Top 25 Arkansas high school football preseason rankings (8/14/2024)

The first rankings of the 2024 Arkansas high school football season

As we unveil our preseason rankings, it is noticeable that some of the best teams in the state won’t play each other.

That could set up a big debate most of the season if these teams continue to win.

No. 1 Parkview is a Class 5A squad and will not see No. 2 Fayetteville or No. 4. Greenwood. They will play a home game against No. 3 Bryant, who they knocked off last season, ending the Hornets’ 54-game win streak. That will be one of the most highly anticipated games of the season. If Bryant wins that game, they will likely jump past Fayetteville to sit in a spot they have been accustomed to.

Greenwood should cruise through their schedule and win a Class 6A state title for the second straight year. At some point, their fans will probably focus less on their opponents and more on the teams that are ahead of them in this ranking. They might be able to make a point.

It will be very interesting to see how the top shakes out, and if Parkview runs through the nonconference slate undefeated, it’s unlikely they will be tested in 5A play and would go wire-to-wire.

Below are the SBLive Arkansas/High School on SI preseason Top 25 Arkansas high school football rankings.

1. Little Rock Parkview

There’s a good chance the Patriots, who finished last season No. 1, will go wire-to-wire this year. A game at Melissa, Texas to open the season and a home game with Bryant a week later may be the only challenges Parkview, the two-time defending 5A champion, has. It doesn’t appear any 5A opponent will be able to unseat Parkview, who is riding a 25-game win streak.

2. Fayetteville

The defending 7A champs most likely wouldn’t be in this spot if it hadn’t been for two key transfers. Three-star QB Garyt Odom, the son of UNLV head coach Barry Odom, and four-star linebacker Parker Meese fill two big holes for the Purple ‘Dogs. If both of them play as well as advertised, look for the Bulldogs to win the West and make a return trip to Little Rock.

3. Bryant

After having their 54-game winning streak snapped by Parkview and coming up one game short of a sixth straight title-game appearance, the Hornets are primed for a title run. An offense that is engineered by three-year startint QB Jordan Walker and includes three talented running backs should win its sixth straight 7A-Central Conference title. Injuries hurt Bryant last season, and the bug has already hit this summer as two key defensive starters are out for the season. That is a concern, but depth is a strength, and it will be relied on again if the Hornets get to the title game.

4. Greenwood

The Bulldogs fans are already lobbying for the No. 1 spot. Look for that to continue as they will have no problems running through their schedule, even with a limited number of defensive returners. You’d have to look far and wide to find a more explosive offense nationwide as four-star QB Kane Archer triggers a unit that includes four Division I receivers and a cast of college prospects on the line.  

5. Conway

Just like Fayetteville, the Wampus Cats may not be in the Top 5 conversation had it not been for a key move-in. Conway head coach Buck James faced a quandary following the graduation of three-year starting QB Donovyn Omolo. Enter four-star signal caller Grayson Wilson. Wilson felt compelled to leave CAC when former Mustangs head coach Ryan Howard resigned abruptly in January. Howard landed an offensive assistant job at Conway in the spring, and Wilson, a University of Arkansas commit, announced his transfer there in late May. A smooth transition causes Conway to challenge Bryant and make another deep playoff run.

6. Bentonville

The Tigers surprised some by resoundingly defeating Bryant in the semifinals of the Class 7A playoffs. Bentonville couldn’t knock off conference rival Fayetteville in the title game, but it was a great season. An inexperienced Jody Grant team tries to ride that momentum and re-capture the league title its owned for so many years and return to War Memorial Stadium in December.

7. Pulaski Academy

Because of the Arkansas Activities Competitive Equity Factor, the private-school power must move to the state’s highest classification after winning state titles in Class 5 and 6A in 2021 and ’22, respectively. The Bruins have a roster half the size of many of their opponents, but their talented starting lineup will allow them to compete. Staying healthy during the throes of conference play will be the key.

8. Benton

The Panthers reached the semifinals again last season (7 of the past 10 years), and they will advance that deep again, if not further. The Benton offense is led by dynamic junior QB Drew Davis, who has a full cast of veteran receivers at his disposal. The defense is also dominant. Next to Greenwood, the definitive second-best team in 6A.

9. Shiloh Christian

The Saints move up to 6A due to the Competitive Equity Factor after playing in the Class 5A state title game the past two seasons. Shiloh, with its 12 returning starters, will more than hold its own in 6A. Two interesting storylines will be how sophomore QB Cole Creighton develops after missing most of his freshman season, and how impactful will three-star defensive line transfer and recently UNLV commit, Hudson Ball, be on defense? Both will be key to a deep playoff run.

