Did you take some time off from football like a well-adjusted person? Lucky for you, we at DCTX aren’t. We’ve had our finger on the pulse of TXHSFB all offseason. Here is a primer on everything you need to know before spring football starts this month.

Player of the Year Candidates

Earning Player of the Year requires that a) you’re really freaking good, and b) that your team makes a serious state championship run. With that in mind, here are some picks in no particular order.

Noah Spinks, Humble Summer Creek QB

Spinks was magnificent in his first year as Humble Summer Creek’s starting quarterback. He ranked third among all returning passing leaders in Class 6A with 3,690 yards and 43 touchdowns. Spinks also proved he was made for the big moments, like when he threw the game-winning touchdown pass on 4th-and-8 to beat Katy in the Class 6A DII Regional Semifinal.

Spinks’s supporting cast in 2026 is absolutely loaded. Texas Tech WR commit Benny Easter Jr. had 89 catches for 1,309 yards and 18 touchdowns. RB Braylin Causey was a First Team All-District 23-6A selection with 1,140 all-purpose yards. Spinks should also have plenty of time to distribute to those playmakers with Keyshawn Berry-Dilworth (First Team All-District) on the offensive line.

Jaiden Fields, Hutto WR

Fields could win Player of the Year in the exact manner that Willis’s Jermaine Bishop won Mr. Texas Football last season. He is often the best offensive, defensive, and special teams player on the field.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 190-pound prospect earned District 25-6A Overall MVP honors as a junior with 89 catches for 1,345 yards and 18 receiving touchdowns. He also added 50 tackles and two interceptions as a defensive back. 

Fields will also play in an offense with new head coach Casey Walraven, who coached Alvarado to TXHSFB’s top scoring offense with 62.4 points per game.

Zane Rowe, Denton Guyer DE

Rowe (6-foot-4, 265 pounds) is the marquee name on arguably the state’s best defensive line. The Oregon commit earned District 5-6A Overall MVP with 72 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, eight sacks, two forced fumbles, and two defensive touchdowns. 

There are two ways to view Rowe’s performance on a stacked defensive line in relation to his player of the year candidacy. The first way is that the other stars like Khyren Haywood (District Defensive Player of the Year), Logan Lokey (District Defensive Newcomer of the Year), and Darrien Neal (First Team All-District) will eat into Rowe’s numbers. But I believe it will actually be a benefit for Rowe because teams won’t be able to double him on the edge as easily.

Most Intriguing New Coaches

Kyle Coats, Humble Atascocita

Two things can be true. 

One, Craig Stump is a legend for turning Humble Atascocita into the winningest program in Humble ISD. He led the Eagles to 10 double-digit win seasons in 12 years. 

Two, after a 6-5 final season, we could look back on the Kyle Coats hire as the move that got Humble Atascocita to break through the glass ceiling of the regional final it often banged its head on.

“I think he’s going to bring much-needed energy, enthusiasm, and juice into Atascocita’s program,” DCTX insider Matt Stepp said on Texas Football Today.

At The Woodlands College Park, Coats took over a program that had never won a district championship and led them to a 12-1 season on the field (official record is 11-2 due to a forfeit) in 2025. He was also the Co-defensive coordinator on DeSoto’s 2022 state championship team.

This is a major ‘bet on himself’ moment for Coats. Humble Atascocita plays in arguably the toughest district in the state with Galena Park North Shore, Sheldon C.E. King, and Humble Summer Creek. The Woodlands College Park also had a great roster coming back, headlined by District 13-6A Offensive MVP QB Camden Hughes. Coats said it would’ve taken an amazing job offer to leave his previous school, and he believes he found one where he can compete for a state championship.

Vernon Hughes, Converse Judson

Hughes’s hiring is a strategy shift for Converse Judson. For years, they’ve hired ‘Judson Guys’ who either played or coached there. Who could blame them? They once held the UIL record for consecutive winning seasons from 1977-2020. 

But after a 17-27 run with longtime Converse Judson assistant and alum Mark Soto, the district pivoted to an outside hire. Stepp said on an episode of Tep and Stepp that the Rockets tried to hire a sitting state champion head coach, but that coach recommended Hughes. 

