Class 3A Region 1 opens the 2026 season without an obvious front-runner, as a realigned lineup of programs adjusts to new head coaches, new rosters and, in some cases, a new classification altogether. The region, which stretches across south Alabama from the Florida line communities of Flomaton and Brewton through Andalusia-area country to Jackson and the Blackbelt towns to the west, has long been one of the most competitive slates in the state’s smaller classifications, and this year’s shakeup promises to spread the parity even further.
Realignment by the Alabama High School Athletic Association reshuffles regions every two years, and the latest cycle has redrawn Region 1’s boundaries in ways that alter both the travel schedules and the level of competition each Friday night brings. For the coaches taking over new programs, the timing is unforgiving: installing systems, learning personnel and preparing for a region where nearly every opponent has changed is a tall order for an opening season.
The Teams Moving Up
Flomaton and TR Miller both move up a classification after finishing 6-5 and making the playoffs a season ago. Both ranked among the state’s top 15 in scoring defense but sat in the bottom half offensively, and each will now face deeper, more physical competition on a weekly basis.
TR Miller returns junior quarterback Cole McMillian, who already has starting experience, along with senior Marquice English, who produced on the ground, through the air and in the return game last season. Senior tight end Maddox Smith is also back as a pass-catching option. The Tigers, one of the tradition-rich programs of south Alabama football with a history of deep playoff runs from their home field in Brewton, will lean on that returning core while the roster builds depth for the tougher classification.
Flomaton brings back senior quarterback Braden Nall and a backfield pairing of junior Antwan Bowen and sophomore TJ Hall. All-State two-way standout Kamden Martin returns at wide receiver and defensive back. Up front, All-State senior lineman Guy Murphy, who has committed to Austin Peay, anchors the defense alongside sophomore Mason Helton. The Hurricanes’ veteran line and their ability to generate explosive plays on the perimeter give them a foundation most teams moving up lack, and their success will likely hinge on whether that group can stay healthy against week-to-week opponents with bigger rosters.
New Leadership in Opp and W.S. Neal’s Continuity
Opp carries a streak of seven straight playoff appearances into the year under new head coach Les Sanders, who arrives with 80 career wins from previous head coaching jobs at Luverne and Geneva. The Bobcats must replace quarterback Talan Wicker and All-State receiver D.J. Hines, among other departures. Senior running back Matthew Morgan and senior Brandyn Washington, who also contributed as a receiver and return man last season, headline Opp’s returning offense. Defensively, senior linebacker A.J. Smallwood and All-State defensive back Savon Barnes give the Bobcats experience at the second level and in the secondary.
W.S. Neal beat Opp head-to-head a year ago and finished 9-4, advancing to the third round for its best season since 2012. Head coach Mike Sims enters his second year leading a team that must replace running back St. Clark and receivers Sed Samuel and Eli Stone. Senior quarterback Jarrod Crook returns as the centerpiece of the Eagles’ offense, with senior Jaden Ewing back after contributing on both sides of the ball last season. Senior lineman Shelton Mitchell and senior linebacker Colton Cain return to lead the defense.
For W.S. Neal, the challenge in East Brewton is sustaining success rather than rebuilding it. A nine-win season and a third-round playoff trip reset expectations for a program whose last deep run came more than a decade earlier, and with Crook back under center, the Eagles believe their ceiling is higher still. The losses at running back and receiver, however, mean new playmakers must emerge quickly before region play decides the playoff bracket.
Jackson’s Transition Year
Jackson enters Class 3A Region 1 off back-to-back state championships and an 18-season playoff streak, but the program is in the midst of a major transition. The Aggies lost 13 players to college football, including quarterback Landon Duckworth, who signed with South Carolina, and running back EJ Crowell, who signed with Alabama. Longtime head coach Cody Flournoy also left for Central-Phenix City, with Ryan Little now taking over the program.
Junior quarterback Jay Morris steps into the starting job with junior Decorius Jackson, who caught more than 50 passes for nearly 900 yards a season ago, as his top target. Senior linebacker Jeremiah McKenzie and defensive backs Victor Darrington and Aaden Martin return to lead the defense.
