It's almost August, which means high school football season is officially around the corner.
To celebrate the start, ESPN has announced the return of its ESPN High School Football Kickoff, a seven-game slate featuring elite matchups between some of the nation's top programs.
Eight of the participating teams are ranked in the USA TODAY Sports preseason Super 25 national high school football rankings,
including No. 3 Bishop Gorman and No. 7 St. Thomas Aquinas.The games will air on ESPN networks throughout the first two weeks of the high school football season.
Here's a complete look at the ESPN High School Football Kickoff schedule:
No. 18 Brentwood Academy (Tenn.) at No. 13 Baylor School (Tenn.)
When: Aug. 20 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: Chattanooga, Tenn.
How to watch: ESPN2
Battle Ground Academy (Tenn.) at St. Michael Catholic (Ala.)
When: Aug. 22 at 1:30 p.m. ET
Where: Fairhope,
Ala.
How to watch: ESPN 2
Gainesville (Ga.) at No. 11 Buford (Ga.)
When: Aug. 22 at 5 p.m. ET
Where: Buford, Ga.
How to watch: ESPN2
St. Joseph Regional (NJ) at No. 24 Mount Carmel (IL)
When: Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Chicago, Ill.
How to watch: ESPN
Seven games. Ten days. 33 SC Next 300 ranked athletes.⁰⁰The full ESPN HS Kickoff schedule is set and begins August 20th 🏈
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) July 30, 2026
More info: https://t.co/79gm3WKNqD pic.twitter.com/v95rN2O3rw
No. 3 Bishop Gorman (Nev.) vs. Christopher Columbus (Fla.)
When: Aug. 29 at 2 p.m. ET
Where: Broward County National Football Showcase in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
How to watch: ESPN2
DeSoto (Texas) at No. 7 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.)
When: Aug. 29 at 6 p.m. ET
Where: Broward County National Football Showcase in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
How to watch: ESPN2
No. 22 Chandler (Ariz.) at No. 8 Basha (Ariz.)
When: Aug. 29 at 10:30 p.m. ET
Where: Chandler, Ariz.
How to watch: ESPN
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Eight Super 25 teams headline ESPN's 2026 High School Football Kickoff
