Brentwood Academy and Baylor’s star-studded TSSAA football season opener in Chattanooga will be a national primetime showdown, ESPN announced July 30.
BA and Baylor’s rematch of last season’s Tennessee high school football Division II-AAA state championship will kick off Thursday, Aug. 20 at 7 p.m. (CT) at Baylor's Heywood Stadium with coverage on ESPN2.
The teams feature 12 players in the 247Sports Composite top 50 in the 2027 class and two from the 2028 class. That includes Baylor five-star running back and Tennessee football commitment David Gabriel-Georges, the No. 10 overall player nationally in the 2027 class.
Brentwood Academy boasts four-star Tennessee
commitments Kesean Bowman (receiver) and Kenneth Simon II (linebacker), in addition to Auburn offensive line commitment Rance Brown, Colorado offensive line commitment Li’Marcus Jones and South Carolina tight end commitment Judah Lancaster. Eagles junior Braylen Bedford is the No. 2 player in Tennessee from the 2028 class and No. 6 safety nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite.
The teams have combined for 17 state titles. Two of Baylor’s three championships have come within the past five seasons, including last year’s thrilling 28-24 victory over BA in the state final at Chattanooga’s Finley Stadium.
BA ranks third all-time in TSSAA football state championships with 14 titles.
Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.
He also contributes to The Tennessean's high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to The Bootleg here.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Brentwood Academy vs Baylor TSSAA football game will be nationally televised on ESPN2
