By: Kenneth Harrison

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Buford is one of the most elite football programs in the state of Georgia and possibly the nation. They have won 15 state championships, with only one coming before the year 2001.

They also have multiple state championships in baseball, boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball, gymnastics, softball, volleyball, wrestling and girls’ track.

Last season they opened Philip Beard Stadium. It has a seating capacity of 10,000 at a cost of $62 million.

The Wolves finished last season going 15-0 and winning the state championship. They were also the consensus national champions.

They have a lot of talent on the team. Junior Edge Luke Nabors (6’4, 210 lbs.) is a four-star recruit. He has over thirty offers from teams like Georgia, Ohio State, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Florida State, Penn State, Texas, Clemson, Oregon, Indiana and Tennessee.

Junior WR Seven Rashad (6’5, 175 lbs.) is a three-star recruit.

Senior LB Ethan Hauser (6’3, 200 lbs.) is a three-star recruit that’s committed to Vanderbilt. They have another three-star LB, Brayden Watson who’s committed to Michigan.

Senior QB DJ Hunter (6’1, 190 lbs.) is taking over as the starter in 2026. He was the backup to Dayton Raiola (Oregon). Hunter is a dual-threat so he should be a new weapon for the offense. He’s a three-star player and he’s committed to James Madison.

Seniors CB Silas Nuckles (6’0, 175 lbs.) and S Jameer Cantrell (5’10, 175 lbs.) are also three-star recruits. Cantrell is committed to Arkansas.

Bryant Appling has been the head coach at Buford since 2019. He has a record of 90-8 and he’s the first coach in GHSA history to win state titles in his first three seasons (2019-21).

Buford graduated 21 players from last seasons national championship team. They are expected to reload the talent but I think that will be tougher than expected. They are the #1 team in the 7A preseason poll.

Their schedule is listed below:

8/22: vs. Gainesville

9/4: @ Mallard Creek (North Carolina)

9/11: vs. Miami Central (Miami, FL)

9/18: @ #3 Grayson

9/25: @ Seckinger

10/9: @ Dacula

10/16: vs. Collins Hill

10/23: @ Mill Creek

10/30: vs. Discovery

11/6: vs. Central Gwinnett

They have a few tough non-region games to start the season.

Week 1 is a nationally televised game on ESPN against Gainesville. The Red Elephants advanced to the 5A state championship last season. They have moved up to 6A this season.

Former Grayson head coach Santavious Bryant has taken over the same position in Gainesville. He was 37-5 in three seasons at Grayson and he won a state championship in 2024. They have one of the most talented rosters in the state.

Miami Central in Week 2 will also be a tough game. The Rockets were 10-2 in 2025. South Florida is known for speed and they have very good players.

Week 4 at #3 Grayson will be the toughest test of the regular season. The Rams expected to repeat as state champions last year but lost in the state quarterfinals.

After this game, the rest of the schedule is easy. Seckinger (Buford, GA) is the newest school in Gwinnett County. They opened in August 2022 and they made their first playoff appearance last season.

Region 8-AAAAAAA play begins October 9^th at Dacula. Mill Creek is the second-best team in the region but I don’t think they can challenge Buford.

I expect Buford to lose two regular season games. At worst they will be 7-3 if they lose to Gainesville, Miami Central and Grayson. I think they’ll be tough to beat in the playoffs.