The 2026 TSSAA football season begins in less than a week with a loaded opening schedule.
Before the pads begin to pop, here are the top 25 questions we have for Knoxville area teams.
1. Webb made the splash of the offseason by hiring former Maryville coaching legend George Quarles. What does success look like for a program that went 1-9 in 2025?
2. Can Anderson County maintain their Region 2-4A title streak? The Mavericks upset the eventual Class 4A champions Alcoa in Week 11 last year to clinch their ninth consecutive region championship.
3. Will first-year head coach Kenny Cobble guide Maryville to its first Class 6A championship game appearance since 2019, especially in the last season of four-year starter Will Jones' high school career?
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4. The last time Alcoa defeated Maryville three straight times was from 1988-91. Can the Tornadoes do it again, after big wins in 2024 and 2025?
5. Is an undefeated record on the horizon for Alcoa? It went 14-1 last year, with the region title loss to Anderson County at the end of the regular season.
6. Gatlinburg-Pittman had several key players transfer to other programs so how does it respond coming off a Class 3A state championship appearance?
7. Can Catholic take a step forward in Division II-AAA with its loaded junior class? The Irish went 1-4 in region and won a playoff game over Christian Brothers to reach the quarterfinals.
8. Is Region 2-5A the most competitive, wide-open region in the Knoxville area with Powell, Central and Halls all jockeying for the top spot?
9. Can Cooper and Parker Newman, along with the Smoky Bear senior group, lead Sevier County back to the Class 5A championship game for a third consecutive year?
10. Can Eagleton, who made a surprise run to the Class 2A semifinals, keep the magic going for another year?
11. What will Greeneville's offense look like without Tennessee football signee Zay Anderson and Class 4A Mr. Football winner, quarterback Caden Baugh?
12. Is this Oak Ridge's year to push for the Region 2-6A title and make a run in the playoffs with former Carter QB Brody Sparks and Tennessee football commit Malik Howard?
13. What is the ceiling for Grace Christian in DII-AA? The Rams have gone 9-3 the past two years and unable to beat Boyd-Buchanan, who will be in its first year without former Alcoa coach Gary Rankin.
14. What does The King's Academy football program look like in its first year after canceling its 2025 season?
15. Can Gibbs take a step as a contender in Class 4A next to teams like Alcoa, Anderson County and Greeneville?
16. Will Hardin Valley make their first TSSAA playoff appearance since 2018 this year? The Hawks just missed out in 2025, finishing fifth, behind Farragut who beat them head-to-head, 45-28.
17. Bearden went 0-9 last season with the return of Brad Taylor. Can the Bulldogs win their first game in Taylor's second stint?
18. Can Jefferson County make a deeper push in the Class 6A playoffs this year? The Patriots have won one playoff game out of five straight appearances.
19. What will motivated Catholic for a 2026 season in which the program has been banned from the TSSAA playoffs because of a recruiting violation?
20. Can Central quarterback Kaden Long repeat his eye-popping numbers from last year and win Mr. Football in Class 5A? Long threw for 3,327 yards and 28 touchdowns, and led the Bobcats in rushing with 1,286 yards and 18 touchdowns.
21. What will Grace Christian athlete Terrion Thomas look like in his first season back from a foot injury that kept him out of the 2025 season? Thomas was a Mr. Football semifinalist in 2024 with 1,265 rushing yards, 19 touchdowns and 1,044 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns.
22. Will Concord Christian take a step forward as a top team in Division II-A East? The Lions finished third in the region in the second year under Steve Matthews, and ended with a 6-5 record.
23. Can Coalfield remain as the top Knoxville area team in Class A? The Yellow Jackets have won six straight Region 2-A championships and have made four Class A semifinal appearances in that span.
24. Where will Cooper Newman rank as one of the greatest high school QBs in TSSAA history? The Sevier County play caller is 20 passing touchdowns shy of the all-time record, currently held by former CAK quarterback Charlie High at 131. Cooper is also within range for the most career passing yards and is currently 2,038 yards behind Kyle Akin's record of 11,122 yards, which he set at Trinity Christian Academy.
25. With Gatlinburg-Pittman, Sevier County and Alcoa advancing to Chattanooga in 2025, which teams are most likely to represent the Knoxville area at the BlueCross Bowl this year?
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: 25 Knoxville area high school football questions entering 2026 TSSAA season
