Brentwood Academy and Baylor earn MaxPreps preseason national top-25 recognition for Tennessee high school football

Two Tennessee high school football programs, Brentwood Academy and Baylor, have been recognized on MaxPreps’ preseason national top 25 list, a ranking that spotlights teams viewed as early title contenders before the first snaps of the 2026 TSSAA season. The national attention matters locally because it often shapes perception before fall camps and can influence how opponents and recruits view a team’s immediate ceiling.

Brentwood Academy, based in Williamson County, enters the offseason with a reputation built on consistent competitiveness across recent years, and the MaxPreps preseason nod places the program in the national conversation from the start. For Brentwood Academy, being listed among the country’s top teams functions as a statement of intent, but it also raises the expectations carried into preseason work, non-district matchups, and the postseason gauntlet that defines Tennessee title teams.

Baylor, located in Chattanooga, is receiving the same kind of early national credibility, also appearing within MaxPreps’ preseason national top 25. In Tennessee, Baylor’s brand of football typically comes with organizational depth, emphasis on physicality, and a willingness to play for championships every year. A national ranking does not change the TSSAA postseason format, but it can affect the pressure of expectations as the program tries to translate offseason preparation into in-season results.

MaxPreps’ preseason top-25 selections are designed to project team quality before outcomes on the field can reshape the conversation. The ranking is informed by factors such as prior-season performance and returning talent, though the exact internal weighting is not the same as a weekly poll that reacts to immediate results. That makes the preseason placement best understood as a forecast, not a promise, especially because high school rosters can shift with summer camps, injuries, and the natural development curve of underclassmen.

For coaches and players, the national ranking creates a specific kind of offseason storyline. Opponents know they are facing a program that is being advertised as one of the better teams in the country, and that can change how games are approached, from preparation intensity to game-week urgency. Meanwhile, recruits and transfers often use national lists as a shortcut for where momentum is trending, meaning the visibility is not limited to bragging rights.

The next step is straightforward: the 2026 season will determine whether Brentwood Academy and Baylor can stay within the MaxPreps top tier as new results accumulate. As Tennessee teams begin fall practice and move into scheduled games, the rankings will be tested quickly by early performances, strength of opposition, and how well each program handles the first major moments that tend to define playoff readiness.