With the 2023 high school football season kicking off, USA TODAY High School Sports is looking around the country at some of the best programs to keep an eye on this year — more than a few of which will most likely appear in the opening Super 25.
Of course, the same argument that roadblocks much of the conversation each season holds true in 2023: how can you measure the best when high school football unleashes so many unknowns in the equation? (Taking Highland Springs over a team like Riverheads in Virginia is just one of many examples: 52-game winning streaks from a Class 1 squad vs. a Class 5 lineup.)
So, understanding that there’s zero way—analytical- or opinion-based—to present an absolute, no doubt, concrete ranking among the thousands of teams, we’ve taken as much consideration for each state’s top programs as possible, looking at rosters, strength at the QB position and outlooks from around the HS coverage sphere, and selected a “best of the best” based on the year-over-year progressions.
With that in mind, here are our picks…