We know how that sounds on its face: Converse Judson whiffed on a state champion and instead got the guy who went 2-7 at Mesquite Horn. But Hughes inherited a tough situation, both in the roster turnover he faced and the gauntlet District 11-6A Mesquite Horn played in. Talk to coaches in 11-6A, and they’ll tell you Hughes did a great job. He also proved himself at Pflugerville Weiss, going 17-5 over two seasons. 

This was a savvy hire. The process was sound. But will it pan out? Stepp believes it will, if Hughes figures out how to build a fence around his program.

“The biggest thing that Hughes has got to do at Converse Judson: he’s got to keep their talent there,” Stepp said on Texas Football Today. “When Coach Soto left, Judson had three players transfer out to a private school right away. He’s got to try to put a fence around Judson and keep those kids in Judson ISD. Several kids who live in the Judson attendance zone went to San Marcos and were part of that fiasco where they were suspended for three years.”

Justen Evans, Denton Braswell

Justen Evans’s hiring at Denton Braswell did not draw the attention it deserved. This is, in large part, because Evans went from Corpus Christi Miller to the DFW area, two regions with little contact between them.

But Metroplex football fans will become familiar with Evans’s game quickly. In nine years at Corpus Christi Miller, Evans turned the Buccaneers from a team that had won three games in the previous 30 into a certified powerhouse. From 2019 to 2024, Corpus Christi Miller went to a regional final in three different classifications (5A DI, 5A DII, 4A DI). 

Evans takes over a Denton Braswell program that experienced a turbulent final six months of the Kent Laster era. A student called for Laster’s removal at a summer Denton ISD Board meeting, and Laster was placed on administrative leave in mid-December. He’d coached the Bengals to a 2-8 record each of the last two seasons. Can Evans provide stability and get Denton Braswell to compete in a tough district in Year One?

6A Newcomers to Watch

Aledo

Back-to-back seasons that ended in the state semifinals, combined with a jump to the state’s largest classification, have the doubters circling the wagons. Can TXHSFB’s Title Town, 12-time state champion Aledo, continue the same dominance? Or, will they have to settle for a new normal?

Aledo has only two returning starters back on offense, and one of them (Omari Din-Mbuh) is moving to defensive line. The Bearcats bring back just over 500 yards of total offense at the skill positions. But the defense, headlined by a line loaded with talent, is 6A-ready. Senior DT Tymon Meeks is the leader of that unit after posting 94 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, and 10.5 sacks in 2025.

Cedar Park

The Timberwolves reeled off four state championship appearances from 2012 to 2020. But since the start of the 2021 season, Cedar Park is 34-26. Now, they move to the state’s largest classification.

Cedar Park landed in an intriguing district with rival Austin Vandegrift (12-3), Hutto (9-3), and Georgetown East View (7-4). But Matt Stepp had reported there was a chance they’d land with Austin Westlake and Lake Travis, whom they missed.

Prosper Walnut Grove

The Wildcats went 23-3 with back-to-back district championships in their first two varsity seasons. Now, they’re the only team in Texas jumping from Class 5A DII to Class 6A. Coach Tommy Allison believes the experience against tough district foes like Melissa, Anna, Lovejoy, and Frisco Emerson has prepared them for the state’s largest classification. But Prosper Walnut Grove’s 6A district will undoubtedly be deeper, making the week-to-week strength of schedule tougher. The good news for Wildcat fans is that the team’s strength is on the offensive and defensive lines, which is where most teams making the jump struggle.

New Districts We're Most Excited to See

District 10-6A

• Forney
• North Forney 
• Rockwall-Heath 
• Rockwall
• Longview 
• Mesquite Horn
• Royse City
• Tyler Legacy

This district isn’t the “best” in 6A by top-line teams, but it could be the most competitive and fun district week-to-week, because even the teams on a down year can beat you.

District 11-6A 

• Duncanville (6A DI State Runner-Up)
• North Crowley (New coach, 54-4 record over last four years)
• Waxahachie (New coach, 39-12 over last four seasons)
• Mansfield Lake Ridge (9-3, returning District Offensive MVP QB Deshawn Edwards)
• Red Oak 
• Mansfield
• Crowley
• Dallas Skyline

Duncanville versus North Crowley will feed families. Waxahachie is loaded with prospects. Mansfield Lake Ridge is resurging into mid-2010s status. 

