Southlake Carroll’s wide receiver Blake Gunter catches the ball during the first day of football practice at the high school, Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, in Southlake.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
Here are 10 players to watch during Week 1 of the Texas high school football season.
Blake Gunter, Southlake Carroll, WR
Jenks (Okla.) vs. Southlake Carroll, 7 p.m. Thursday at the Cotton Bowl
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The California pledge had 66 receptions for 1,224 yards and 18 touchdowns as a junior and could become an even bigger part of the offense this season. He will be facing a Jenks team that has four of the top 28 recruits in Oklahoma in the Class of 2027, including four-star defensive back Kailib Dillard, who is committed to Florida.
Trenton Yancey, Duncanville, WR
Duncanville at Allen, 7 p.m. Friday
The four-star Purdue pledge is rated the 36th-best wide receiver in the nation in the Class of 2027, and he caught 55 passes for 852 yards and eight touchdowns and also ran for 390 yards and 10 scores as a junior for Duncanville’s Class 6A Division I state runner-up team. He will be going up against an Allen defense that was one of the best in the Dallas area last season, allowing just 11.4 points and 201.7 yards of total offense per game.
Quarterback Jayden Williams throws passes during a drill as South Oak Cliff High School held their first day of football practice on Monday morning, August 10, 2026.
Stewart F. House/The Dallas Morning News
Jayden Williams. South Oak Cliff, QB
South Oak Cliff vs. Richmond Randle, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 28 at Prairie View A&M
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In his first year as the varsity starter, Williams threw for 2,742 yards and 28 touchdowns and led South Oak Cliff to a 15-1 record and the Class 5A Division II state title. Williams was 12 for 13 and threw a touchdown pass in a 35-19 win over Randle in last year’s state championship game as SOC won its third state title in five years. Williams will need a big game, as Randle returns five-star Texas pledge Landen Williams-Callis at running back after he ran for 3,502 yards and 59 touchdowns as a junior.
Damarion Mays, North Crowley, WR
Aledo at North Crowley, 7 p.m. Friday at Crowley ISD Stadium
Mays is rated the 16th-best wide receiver in the nation in the Class of 2028 and already lists 40 college offers, including Alabama, Georgia, Miami, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech. Mays caught 54 passes for 843 yards and 11 touchdowns last year for a 12-2 team and will start his 2026 season against Aledo, winner of a UIL-record 12 state championships.
JayQuan Snell, Waxahachie, S
Waxahachie at Ennis, 7 p.m. Friday
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Snell, rated the second-best safety in the nation in the Class of 2027, is a five-star Texas A&M pledge who is part of the country’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class. Snell had 96 tackles, five tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries during a dominant junior year and now leads state No. 1-ranked Waxahachie against bitter rival Ennis in the season opener.
DeShawn Edwards, Mansfield Lake Ridge, QB
Mansfield Lake Ridge at Prosper Walnut Grove, 7 p.m. Friday at Children’s Health Stadium
Edwards threw for 2,453 yards and 25 touchdowns and ran for a team-high 1,390 yards and 21 touchdowns to lead Lake Ridge to a 9-3 record a year after the team finished 1-9. The season opener will be a big challenge, as Walnut Grove moves up to Class 6A in realignment after a 12-1 record in its final season in 5A.
Denton Guyer’s Zane Rowe holds the team’s trophy after Friday’s Class 6A Division II area-round playoff game at Joy & Ralph Ellis Stadium, Nov. 21, 2025, in Irving. Denton Guyer defeated Jesuit, 44-14.
Angela Piazza/Staff Photographer
Zane Rowe, Denton Guyer, DL
Rockwall-Heath at Denton Guyer, 7 p.m. Friday at C.H. Collins Complex
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The four-star Oregon pledge is rated the 14th-best defensive lineman in the nation in the Class of 2027 and was named an Under Armour All-American. He had 72 tackles, a remarkable 26 tackles for loss and eight sacks as a junior as Guyer went 11-3 and reached a regional final.
Trey Wright, Frisco Lone Star, QB
Frisco Lone Star at Royse City, 7:30 p.m. Friday
This will be the first chance for fans to see Wright in action since he committed to USC earlier this month. Wright had a breakout year in 2025 by throwing for 4,062 yards and 43 touchdowns and running for 1,801 yards and 16 touchdowns for Lone Star’s state runner-up team. He told The Dallas Morning News he wants to have a bigger year than former Allen five-star quarterback Kyler Murray had in 2014, when the Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall NFL draft pick accounted for 6,213 yards of total offense.
Buck Randall, Highland Park, QB
Highland Park vs. Lewisville, 1 p.m. Saturday at the Ford Center at The Star
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This is the Jerry Jones Classic and will be broadcast live on TXA21. Randall, committed to SMU, is looking for his third straight season with more than 3,900 passing yards after he threw for 4,396 yards and 51 touchdowns as a junior for a 12-2 regional finalist.
DeSoto running back SaRod Baker (5) gets past C.E. King linebacker Xavier Williams (18) during the first half of the 6A Division II football state championship game at AT&T Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Arlington.
Smiley N. Pool/Staff Photographer
SaRod Baker, DeSoto, RB
DeSoto at St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.), 5 p.m. Saturday
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This game will be broadcast on ESPN2 and is part of the ESPN High School Football Kickoff package that features top teams and recruits from around the country. Both teams won state titles a year ago, and Baker ran for 3,096 yards and 45 touchdowns for DeSoto. He will be tested by a St. Thomas Aquinas defense that features four-star Ohio State pledge Wyatt Smith at edge rusher and four-star Notre Dame pledges Zayden Gamble and Andre Jones at safety.