Can Mater Dei order up a three-peat?
The Monarchs reigned supreme atop the Final 2024 High School on SI Power 25: National High School Football Rankings for a second year in a row in January, with the transition from Frank McManus to Raul Lara as head coach going about as smoothly as possible.
Who could challenge Mater Dei’s iron grip on the top spot? Trinity League rival St. John Bosco sits right behind the Monarchs in our Preseason Power 25, with usual suspects Bishop Gorman, Duncanville and St. Frances Academy rounding out the preseason top five teams.
Mater Dei and St. John Bosco are among five California teams in the Power 25 — the most of any state. Florida (four), Texas (three), Georgia (three) and Maryland (two) were the only other states with multiple teams in the preseason rankings, with Nevada, New Jersey, Alabama, Utah, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Louisiana and North Carolina also represented.
Here’s the complete breakdown of our 2025 preseason SBLive/High School on SI Power 25 national high school football rankings.
2025 High School On SI Preseason Power 25 Football Rankings
Last season: 13-0, No. 1 in Final 2024 High School on SI Football Power 25
Early test: at No. 13 St. Thomas Aquinas, Aug. 23
Lowdown: The Monarchs were our wire-to-wire No. 1 last season and pick up where they left off in our preseason rankings, led by a bevy of receiving talent including Ohio State commits Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Chris Henry Jr. on the outside and USC commit Mark Bowman at tight end, with transfer QB Ryan Hopkins directing the show.
Last season: 11-2, No. 14 in Final 2024 High School on SI Football Power 25
Early test: vs. No. 5 St. Frances Academy, Sept. 5
Lowdown: The Braves lost in the Southern Section final to the Monarchs last season but hope to reverse their fortunes against their Trinity League rival, with QB Koa Malau’ulu back after starting seven games as a freshman throwing to a loaded receiving corps that includes Madden Williams (Texas A&M) and Daniel Odom (Oklahoma).
Last season: 11-1, No. 3 in Final 2024 High School on SI Football Power 25
Early test: vs. East St. Louis (Ill.), Sept. 12
Lowdown: The Gaels have challenged for the top spot in the Power 25 each of the past two seasons and will be on the short list of contenders again this fall, led by Nevada player of the year DB Jett Washington (Oregon) and Hawaii commit QB Maika Eugenio.
Last season: 13-1, No. 9 in Final 2024 High School on SI Football Power 25
Early test: vs. South Oak Cliff (Dallas), Sept. 5
Lowdown: The Panthers appeared to be cruising to another UIL 6A Division 1 title last season until losing a 36-34 thriller to North Crowley in the semifinals. They’re bookended this fall on the defensive line by future SEC rivals Landon Barnes (Mississippi) and K.J. Ford (Florida) and added Arkansas pledge CB Victor Lincoln Jr. from Lancaster.
Last season: 8-3, No. 10 in Final 2024 High School on SI Mid-Atlantic Football Region Rankings
Early test: at No. 14 Chaminade-Madonna, Aug. 23
Lowdown: The Panthers won their final six games last year, and with a stacked roster led by 5-star edge rusher Zion Elee (Maryland) along with senior QB Jae’Oyn Williams (Virginia) and DB Jireh Edwards (Alabama), they’ll look to build upon that strong finish against a front-loaded schedule that includes later games at St. John Bosco and St. Joseph’s Prep.
Last season: 7-2, No. 7 in Final 2024 High School on SI Southeast Region Football Rankings
Early test: at Hoover (Ala.), Aug. 22
Lowdown: New coach Greg Studrawa takes over a program that lost multiple games in a season for the first time since 2013 but is loaded with talent as usual, with senior DB Zech Fort (Georgia) and OL Keenyi Pepe (USC) among the top commits and sophomores WR Eric McFarland and QB Jayden Wade arriving on the scene.
Last season: 16-0, No. 4 in Final 2024 High School on SI Football Power 25
Early test: vs. No. 21 DeSoto, Sept. 5
Lowdown: The Panthers shocked Duncanville and defeated Westlake (Austin) on their way to the UIL 6A Division 1 title, making it 30 wins in their past 31 games, with reinforcements incoming via transfer such as 4-star junior CB Jerry Outhouse Jr. (from Brewer) and QB Jacob Torres (Centennial) and sophomore WR Damarion Mays (Oak Cliff).