10. Bentonville West

The Wolverines have been competitive in their first eight seasons of existence and look to break through. They only have won losing season during that time and have won eight games the past two seasons. They are looking for a breakthrough year in the rugged 7A-West. It may not happen this year, but West will be solid again with a cast of returning starters.

11. Harding Academy

The Wildcats have dominated every level they’ve played and after rolling in Class 4A are now in 5A with the Competitive Equity Factor. Moving up won’t slow them down, as this veteran squad led by University of Central Arkansas QB commit Owen Miller should win the rugged 5A-East Conference

12. Little Rock Christian

The Warriors have a new class and a coach. They finished last season in the 6A title game and now move up to 7A with former defensive coordinator Dustin Grimmett succeeding longtime LRCA head coach Eric Cohu. LRCA only has eight returning starters and must adapt to life without star QB Walker White, who is now at Auburn. The transition won’t be easy, but the Warriors will get better each week as they adjust and having senior running back Rony Anokye, returning after missing much of last season with an injury, will help.

13. Cabot

The Panthers return seven offensive starters but only two on defense. Cabot tries to stay near the top of the 7A-Central with PA and LRCA added to the mix. If the offense leads the way for the Panthers, they can stay in the Top 3 as they have been.

14. Fort Smith Southside

The Mavericks drop to 6A, and even though they don’t return many starters, the drop in class helps as does a light early schedule that could fuel a 4-0 start before they get into the meat of the schedule.

15. Marion

The Patriots return 11 starters from last fall’s 8-3 team. The Patriots challenge 6A-East Conference foe Benton for the top seed and hope to make a deeper run in the playoffs after narrowly losing to Pulaski Academy in the first round last fall.  

16. Lake Hamilton

The Wolves missed the playoffs for the first time since 2005 last fall. That won’t happen this year with a fully healthy team. Lake Hamilton returns 16 starters and fights Shiloh Christian for the No. 2 seed in the 6A-West behind Greenwood.

17. Jonesboro

After a two-year tour in the rugged 7A-West, the Hurricanes are back 6A with experienced junior QB Asa Myers leading the charge. Jonesboro took some lumps moving up a class, but it will serve them well in this cycle, and they should battle Marion for the No. 2 seed in the East.

18. Mountain Home

The Bombers are enjoying some success under former legendary Missouri prep head coach Steve Ary. Mountain Home has had just three six-win seasons since 2006 and Ary’s clubs have achieved that mark twice in four seasons. With nine defensive starters, they will do it again this season and continue their streak of first-round playoff wins.

19. LR Catholic

Former head coach John Fogleman returned to his old job at Malvern in the offseason, so the Rockets turned to longtime assistant and Catholic alum, Richard Cochran, to lead the program. He inherits a veteran team that includes one of the more underrated players in the state in dual-threat senior QB Jackson England.

20. Joe T. Robinson

Injuries forced the Senators to play a multitude of freshmen in their first-round playoff loss to Southside (Batesville) in 2023. The Senators are healthy and add some key transfers, including North Little Rock QB Tyson Braddon, who should help with a playoff push this fall.

21. Maumelle

Third-year head coach Brian Maupin is building something. The longtime Joe T. Robinson assistant coach guided the Hornets to a playoff appearance and a 7-4 record last fall and looks to take a bigger step this season as they challenge for the 5A-Central Conference title and a deeper playoff run that will be aided by an influx of talent that transferred in during the offseason.

22. Valley View

The Blazers have established themselves as a 5A-East power with three conference titles in five years and will again challenge for the league title with a team that is looking to fill some key spots. Some experienced transfers could also help boost the Blazers.

23. Pine Bluff

Zebras alum Micheal Williams has made an immediate impact on his alma mater as its head coach. The Z’s won 10 games last season and came close to the state title game. The program must reload with the departure of University of Missouri signees Courtney Crutchfield and Austyn Dendy, but there is still plenty of talent on the roster to keep Pine Bluff competitive in the 5A-Central.

24. Warren

By far, the most talented team in Class 4A gets a coveted spot in the 25. After narrowly missing the state championship game last fall, count a dynamic, veteran Lumberjacks team to be at War Memorial Stadium in December.

25.  Prescott

The Curley Wolves only return eight starters from last season’s Class 3A state runner-up squad, but those players are talented, including University of Tulsa commit Decari Prater, who will line up at QB this fall after playing receiver and starring on defense in 2024.

--Nate Olson | nate@scorebooklive.com | @ndosports