fla.) | Texas |
| 5 | Chris Henry Jr. | WR | Mater Dei (Calif.) | Ohio State |
| 7 | Derrek Cooper | RB | Chaminade-Madonna (Fla.) | Texas |
| 18 | Keenyi Pope | OT | IMG Academy (Fla.) | USC |
| 22 | Jake Kreul | DE | IMG Academy (Fla.) | |
| 23 | Jireh Edwards | S | St. Frances Academy (Md) | Alabama |
| 26 | Mark Bowman | TE-H | Mater Dei (Calif.) | USC |
| 37 | Kodi Greene | OT | Mater Dei (Calif.) | Washington |
| 41 | D.Q. Forkpa | OLB | IMG Academy (Fla.) | |
| 42 | Justice Fitzpatrick | CB | St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) | Georgia |
| 45 | Zechariah Fort | S | IMG Academy (Fla.) | Georgia |
| 49 | Ryder Lyons | QB-PP | Folsom (Calif.) | BYU |
| 55 | Bryce Perry-Wright | DT | Buford (Ga.) | Texas A&M |
| 74 | Tomuhini Topui | DT | Mater Dei (Calif.) | USC |
| 158 | Kayden Dixon-Wyatt | WR | Mater Dei (Calif.) | Ohio State |
| 169 | Shaun Scott | OLB | Mater Dei (Calif.) | USC |
| 175 | Tyriq Green | ATH | Buford (Ga.) | Georgia |
| 198 | Breck Kolojay | OG | IMG Academy (Fla.) | |
| 207 | Brandon Bennett | WR | American Heritage (Fla.) | Florida State |
| 214 | Vlad Dyakonov | OT | Folsom (Calif.) | USC |
| 244 | Cameron McHaney | DT | IMG Academy (Fla.) | Indiana |
| 294 | G’Nivre Carr | OG | IMG Academy (Fla.) | Florida |
| 300 | Denairius Gray | WR | Chaminade-Madonna (Fla.) | Kentucky |
2027 ESPN Junior 300 Participants
| Rank | Player | Pos. | High School | College Commitment |
| 4 | Zyron Forstall | DE | IMG Academy (Fla.) | |
| 13 | Mark Matthews | OT | St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) | |
| 31 | Osani Gayles | WR | IMG Academy (Fla.) | |
| 57 | Julius Jones | WR | St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) | |
| 58 | Rahzario Edwards | TE-H | Grant Union (Calif.) | |
| 87 | Aaryn Washington | CB | Mater Dei (Calif.) | |
| 100 | Larry Moon III | CB | IMG Academy (Fla.) | |
| 112 | Amarri Irvin | ILB | IMG Academy (Fla.) | |
| 113 | Grant Haviland | TE-Y | Milton (Ga.) | |
| 119 | Raylaun Henry | CB | St. Frances Academy (Md.) | |
| 121 | Zion White | WR | IMG Academy (Fla.) | |
| 122 | Tranard Roberts | RB | IMG Academy (Fla.) | |
| 150 | Zayden Gamble | S | St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) | |
| 166 | Censere Gaylord | CB | IMG Academy (Fla.) | |
| 209 | C.J. Cowley | RB | Hoover (Ala.) | |
| 227 | Danny Lang | CB | Mater Dei (Calif.) | |
| 236 | Ah’mari Stevens | WR | St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) | Miami |
| 257 | Charlie Foulke IV | QB-PP | St. Joseph’s Prep (Pa.) | |
| 274 | Amare Nugent | CB | American Heritage (Fla.) | |
| 287 | Judah Lancaster | TE-H | IMG Academy (Fla.) | |
| 300 | Sa’Nir Brooks | RB | St. Frances Academy (Md.) |
SportsCenter Next:
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