Last season: 9-3, No. 6 in Final 2024 High School on SI Southwest Region Football Rankings
Early test: at No. 16 Santa Margarita, Aug. 28
Lowdown: Huskies coach Matt Logan is five wins from 300 in his 29th season at the helm, and while he must replace talents such as QB Husan Longstreet and WR Cory Butler Jr., he’ll lean on a strong roster led by junior RB Braylin Drake and Cal-Berkeley commit LB Jonathan McKinley.
Last season: 14-1, No. 20 in Final 2024 High School on SI Football Power 25
Early test: vs. Rabun Gap-Nacoochee (Rabun Gap, Ga.), Aug. 22
Lowdown: The Rams stayed off radars for much of the season but appeared at the right time, knocking off Carrollton 38-24 to claim the Georgia 6A title — their first since 2020 — but won’t sneak up on folks this year led by senior LB Tyler Atkinson, MaxPreps’ National Junior of the Year, and North Carolina commits QB Travis Burgess and DE Lawrence Brown Jr.
Last season: 12-2, No. 9 in Final 2024 High School on SI Southeast Region Football Rankings
Early test: vs. No. 15 Milton, Aug. 14
Lowdown: The Wolves lost to Carrollton in last year’s Georgia 6A semifinals but will challenge Grayson for top honors this fall, seeking their 15th state title with a roster highlighted by a pair of Georgia commits (OL Graham Houston and RB Tyriq Green) along with Texas A&M-bound DL Bryce Perry-Wright and Clemson commit Dre Quinn on the edge.
Last season: 11-1, No. 5 in Final 2024 High School on SI Football Power 25
Early test: vs. East St. Louis, Aug. 28
Lowdown: The four-time reigning Non-Public A state champions seek one for the thumb under eighth-year coach Vito Campanile, who graduated his son Dominic at quarterback but returns 3-star RB Najee Calhoun along with Power 4 recruits DL Jermaine Kinsler (Texas A&M) and DB Jordan Thomas (Ohio State).
Last season: 11-3
Early test: at No. 9 Grayson, Aug. 29
Lowdown: The Warriors won their fifth Alabama 7A title in six seasons last fall and bring back junior QB Trent Seaborn, who threw for 2,675 yards and 26 touchdowns last season, while gaining3-star DL recruit Viliami Moala, who transferred from Willamette in Eugene, Ore., earlier this month.
Last season: 12-3, No. 10 in Final 2024 High School on SI Southeast Region Football Rankings
Early test: vs. No. 1 Mater Dei, Aug. 23
Lowdown: Can the Raiders win an unprecedented seventh consecutive state title this fall? Only 12 schools nationally have won seven in a row (Massillon Washington in Ohio did it twice in the middle of the last century), and the Raiders will bid to become the 13th with a powerhouse defense led by DB Justice Fitzpatrick (Georgia) and edge rusher Daniel Norman (Oklahoma).
Last season: 13-2, No. 7 in Final 2024 High School on SI Football Power 25
Early test: vs. No. 5 St. Frances Academy, Aug. 23
Lowdown: The Lions have been nearly as dominant as their South Florida neighbors, winning four state titles in a row and seven in the past eight years, and they’ll vie for another championship led by junior QB Tyler Chance and Power 4 receivers Denairius Gray (Kentucky) and Jasen Lopez (Florida State).
Last season: 15-0, No. 2 in Final 2024 High School on SI Football Power 25
Early test: at No. 10 Buford, Aug. 14
Lowdown: The Eagles soared to a second consecutive Georgia title last year, adding a 5A crown to the 7A title they won in 2023, and they’ll hope to reload this fall after graduating a bevy of talent, with the junior connection of QB Derrick Baker and TE Grant Haviland protected by one of the nation’s top freshmen in OL Landon Ghea.
Last season: 5-7
Early test: vs. No. 19 Mission Viejo, Aug. 22
Lowdown: Why are we so high on the Eagles after they finished below .500 last year? Mostly because we’re excited to see how longtime NFL quarterback Carson Palmer fares as he returns to his alma mater as a first-time head coach. His son, Fletch, will be a sophomore quarterback on the roster, but he’ll likely sit behind Tulane commit Trace Johnson, who’ll target receivers Trent Mosley (USC) and Jonah Smith (UCLA) this fall.