The scale of the Aggies’ losses is unusual even for a program that reloads rather than rebuilds. Losing a quarterback headed to a Southeastern Conference program and a running back bound for the Crimson Tide — the two engines of the offense during a championship run — would test any roster, and the departure of the head coach who directed it compounds the turnover. Yet the cupboard is far from bare: the returning defenders bring all-region experience to the second and third levels, and the young receiving corps gets a year of development in a region where the playoffs remain the realistic goal even in a transition season.
Jackson’s move into Class 3A Region 1 also changes the geography of the race. A program with championship pedigree and college-signing depth raises the standard for every other team in the region, and the Aggies’ home game will be the date circled on every opponent’s calendar regardless of how the transition year starts.
The Region’s Newcomers and Long Rebuilds
Escambia County, based in Atmore, joins the region under second-year head coach Tommie Lewis. The Blue Devils have not reached the playoffs since 2010 and must replace quarterback Cleo Bolar and receiver KJ Taylor. Sophomore running back Lamarrion Arnold returns after a productive first varsity season. Up front, All-State junior lineman Deandre Hooks and fellow junior JaeVon Brown anchor the defense, with senior linebackers Demarcus Munlyn and Tristan Young adding experience.
The Blue Devils’ hope rests on a young nucleus that gained valuable snaps a year ago, led by a sophomore back and a pair of All-State-caliber linemen on the defensive front. Ending a playoff drought that has now spanned more than a decade requires everything to break right, but the returning talent gives Atmore reason for optimism that the program is trending in the right direction under Lewis.
Excel opens the season under first-year head coach Michael Miles, who previously served as the program’s defensive coordinator before coaching stops at Chickasaw and, most recently, BC Rain. The Panthers went 2-8 a year ago. Junior Jamarion Williams returns as a two-way contributor at running back and linebacker.
Miles’s return to Excel gives the Panthers something programs in extended slumps rarely have: a head coach who already knows the roster, the community and the expectations. His stops in Chickasaw and at BC Rain in Mobile added head-coaching perspective, and his defensive background should strengthen a unit that struggled through last season’s two-win campaign. With Williams doubling as the offensive workhorse and the defensive anchor, Excel’s improvement will be measured in competitiveness within a region where several teams are also rebuilding.
Wilcox Central hired Melvin Pete, who brings 17 seasons of head coaching experience from stops at J.F. Shields, Central-Tuscaloosa, Aliceville and Williamson, a career record of 103-74 and a state title won at Central-Tuscaloosa. The Jaguars finished 0-10 last season. Senior Romorian Graves, junior Isaiah Mack and senior Javonte Irby return as contributors at multiple positions.
The hire represents the most experienced leadership addition in the region this cycle. Pete’s championship resume and his familiarity with rural south Alabama football give Wilcox Central a seasoned hand for one of the area’s most demanding rebuilds, and his history of turning around programs at schools of similar size is the reason the Camden school reached outside its own staff. The winless season that preceded his arrival means expectations are modest, but the returning trio gives the new staff a starting point on both sides of the ball.
How the Race Might Take Shape
With no returning state champion, no consensus pick and four programs under new leadership, Region 1’s pecking order will sort itself out early. W.S. Neal’s continuity and returning quarterback make the Eagles a sensible favorite on paper, while Opp’s playoff streak, Flomaton and TR Miller’s loaded rosters at the higher classification and Jackson’s ever-present talent ensure the race will be crowded through October. The newcomers — Escambia County, Excel and Wilcox Central — are playing with house money, free of expectations and auditioning young rosters against playoff-caliber competition.
The region’s playoff implications are straightforward: the top four finishers advance to the state playoffs, and region record, not overall record, determines seeding. That makes every region Friday a de facto playoff game for teams bunched in the middle of the standings, and with this much turnover in the league, no one can safely pencil in a win — which is exactly the kind of uncertainty that has made Class 3A Region 1 one of the most watched slates in south Alabama heading into the 2026 season.