What’s In? What’s Out? Coaches Predict High School Football Trends for 2026

What’s In:

Tech, AI, and Data Analytics

“Coaches are leveraging video breakdown tools, AI-assisted scouting, and performance metrics to make smarter decisions. Even at the high school level, data is shaping game plans and player development.”

— Kyle Amettis, Assistant Coach, Maroa-Forsyth HS (IL)

Relationship Building

“Back in the day of being really harsh on the kids, that's out the window. You have to build relationships with kids. You have to show them that you care. That whole hard, tough, grind them into their ground mentality, in my opinion, that doesn't work in today's kids. You have to build those relationships, work with the families, be part of helping them get recruited. The game's gone so much farther from the days when we played.” 

— Justin Haberman, Head Coach, Gretna East HS (NE)

Unbalanced Formations

“There are lots of ways to create alignment nightmares for a defense with multiple personnel by setting an unbalanced formation both to the field and to the boundary. It really forces the defense to make some adjustments they might not be comfortable with or are ready for. This is an easy way for an offense to package plays they already run, but create an advantage with leverage and spacing created by the unbalanced formation and how the defense chooses to align to it.”

— Garrett Mueller, Head Coach, Stewartville HS (MN)

Olympic Lifts

“I'm big with the Olympic lifts. I believe in quick explosive squats. Heavier squats early in the offseason to quicker squats as we get closer to season. The hang cleans, too. I've heard thousands of coaches say bench press doesn't matter in football. Yes it does. You have to have a stronger upper body.

We work on a lot of neck strengthening. There's a lot of research out there that strong necks will help prevent concussions. So we're trying to do everything we can to make our kids have stronger shoulders, necks, upper body, total body, Olympic-type, explosive lifting.”

— Haberman

Under Center Looks (Pro-I over Double Tight Double Wing)

“While spread offenses are still prevalent, there’s a resurgence of traditional formations like Pro-I for short yardage, ball control, and play action situations. The timing and development of under-center plays make life difficult for defenses—forcing them to read it out and stay disciplined instead of just reacting to quick-hitting spread concepts.”

— Amettis

Simulated Pressures

Defensive coordinators are doing a great job of disguising blitzes and coverages with multiple pre-snap alignments showing 5-6 man pressure and then falling back into their favorite coverages depending on the down and distance or game situation. They may still bring a blitz or they may not, but this makes it difficult for a QB and the offensive line pre-snap to set their protections correctly and can lead to easy sacks, turnovers or incompletions, getting the defense off the field.”

— Mueller

Smarter, Velocity-Based Training

“More and more programs are starting to see the value of tracking bar speed in the weight room and using that to autoregulate the resistance based on training goals and protocols. Don't just move a lot of weight, move the weight fast! Football isn't about strength alone. It is about how quickly you can express that strength (think Power) on the field. VBT is a better way to train athletes in order to maximize transfer from the weight room to the field.”

— Mueller

“Focused, explosive work is replacing endless conditioning. Sprint-based football and position-specific drills are trending—quality over quantity. This is true on the mental performance and recovery side as well. Visualization, mindfulness, and recovery protocols are becoming part of the program. Coaches know that mental toughness and physical recovery are just as important as reps.”

— Amettis

What’s Out:

Single-Sport Focus

“The era of specialization is fading. Coaches and athletes are embracing the well-rounded approach—each sport brings unique training benefits. For example, spring track might be the perfect offseason sport for football players, building speed and explosiveness that translate directly to the field.”

— Amettis

“I really push the kids to go out for track or baseball. I'm huge into multi-sport. About seven of our guys left the state championship game and the next morning they were at basketball practice.”

— Haberman

Traditional Practice and Conditioning

“The old-school “run until you puke” approach is gone. Conditioning is now sprint-based and tailored to game demands. Long, drawn-out sessions are being replaced by short, intentional ones. Be focused, be precise, and then get out—efficiency wins.”

— Amettis

7-on-7

“The passing leagues, the seven-on-seven. They're all great, but sometimes I think we get caught up in spending too much time on that stuff in the offseason. I'd really like to see us focus more in the weight room. We work on passing a lot. But this summer, I would like to focus a lot more on the speed development and the agility of athletes, working on hip mobility, getting the kids a little more twitchy. You always hear these Division 1 coaches when they come to see us [say], ‘I'm looking for twitchy guys.’” 

— Haberman

Full Contact Every Day

“With concussion awareness and player safety front and center, full-contact practices are being replaced by controlled thud periods and more emphasis on technique.” 

— Amettis