Buford ranked No. 1 in final poll, giving Georgia HS football a national champion

It was all but official until Sunday. Now, it’s in the history books.

Buford was listed as No. 1 in the final Blue Star Media poll, giving the Wolves a national champion title.

ExploreBuford offensive line gets ‘redemption’ in state title win over Carrollton

Buford (15-0), leapfrogging IMG Academy and Bishop Gorman to secure the top spot, was previously ranked No. 3 by Blue Star Media.

Buford defeated in Carrollton in the GHSA Class 6A championship just after midnight Wednesday. The 6A finals was largely seen as a head-to-head national championship as both teams brought a No. 1 ranking into the game.

Ahead of the state championship, Buford was No. 1 in ESPN, The Sporting News and USA Today’s rankings. These polls have not released final rankings yet.

As of Wednesday, Buford claimed the No. 1 spot in the National HSFB rankings, however the Texas high school football state championships didn’t wrap up until Saturday, which finalized several rankings. The latest National HSFB ranking has not been posted.

Georgia has not had a high school national champion since 2015, when Colquitt County finished the season No. 1 in the High School Football America poll. There has not been a consensus national champion since 1991, when LaGrange was No. 1 in USA Today, the only poll at the time.

While not a national title, the Wolves were named the top public high school team in the final High School Football America rankings.

Blue Star Media final rankings

Previous ranking listed in parentheses immediately after final ranking. Georgia teams in bold.

(3) Buford (15-0)
(1) Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (11-1)
(2) IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (9-0)
(5) Santa Margarita, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. (11-3)
(6) St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (9-1)
(7) St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (14-1)
(14) North Shore, Galena Park, Texas (14-2)
(8) Bixby, Okla. (13-0)
(9) DeMatha, Hyattsville, Md. (11-0)
(10) Clay-Chalkville, Pinson, Ala. (15-0)
(4) Carrollton (14-1)
(11) Mount Carmel, Chicago (14-0)
(12) Edna Karr, New Orleans (14-0)
(15) DeSoto, Texas (13-3)
(13) Duncanville, Texas (12-2)
(16) Southlake (Texas) Carroll (14-1)
(17) Grayson (12-1)
(18) Corona (Calif.) Centennial (11-2)
(19) Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (8-3)
(20) St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif. (9-2)
(21) Corner Canyon, Draper, Utah (12-1)
(22) Basha, Chandler, Ariz. (12-1)
(24) South Oak Cliff, Dallas (15-1)
(NR) Brownsburg, Ind. (14-0)
(25) St. Joseph Regional, Montvale, N.J. (10-2)

aajc 121625 class 6a buford vs. carrollton

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Buford head coach Bryant Appling gets dumped with water as players celebrate their 28-21 win against Carrollton in the Class 6A GHSA football championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

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