Count it down. Seven days from today, whistles blow across Indiana. Non-contact practice opens Monday, August 3. Full pads come on August 6. Scrimmages begin August 14. And the Friday nights that this state was built for kick off the week of August 21.
Indiana high school football is back. Here is what to watch when camp opens — class by class, storyline by storyline, name by name.
CLASS 6A — The Three-Peat Question
Brownsburg finished last fall undefeated, won the Class 6A state championship 38-31 over Westfield, and enters 2026 as the program every conversation starts with. The Bulldogs return the central pieces of what made them dominant — quarterback Oscar Frye, who threw for 2,505 yards and 29 touchdowns, along with wide receiver Branden Sharpe and defensive lineman Dami Sowunmi.
The three-peat question is real. It gets asked about programs that have proven they deserve it — and Brownsburg has earned every word of it.
Westfield is back chasing the state championship that has eluded them twice in two meetings against the Bulldogs. Carmel returns a deep defensive roster. Center Grove brings back quarterback Oscar Sloan along with a backfield featuring Ricky Lange, Jayden Biggerstaff, and Brodie Tilton — a combination that gives the Trojans genuine offensive balance heading into a demanding schedule.
Lawrence North carries one of the most watched skill rosters in the state, with a pipeline that produced a first-round NFL Draft pick last season in Omar Cooper Jr. Lawrence Central and Warren Central both return enough talent to compete deep into November. Franklin Central enters the fall with arguably the most physically imposing skill player in 6A on their roster. And Errol Kerns III of Lawrence Central — Texas A&M commit — is one of the most versatile defensive players in the entire state regardless of where you look on the bracket.
In 6A, the entire Indianapolis metro corridor is loaded. October is going to be must-watch football before the postseason even begins.
The storyline: Can Brownsburg complete the three-peat — something Indiana Preps captured at Media Day when the Bulldogs stood quietly in the corner while everyone else talked?
The name to know: Oscar Frye. Illinois State commit. Two-time state champion. Everything the fall is built around in Brownsburg. And Jayce Brewer of Franklin Central — Michigan commit, edge rusher who plays tight end — is a matchup problem that 6A defenses have no answer for.
CLASS 5A — New Palestine Defends
New Palestine captured the 5A title last fall and enters 2026 as the program every team in the classification is measuring themselves against. The Dragons return with playoff pedigree and the standard that comes with a championship — and every team on their schedule has spent the offseason preparing specifically for them.
The 5A field has legitimate depth behind the defending champions. Programs across Central and Northern Indiana enter camp with rosters capable of competing deep into the bracket — and the first month of the season will do as much to define the contenders as anything that happened last fall.
The storyline: Does New Palestine have enough returning firepower to defend in 5A, or does the classification open up to a new champion?
The name to know: Watch the programs that scheduled aggressively in the spring. The teams that tested themselves against quality competition before the season begins will be sharper when October arrives.
CLASS 4A — A Sectional Landscape Reshuffled — With a Familiar Name Returning
New IHSAA sectional assignments are in effect across all six classifications for 2026-27, and 4A gets one of its most interesting additions in years. East Central — which spent the last two seasons competing in 5A due to the IHSAA success factor — returns to 4A for 2026, the classification the Trojans have called home for the majority of their program’s history. A program with East Central’s pedigree and coaching returning to a classification it has previously dominated is not a small development. Every 4A program on the other side of a potential sectional bracket with the Trojans knows it.
Beyond East Central’s return, the broader 4A landscape is reshaped by sectional realignment — programs that haven’t shared a bracket in years are now in the same field, and programs that have dominated locally may be seeing new competition for the first time.
Roncalli returns one of the most well-coached rosters in 4A and brings postseason experience that matters in October. Bishop Chatard and Bishop Dwenger in Fort Wayne give the classification legitimate contenders from the northeast corner of the state.
The storyline: How does sectional realignment — combined with East Central’s return — reshape the 4A path to Lucas Oil Stadium?
The name to know: East Central’s return to 4A is itself the name to know. Programs that have been comfortable in this classification now have a different calculation to make.
CLASS 3A — Andrean Steps Up
The IHSAA success factor works both ways — it rewards sustained excellence by bumping programs into higher classifications, and it creates opportunities for programs in the classes below. For 2026, Andrean moves up to 3A after accumulating points through their postseason success in recent years. The 59ers bring a program culture and coaching staff that has competed at the highest levels of Indiana small-school football into a new competitive environment.
Andrean’s arrival changes the 3A conversation immediately. Programs that have been building toward a title run in this classification now have a new variable in the bracket — a program that won state championships in 2A and knows exactly what November football requires.
The storyline: How does Andrean’s arrival reshape the 3A competitive landscape? And which 3A program has the depth and culture to meet the challenge?
The name to know: The first month of 3A football will tell us more than any preseason projection. Watch how Andrean adjusts to the new classification and which 3A programs separate themselves early.
CLASS 2A — A Wide Open Field
With Andrean moving up to 3A, the 2A classification enters 2026 without one of its most dominant recent presences. That creates a genuine opportunity — and genuine uncertainty — for every program that remains in the field. Brownstown Central, last fall’s 2A state champion, enters the season as the defending standard in the classification.
The 2A field has legitimate depth across multiple regions of the state, from Northern Indiana to the southern corridor. Programs that have been chasing Andrean for years now face a different kind of competition — and the first team to step into that vacuum will define what 2A looks like heading into the postseason.
The storyline: Which program emerges as the 2A standard with the classification’s recent dominant force now competing one level up?
The name to know: Brownstown Central brings back the defending champion’s expectation. Every team on their schedule is pointing to that game.
CLASS 1A — Small Schools, Big Moments
1A football is where Indiana’s small-town culture lives at its most authentic. The programs that compete in this classification do so with fewer resources, smaller rosters, and communities that pack their stands the way bigger schools fill Lucas Oil. The moments that come out of 1A in November are consistently among the most compelling in the entire state tournament.
The storyline: Which 1A program builds the identity this fall that carries them through October and into a title run?
The name to know: 1A names don’t always come through recruiting databases. They come through Indiana Preps showing up — the same way we always have. We will be there.
The Circle City Classic: A New Stage for Indianapolis High School Football
This fall brings one of the most significant platform changes in Indiana prep sports in years. The Circle City Classic at Lucas Oil Stadium — a tradition previously built around HBCU football — is pivoting to high school football for 2026. Indiana Black Expo is hosting prep matchups alongside flag football in a setting that gives Indianapolis high school programs access to a stage they have never had before.
Lucas Oil Stadium hosting high school football — the same floor where state championships are won, where the Colts play, where Indiana University just won a national championship — creates a moment for every player who suits up in that building this fall that goes well beyond a regular-season game. Indiana Preps will be there. More details on the Classic matchups as they are confirmed.
The Countdown
Non-contact practice: Monday, August 3.
Full pads permitted: Thursday, August 6.
Scrimmages begin: Friday, August 14.
Regular season opens: Week of August 21.
Indiana Preps will be in camps, at scrimmages, and on sidelines from the first whistle. The season starts Monday.
Indiana Preps covers high school athletics, recruiting, and athlete development across the state of Indiana.