Last December, Baylor (TN) edged Brentwood Academy by four during a monsoon for the TSSAA Division II-AAA state championship in one of the more memorable Tennessee high school football championship games in recent memory.
The two private school powerhouses will get an almost immediate rematch to kick off the season and they'll do so in front of a national audience.
Brentwood Academy will travel down to Chattanooga on August 20 for a nationally televised showdown against the defending champions set to air on ESPN2.
Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
Both teams enter the 2026 season ranked in the preseason
Super 25 rankings. After finishing last year ranked No. 13, Baylor comes into the new year ranked No. 13 while Brentwood Academy is not far off at No. 18.
This game adds onto an already loaded slate of games set to be televised on ESPN or ESPN2 during the first few weeks of the season.
The other scheduled matchups include Gainesville (GA) at Buford (GA) on August 22, Battle Ground Academy (TN) at St. Michael Catholic (AL) on August 22, St. Joseph Regional (NJ) at Mount Carmel (IL) on August 28, Bishop Gorman (NV) at Columbus (FL) on August 29, DeSoto (TX) at St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) on August 29 and Chandler (AZ) at Basha (AZ) also on August 29.
Baylor is coming off of a 12-0 season and won its second state title since 2022. The Red Raiders have played for the Division II-AAA state championship each of the last four seasons.
The Red Raiders are led by five-star Tennessee running back commitment David Gabriel Georges. Gabriel Georges is coming off an 1,800-yard, 27-touchdown season where he repeated as the Division II-AAA Mr. Football winner.
Baylor's roster also features Ole Miss four-star quarterback commitment Keegan Croucher, 2028 four-star wide receiver Antwaun Adams, 2028 four-star tight end Braxton Rein and Marshall Manning, the son of NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning.
Brentwood Academy features a roster equally loaded with future Power Four talent.
They also have a pair of Tennessee commitments in four-star wide receiver Kesean Bowman and four-star linebacker Kenneth Simon II. On the line, they added a pair of four-star offensive linemen in Auburn commit Rance Brown and Li'Marcus Jones.
Crews Jenkins, another Ole Miss quarterback commit, returns at quarterback for the Eagles as does running back Larry Sanders. The 5-foot-8, 180-pound Sanders ran for 215 yards and three touchdowns the last time the teams met.
This year's matchup will be the 36th meeting all-time between the Eagles and Red Raiders. Brentwood Academy leads the series 27-8 but Baylor has won the last five meetings.
Follow Sports Reporter Joe Spears on X at @joe_spears7 or via email: JSpears@usatodayco.com. For additional high school sports coverage, be sure to follow @usatodayhss on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Preseason Super 25 teams Baylor and Brentwood Academy to meet on ESPN2 in Tennessee showdown
