All six games on the ESPN High School Kickoff Classic will be head-to-head matchups inside the Preseason High School Football America 300 national rankings, powered by NFL Play Football.
The 15th annual high school football showcase on the Worldwide Leader in Sports kicks off with a single game from Georgia on August 16 between No. 43 Carrollton and No. 117 Woodward Academy.
Carrollton is led by Julian “JuJu” Lewis, the No. 2 overall college football prospect in the ESPN 300 in the Class of 2025. After reclassifying from the Class of ’26, earlier this year, Lewis is expected to head to the west coast after his verbal commitment to USC.
Woodward Academy is coming off a runner-up finish in Georgia’s 6A last season. The War Eagles feature three players whose fathers played in the National Football League.
- Jererome Bettis, Jr. (son of Jerome Bettis), Sr. wide receiver – committed to Notre Dame; High School Football America Academic All-American in 2023
- RJ Harrison (son or Rodney Harrison), Sr. cornerback – committed to Duke
- Amarri Irvin (son of Sedrick Irvin), Soph. runner back – 20 offers
Related: Preseason HSFA 300
The rest of the games will be played and air August 22 through the 25.
Thursday, August 22
No. 170 Grayson (Georgia) at No. 42 Thompson (Alabama), 8PM on ESPN2
After advancing to the Georgia 7A semifinals last year, the Rams start at No. 170 in our national rankings. That spot will improve if they beat Thompson, which has won four of the last five Alabama 7A state championships.
Friday, August 23
No. 9 Milton (Georgia) at No. 24 American Heritage (Plantation, Florida), 7PM on ESPN
A great Florida/Georgia matchup between Milton, winners of the 2023 Georgia Class 7A state title, and a loaded American Heritage team. Both teams have highly-skilled quarterbacks. Milton is led by senior Luke Nickel, who’s given his verbal to the Miami Hurricanes. The Patriots are under the control of junior Dia Bell, has said yes to the University of Texas.
August 24
No. 2 Bishop Gorman (Nevada) at No. 7 St. Thomas Aquinas (Florida), 4PM on ESPN
This one is the first of two from the loaded Broward County National Football Showcase. Both schools have a loaded football trophy case. Bishop Gorman has won 13 of the last 14 Nevada state titles in the state’s largest classification. St. Thomas Aquinas has won a state record five straight state crowns, giving them fifteen overall Florida high school football championship.
No. 5 St. John Bosco (California) vs. No. 3 Chaminade-Madonna (Florida), 8PM on ESPN2
This is the nightcap on the Broward County event. While the game in south Florida, it is a neutral site game, since it’s been played a St. Thomas Aquinas’ Brian Piccolo Stadium.
St. John Bosco, winner of two High School Football America national titles in 2019 and 2022, are no strangers to success on the other side of the country. Last year, the Braves won a hard-fought 20-7 win on this field of St. Thomas Aquinas.
After graduating a ton of talent from last year’s squad that won its third straight state title, Chaminade-Madonna has reloaded with plenty of high-profile transfers. The Lions, who finished No. 2 in the nation last year, will be in the national championship conversation, if they can beat the Braves, who finished No. 3 in the HSFA 300 last year.
August 25
No. 81 Rabun Gap-Nacoochee (Georgia) at No. 83 Baylor (Tennessee), 1PM on ESPN
This will be a rematch of last year’s season opener between the two. The northern Georgia private school won 35-24, which was one of four against out-of-state opponents. The Eagles finished No. 71 in the nation after losing to No. 69 Providence Day (North Carolina) in the North Carolina Association of Independent Schools Athletic Association 3A championship.
Baylor’s led by two-way standout Cameron Sparks, who has 20 college scholarship offers. The 4-star prospect is expected to play receiver at the next level. The Red Raiders finished last runner-up in Tennessee’s Division II-AAA after winning the crown in 2022.
According to an ESPN news release, 28 players ranked in the ESPN 300 and ESPN Junior 300 and will be featured.. Of the ESPN 300 athletes participating, eleven have already committed to top Division I college football programs, including Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU, Miami, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and USC.
2025 ESPN 300 Participants (Seniors)
| Rank | Player | Pos. | High School | College Commitment |
| 2 | Julian Lewis | QB-PP | Carrollton (GA) | USC |
| 10 | S.J. Alofaituli | OG | Bishop Gorman (NV) | Miami |
| 13 | Douglas Utu | OT | Bishop Gorman (NV) | Tennessee |
| 28 | Jared Smith | DE | Thompson (AL) | |
| 36 | Anquon Fegans | S | Thompson (AL) | Auburn |
| 50 | Ethan Barbour | TE-H | Milton (GA) | Georgia |
| 103 | Alai Kalaniuvalu | OC | Bishop Gorman (NV) | Oregon |
| 108 | Cameron Sparks | ATH | Baylor (TN) | |
| 174 | C.J. Wiley | WR | Milton (GA) | Florida State |
| 182 | Byron Louis | RB | American Heritage (FL) | |
| 187 | Derek Meadows | WR | Bishop Gorman (NV) | LSU |
| 220 | Justin Hasenhuetl | OG | Rabun Gap Nacoochee (GA) | Georgia Tech |
| 273 | Chris Ewald | CB | Chaminade-Madonna (FL) | Miami |
2026 ESPN Junior 300 Participants
| Rank | Player | Pos. | High School | College Commitment |
| 8 | Dia Bell | QB-PP | American Heritage (FL) | Texas |
| 11 | Tyler Atkinson | OLB | Grayson (GA) | |
| 13 | Jabari Brady | WR | Chaminade-Madonna (FL) | |
| 17 | Jett Washington | ATH | Bishop Gorman (NV) | |
| 19 | Zelus Hicks | S | Carrollton (GA) | |
| 29 | Justice Fitzpatrick | CB | St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) | |
| 46 | James Carrington | DE | Bishop Gorman (NV) | |
| 54 | Derrek Cooper | RB | Chaminade-Madonna (FL) | |
| 70 | Brandon Bennett | WR | American Heritage (FL) | |
| 75 | Dorian Barney | CB | Carrollton (GA) | Alabama |
| 138 | Ryan Mosely | WR | Carrollton (GA) | |
| 174 | Daniel Odom | WR | St. John Bosco (CA) | |
| 258 | Anthony Davis Jr. | OLB | Grayson (GA) | |
| 265 | Zykie Helton | OC | Carrollton (GA) | |
| 274 | Denairius Gray | WR | Chaminade-Madonna (FL) | Auburn |