District 17-6A

• Galena Park North Shore (Class 6A DI State Champion)
• Sheldon C.E. King (Class 6A DII State Runner-Up)
• Humble Summer Creek (38-7 over last three years)
• Humble Atascocita (New coach, Nine double-digit win seasons in last 11 years)
• Humble Kingwood (Five-star OL Kennedy Brown, one year removed from regional final run)
• Humble
• Channelview
• Crosby (Back-to-back playoff appearances as Class 5A team)

This is the toughest district in Class 6A, and arguably the state. Nowhere else can you find two teams that played in the state championship game. Humble Summer Creek and Humble Atascocita are always a threat to make a deep playoff run. And, the district replaced Goose Creek Memorial with a Crosby program that has made back-to-back playoff appearances in Class 5A.

5 Teams That Could Make it to Arlington Who Weren't There Last Year

Allen

Don’t look now: Lee Wiginton has the Allen Eagles all the way back. Allen has a 27-2 record over the past two seasons. This group might be even more loaded at the skill positions. WR Josyah Johnson earned First Team All-District 6-6A honors as a sophomore. Safety Trey Roberson has 25 offers. Senior leader RB Lyndon Spriggs has made massive leaps every year. If highly touted sophomore QB Ty Snell grows up throughout the season, and Allen successfully navigates a daunting four-game start to the season against Duncanville, DeSoto, Southlake Carroll, and Prosper, look for the Eagles to make a run back to AT&T.

Humble Summer Creek

Humble Summer Creek plays in arguably the toughest district in Texas (17-6A). But that gauntlet should only make them stronger for the playoffs. Five First Team All-District 23-6A players return on offense, headlined by the passing connection of Noah Spinks and Texas Tech WR commit Benny Easter Jr. The defensive secondary is also in great hands with Caleb White and Savion James.

North Crowley

We know, we know, it’s a gamble to pick North Crowley to return to the state championship the year Coach Ray Gates leaves for a college job. Gates went 54-4 over four seasons, one of the most successful runs in state history! 

But new head coach Demarcus Harris has coached with Gates on two staffs. He was the defensive coordinator at North Crowley for the past two seasons, and the unsung hero in helping the Panthers get over the hump. Harris was also Cedar Hill’s defensive coordinator when Gates was the Longhorns’ D-Line coach. They helped Cedar Hill reach the Class 6A DII State Championship Game in 2020. 

If the North Crowley team’s reaction when Harris was named the head coach at the school board meeting is any indication, this team will run through a brick wall for him. 

San Antonio Johnson

In the third round of the 2025 playoffs, San Antonio Johnson stormed back from a 28-10 deficit with just under eight minutes remaining to beat Cibolo Steele 29-28. In doing so, the Jaguars wrestled away the crown as San Antonio’s top team in front of a sold-out crowd… for now. We think the Jaguars have the right ingredients to defend that crown and make it to their first state championship game ever. All-State quarterback Elvis Estrada returns with breakout 2029 wide receiver Braelyn Allen.

Longview

Given the circumstances of legendary Coach John King’s mouth cancer diagnosis, Longview’s 7-5 record was remarkable last season. Now, the Lobos return the offensive firepower to make a deep playoff run. Junior Jaden Hurndon (57 catches, 1,093 yards, 14 TD) could be one of the best wide receivers in Longview history when it’s all said and done, and senior QB Tre Hamilton had over 3,000 total yards last year. The defense has some questions in the secondary, but LB Lawson Tubb was a revelation in 2025 with 130 tackles and 14 tackles for loss.

Big Shoes to Fill

Lake Travis 

We can’t pick just one player for the Cavaliers. Lake Travis lost program mainstays like RB Vann Hopping (Yale), and star defensive ends Carter Buck (TCU) and Ben Duncum (Kentucky). All in all, they return just four combined starters on both sides of the ball. Lake Travis has a lot of questions, but it also has a lot of athletes ready to step into starting roles. We don’t doubt they’ll rise to the occasion. 

Southlake Carroll

Head coach Riley Dodge stepped down to take the SMU TE Coaching job, but he’s far from the only part of Southlake Carroll’s team off to the college ranks. The Dragons must replace the dynamic passing duo of QB Angelo Renda (Pitt) and WR Brock Boyd (Ohio State). Much like defensive coordinator Lee Munn being promoted to head coach this offseason, there will be a lot of familiar faces stepping into bigger roles. The Dragons return zero starters on defense.