Last season: 13-1, No. 12 in Final 2024 High School on SI Football Power 25
Early test: vs. No. 22 Liberty, Sept. 5
Lowdown: The back-to-back Utah 6A champion Chargers return Texas A&M commit Helaman Casuga at quarterback after he sustained a season-ending foot injury in Week 6 against Mountain Ridge. Among his top targets are WR Kai Mexa (Minnesota) and 3-star WR Deisel Dart.
Last season: 12-2, No. 17 in Final 2024 High School on SI Football Power 25
Early test: vs. No. 20 St. Joseph’s Prep, Aug. 22
Lowdown: The defending Florida 4A state champs boast 5-star Texas commit Dia Bell under center throwing to a receiving corps led by Florida State-bound WR Brandon Bennett, with linebackers Kymani Morales (Georgia Tech) and Dylan Bennett anchoring the defense.
Last season: 10-1
Early test: at No. 16 Santa Margarita, Aug. 22
Lowdown: The Diablos were one of the top public school programs in Southern California last fall, and with the dynamic duo of QB Luke Fahey (Ohio State) and WR Vance Spafford (Miami) spearheading the offense, they’ll challenge for top honors again.
Last season: 11-2, No. 16 in Final 2024 High School on SI Football Power 25
Early test: at No. 18 American Heritage, Aug. 22
Lowdown: The Hawks bounced back from a midseason loss to La Salle College to beat Central Catholic (Pittsburgh) for the Pennsylvania 6A title, and with game-changing DT Alex Haskell (Penn State) and CB Simaj Hill (West Virginia) leading the defense, they’ll be among the favorites to win another championship.
Last season: 11-3
Early test: at No. 7 North Crowley, Sept. 5
Lowdown: The Eagles were upset in the UIL 6A Division 2 quarterfinals by Longview last season, and despite graduating 4-star RB Deondrae Riden Jr. to Texas A&M, they picked up 4-star junior DL K’Adrian Redmond from Lake Dallas to go with 4-star WR Ethan Feaster (USC) and junior 4-star RB/LB Myson Johnson-Cook.
Last season: 12-1, No. 11 in Final 2024 High School on SI Football Power 25
Early test: at No. 17 Corner Canyon, Sept. 5
Lowdown: The two-time Open state champion Lions have a bevy of talent to go for the three-peat — especially on defense, where LB Hudson Dunn (Minnesota), DL Paz St. John (Boise State) and S Zeth Thues (Arizona State) rank among the Grand Canyon State’s top recruits.
Last season: 14-0, No. 8 in Final 2024 High School on SI Southeast Region Football Rankings
Early test: vs. No. 18 American Heritage, Sept. 12
Lowdown: Coming off their first undefeated season since 2018 and securing their first Louisiana Division I Select title since 2019, the Cougars feature a pair of LSU commits on a stacked defense (DL Richard Anderson and DB Aiden Hall), while Liberty-bound QB John Johnson directs the attack.
Last season: 10-1, No. 24 in Final 2024 High School on SI Football Power 25
Early test: vs. No. 20 St. Joseph’s Prep, Aug. 30
Lowdown: The Stags overcame a season-opening loss to Archbishop Spalding to win the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title against Our Lady of Good Counsel. They’ll vie for another crown with Penn State-bound safety Darrell Carey and receiver Lavar Keys along with 4-star junior edge rusher James Pace III leading the way.
Last season: 16-0, No. 18 in Final 2024 High School on SI Football Power 25
Early test: vs. West Charlotte (N.C.), Aug. 22
Lowdown: The Whirlies won just the second North Carolina 4A state title in program history last fall, and they’ll be favored to repeat this season with 5-star QB Faizon Brandon (Tennessee) targeting TE D.J. Howerton (Rutgers) and WR Kaden Catoe (Charlotte).
Under Consideration
Allen (Texas)
Atascocita (Humble, Texas)
Douglas County (Douglasville, Ga.)
Dutch Fork (Irmo, S.C.)
East St Louis (Ill.)
North Shore (Galena Park, Texas)
Northwestern (Miami)
Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)
Southlake Carroll (Texas)
Vandegrift (Austin, Texas)
Westlake (Austin, Texas)
