Success on the horizon for high school teams

DeKalb football regularly sends a large cohort to the state playoffs, picks up several region championships a year, and loads up the college and NFL ranks with elite athletes, but the 2026 football season feels a little different. 

DeKalb is coming off one of its most successful seasons in recent history, with DeKalb County School District not only sending a record number of teams to the second-round of the playoffs last season, but also due to how many of those teams are returning key players from a season ago. 

Several of the county’s top quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers return for another shot at success in 2026. Several of the county’s top defensive players, such as five-star KJ Green at Stephenson and four-star Seth Williams at Lakeside, are also back.  

It doesn’t stop with the players, as several top head coaches return after making runs and piling up wins in 2025. One of those coaches, Marist’s Alan Chadwick, continues to inch closer to becoming Georgia’s all-time winningest coach. 

This feels like a season that the past several years of DeKalb football have led up to. While the lack of recent state champions might be keeping the spotlight off of DeKalb this preseason, I fully expect several local teams to emerge as contenders after strong opening week performances. 

High school football comes and goes when it comes to which county is the best, but DeKalb is in a position to put a stamp on the 2026 season at the very least.  

And it shouldn’t stop in 2026 either. Local high schools have done a good job of hiring alumni and coaches with ties to their communities. With the success DeKalb teams should find this season, and with a group of coaches who have plenty of reasons to stick around, this feels like the kind of season that could start a DeKalb takeover for metro-Atlanta football. 

Some elements of these dominant runs can also be contributed to the popularity of current athletes and alums — an area where DeKalb can also make an impact in this season. Not only does DeKalb have arguably the best recruit in the state this season, but the county boasts several top 150 recruits, a Heisman hopeful at the college level, and NFL head coach and multiple assistants, and plenty of elite NFL players.  

Good luck and congratulations to all the teams, coaches, alumni, and supporters who have made this happen. We’ll be watching and enjoying every minute of it at The Champion.