Bryant will begin the 2026 high school football season as the top-ranked team in Arkansas.
The Hornets received all 12 first-place votes in the Overall Top 10 and Class 7A rankings in the 2026 Preseason Arkansas Sports Media High School Football Poll, which is voted on by a panel of sports media members from across the state.
Bryant collected 120 points in the overall poll, followed by Bentonville with 102 and Conway with 101.
Benton and Bentonville West tied for fourth with 57 points apiece, while Shiloh Christian, Greenwood, Joe T. Robinson, North Little Rock and Fayetteville rounded out the Overall Top 10.
Benton received 11 of the 12 first-place votes to lead Class 6A, while Greenwood edged Joe T. Robinson for the top spot in Class 5A. Stuttgart begins the season No. 1 in Class 4A, Fordyce leads Class 3A and Junction City holds the top spot in Class 2A.
Cedar Ridge is the preseason No. 1 team in the 8-man division.
Following is the complete preseason poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, followed by record and total points:
Overall Top 10
1. Bryant (12)
Record: 0-0
Points: 120
2. Bentonville
Record: 0-0
Points: 102
3. Conway
Record: 0-0
Points: 101
T-4. Benton
Record: 0-0
Points: 57
T-4. Bentonville West
Record: 0-0
Points: 57
6. Shiloh Christian
Record: 0-0
Points: 50
7. Greenwood
Record: 0-0
Points: 45
8. Joe T. Robinson
Record: 0-0
Points: 29
9. North Little Rock
Record: 0-0
Points: 27
10. Fayetteville
Record: 0-0
Points: 19
Others receiving votes: Rogers 18, Searcy 10, Mountain Home 6, Little Rock Christian 6, Cabot 5, Pulaski Academy 3, Stuttgart 3, Little Rock Parkview 1, Springdale Har-Ber 1.
Class 7A
1. Bryant (12)
Record: 0-0
Points: 60
2. Bentonville
Record: 0-0
Points: 42
3. Conway
Record: 0-0
Points: 41
4. Bentonville West
Record: 0-0
Points: 15
5. Shiloh Christian
Record: 0-0
Points: 11
Others receiving votes: North Little Rock 6, Fayetteville 4, Pulaski Academy 1.
Class 6A
1. Benton (11)
Record: 0-0
Points: 59
2. Searcy (1)
Record: 0-0
Points: 44
3. Mountain Home
Record: 0-0
Points: 33
T-4. Marion
Record: 0-0
Points: 10
T-4. Sylvan Hills
Record: 0-0
Points: 10
T-4. Van Buren
Record: 0-0
Points: 10
Others receiving votes: Fort Smith Southside 6, El Dorado 6, Jonesboro 2.
Class 5A
1. Greenwood (8)
Record: 0-0
Points: 56
2. Joe T. Robinson (4)
Record: 0-0
Points: 52
3. Greenbrier
Record: 0-0
Points: 21
4. Little Rock Parkview
Record: 0-0
Points: 17
5. Farmington
Record: 0-0
Points: 16
Others receiving votes: Hot Springs Lakeside 12, Valley View 6.
Class 4A
1. Stuttgart (8)
Record: 0-0
Points: 54
2. Elkins (4)
Record: 0-0
Points: 35
3. Nashville
Record: 0-0
Points: 24
4. Arkadelphia
Record: 0-0
Points: 22
5. Warren
Record: 0-0
Points: 21
Others receiving votes: Bauxite 8, Gosnell 5, Booneville 3, Southside Batesville 2, Ozark 2, Lonoke 2, Monticello 1, Gravette 1.
Class 3A
1. Fordyce (8)
Record: 0-0
Points: 55
2. Mansfield (4)
Record: 0-0
Points: 39
3. Glen Rose
Record: 0-0
Points: 32
4. Bismarck
Record: 0-0
Points: 27
5. Salem
Record: 0-0
Points: 7
Others receiving votes: Rivercrest 6, Atkins 5, Charleston 5, Prescott 3, Smackover 1.
Class 2A
1. Junction City (8)
Record: 0-0
Points: 54
2. Mount Ida (2)
Record: 0-0
Points: 47
3. Des Arc (1)
Record: 0-0
Points: 27
4. Carlisle
Record: 0-0
Points: 18
5. Magnet Cove
Record: 0-0
Points: 13
Others receiving votes: Baptist Prep (1) 9, East Poinsett County 5, Earle 4, Cross County 1, Poyen 1, Hackett 1.
8-man
1. Cedar Ridge (5)
Record: 0-0
Points: 17
T-2. Corning (3)
Record: 0-0
Points: 13
T-2. Strong-Huttig (2)
Record: 0-0
Points: 13
Others receiving votes: Woodlawn (1) 11, Magazine 7, Izard County 3, Lafayette County 1, Johnson County Westside 1.