Georgia High School Football Top 25 State Rankings: Aug. 18, 2025

Week 1 of high school football in the state of Georgia is officially in the books and boy was it exciting for a multitude of reasons.

The opening week featured several heavyweight matchups including Buford and Milton playing in front of nearly 10,000 fans on Thursday night, as well as a meeting between Gwinnett County powerhouses Grayson and Collins Hill that resulted in a rather shocking final score. 

All-in-all, the vast majority of the Georgia preseason Top 25 flexed its muscles and held serve, but it did result in three teams dropping from the rankings, and three teams making their debut just one week into the regular season.

Previous rank: 1 

There’s a clearcut No. 1 team in the state of Georgia, and it’s the Grayson Rams. As if you needed any further proof, their 51-3 beatdown of Collins Hill – on the road – should tell you everything you need to know about how talented the Rams are.

Previous rank: 2 

The Wolves hold serve as No. 2 after snapping Milton’s 25-game winning streak with a 20-13 win at home in their brand new $63 million stadium. The Wolves defense flexed its muscles and got its revenge against the Eagles after losing in last year’s season-opener. 

Previous rank: 3 

The Eagles saw their 25-game winning streak snapped at the hands of the Buford Wolves in Week 1, and while it was ugly at times, the Eagles still showed flashes of the dominant team that they’ve been for the past two seasons. It might take the Eagles a couple more weeks to gel as a team with so many new faces, but they’ll get there sooner than later.

Previous rank: 4 

The Tigers opened up their season with a 21-7 win over North Gwinnett inside Mercedes-Benz. It wasn’t the greatest showing of all-time, but it was more than enough to beat a young, inexperienced Bulldogs team that entered Week 1 with a ton of new starters.

Previous rank: 6 

The first movement in this week’s rankings sees Carrollton moving up one spot to No. 5 after a 48-21 win over Woodward Academy. The Trojans’ defense was impressive in the win, while the offense, led by a freshman quarterback, was solid. 

Previous rank: 5 

The Warriors opened up their season with a win over Archer, but it wasn’t by as wide of a margin as most expected it to be. They beat the Tigers 28-14 and needed a strong second half to do so. We’ll see how they respond with a road trip to a hungry McEachern team next Friday.

Previous rank: 8 

The Trojans jump one spot to No. 7 in this week’s rankings after dismantling Warner Robins 45-7 in their season-opener. The defense led the way with two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries while the new-look offense ran for 256 yards and three touchdowns.

Previous rank: 9 

The Panthers clock in at No. 8 after taking down a talented Westlake team 46-21 in Week 1. The Lions were a sleeper team entering the season, so to pick up a 25-point victory over them is a rather impressive feat.

Previous rank: 10 

The Yellow Jackets – shocker – were dominant in their Week 1 matchup against Monroe, blasting them 56-7. They’re one of four Class 5A teams that are comfortably inside the Top 10, and they’re here to stay until proven otherwise.

Previous rank: 11 

After opening up the season just one spot out of the Top 10, they slide up one spot thai week after a 41-0 beatdown of cross-town rival Oconee County. The defending Class 4A state champs appear ready to defend their title. 

Previous rank: 14 

The Purple Hurricanes jump three spots to No. 11 after a ho-hum 44-0 shutout of Columbia in Week 1. That’s what good teams are supposed to do – crush subpar teams. Eight different receivers caught a pass, showing their depth, and the defense intercepted two passes and forced a fumble in the win.

Previous rank: 12 

The Red Elephants opened up their season with a 26-7 win over Marietta. The offense was good, but not great after failing to score in two of the four quarters. But the defense was impressive – as it should be – with several high-end recruits in the starting 11. We need to see a little bit more out of Gainesville before we can put them in the same tier as Milton, Lee County, Langston Hughes and Thomas County Central in Class 5A.

Previous rank: 7 

The Eagles are the big losers of Week 1, falling six spots to No. 13 after getting blown at at home by No. 1 Grayson. We’re going to give Collins Hill the benefit of the doubt and not drop them any further than 13th. Was the loss horrible? Yes. They ran into a buzzsaw against the best team the state has to offer, and they won’t be the last. Expect a bounce-back game from the Eagles in Week 2.

Previous rank: 12 

We had big question marks about the Bulldogs entering the season with having to replace so much talent. And in Week 1, everyone saw why. They lost to No. 4 Douglas County 21-7, and while it was by no means a blowout, you saw a team struggling – especially on offense – to move the ball. The  Bulldogs will rely on a young, but talented defense to carry it this season.

Previous rank: 15 

The Titans made quick work in their 57=14 beatdown of Tri-Cities in Week 1 to remain at No. 15 in the rankings. The offense looked very efficient running the ball, and the defense had little to no cracks. It’s a score you expect to see from a talented Titans squad.

Previous rank: 16 

The Hornets scored an impressive 45-17 win over Peachtree Ridge to open up their season. It’s a game they won 21-6 last season before going on to win nine games. It was a game they were favored in, and they did exactly what they needed to do in Week 1.

Previous rank: 17 

The Tigers scored a 51-25 win over Whitewater to open up the season. They’re the best Class AA team in the state by a very wide margin. And while it’s extremely difficult to judge them against teams in Class 6A and 5A, they absolutely deserve to be talked about as being one of the best teams in the state.

Previous rank: 21 

The Wildcats are up three spots to No. 18 after putting a beatdown against Tucker 63-19. Five different players attempted a pass. Ask yourself when’s the last time you saw that happen. They combined to complete 12 of their 14 pass attempts, but the story was 54 carries for 363 yards and seven touchdowns.

Previous rank: 18 

The Packers narrowly escaped with a 24-21 win over Benedictine to open up their season. Sophomore quarterback Cohen Lawson didn’t have a great night throwing the ball, but was responsible for all three of their touchdowns – two rushing and one passing. They needed a 37-yard field goal as time expired to beat the Cadets. 

Previous rank: 24 

The Cadets are up four spots to No. 20 despite losing a heartbreaker 24-21 at the buzzer to No. 19 Colquitt County on the road. The Cadets were ready for the task and led early before ultimately losing on a last-second field goal. While the Cadets would have loved an upset win to open up their season, it’s a great sign that good things are in store for them moving forward.

Previous rank: 20 

The Yellow Jackets are down one spot to No. 21, and it’s no fault of their own. They made quick work of Alexander 48-6 behind a big night on the ground. Through one game, Sprayberry appears to have a ton of options at the running back position, and that is sure to come in handy as the season progresses.

Previous rank: 22

The Bears opened up their season with a thrilling 31-24 win over an up-and-coming Brookwood team inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It took a last-second pass from sophomore quarterback Ryan Maxwell to secure the victory, and that should give he, and the Bears a lot of confidence moving forward.

Previous rank: Not ranked 

The Broncos were a fringe Top 25 team to start the season, but barely missed out on making the cut. After almost upsetting Houston County in Week 1, the Broncos showed more than enough to slide them into the Top 25 heading into Week 2. There’s a lot to like about the Broncos, who are looking to get back on track after not living up to thor expectations the last couple of seasons.

Previous rank: Not ranked 

The Indians turned a lot of heads in Week 1 after routing Walton 51-17 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. After barely missing out on the Top 25 to start the season, they have jumped into the No. 23 spot as we head into Week 2.

Previous rank: Not ranked 

The Seminoles were another fringe Top 25 team heading into the season, but didn’t quite make the cut. But after taking down Rome 48-28 in impressive fashion, sliding them into the Top 25 is a no-brainer.