2026 Public Schools Top 100 Preview: No. 4 Centennial — Corona

Centennial (Corona) opens the 2026 season at No. 4 in the T25PS Public Schools Preseason Top 100 after another year proving it belongs in the highest tier of high school football.

The Huskies went 11-2 in 2025, reached the CIF Division 1 final, finished No. 7 in the final 2025 Public Schools Top 25, and now enter 2026 with one of the most talented rosters in the country.

Centennial returns 11 starters — five on offense and six on defense — while adding several major pieces through the offseason. In California, the path is never easy. The Huskies will again have to deal with some of the toughest private-school programs in America, but that is also what gives Centennial one of the strongest schedules and highest ceilings of any public school in the country.

If Centennial can settle the quarterback picture and get its new pieces comfortable quickly, the Huskies have enough to push for the top public-school ranking in America.

Team Snapshot

School: Centennial
City: Corona, California
Classification: CIF Open Division / Division 1
2025 Record: 11-2
2025 Finish: CIF Division 1 Finalist
Head Coach: Matt Logan
Returning Starters: 11 total — 5 offense, 6 defense
T25PS Rank: No. 4

Why They’re Ranked Here
Ceiling and schedule.

Centennial is one of the few public-school programs in the country that can lose major Division I talent and still come back with a roster that looks nationally relevant. The Huskies bring back 11 starters, return several high-level defensive pieces, have proven offensive line talent, and added multiple newcomers who could immediately raise the roster ceiling.

The other piece is the schedule. Centennial does not hide from anyone. The Huskies have games against Servite, Santa Margarita, Mater Dei, De La Salle and Chaparral, giving them one of the most difficult schedules in the country.

That schedule creates risk, but it also creates opportunity. If Centennial wins the right games, the Huskies will have one of the best résumés in public-school football.

Players to Know

Jordan Kirkpatrick — DB, 2028
Kirkpatrick is a 6’1”, 170-pound defensive back with offers from San Diego State, Arizona State, Sacramento State, North Carolina, Louisville, Maryland and UCLA. He is one of the top young defensive backs on the roster and a major piece of Centennial’s future.

Mason Fowler — WR, 2029
Fowler is a 6’4”, 200-pound wide receiver with an offer from UNLV. His size gives Centennial a big young target on the outside and makes him one of the most intriguing underclassmen to watch in the entire series.

Caleb Bynum — DB, 2028
Bynum is a 6’0”, 180-pound defensive back with an offer from UNLV. He adds another young defensive piece to a secondary that should be one of the strengths of the team.

Jaden Bynum — WR, 2027
Bynum is a 5’11”, 180-pound wide receiver with an offer from Utah State. He gives Centennial another returning offensive piece and should be part of the group trying to help the Huskies reload on that side of the ball.

Augus Saunders — DB, 2027
Saunders is a 6’2”, 165-pound defensive back with offers from San Diego State and Montana State. His length and experience make him another important piece in Centennial’s defensive backfield.

Brett Smith — DB, 2027
Smith is a 6’1”, 175-pound defensive back with an offer from Utah State. With Centennial returning six defensive starters, Smith is part of the defensive foundation that gives the Huskies a chance to compete at a national level.

In addition to the names above, Jaden Walk-Green, Miles Schirmer, Malaki Davis, Xavier Baca, Saik Fiataugaluia and Dean Gibson are all listed among key returning players for the Huskies.

Centennial also added several reported newcomers, including Jaden Jefferson, Quentin Hale, Brody Black, Kennie Leggett, Harvey Millan and Kye Duval.

Key Games

Servite
Centennial opens with a major road test against Servite. It is exactly the type of game that can immediately show where the Huskies stand nationally.

Santa Margarita
Santa Margarita gives Centennial another major Southern California test. For a public-school program trying to build a national résumé, this is the kind of opponent that matters.

Mater Dei
The Mater Dei game is one of the biggest games on the schedule. Centennial will get another chance to test itself against one of the premier high school football programs in the country.

De La Salle
The trip to De La Salle gives Centennial another major California measuring-stick game. It is a matchup with history, name value and real résumé impact.

Chaparral
Chaparral gives Centennial another important test outside of the usual Southern California grind. With the rest of the schedule already loaded, this game adds even more weight to the Huskies’ overall résumé.

Biggest Question

The biggest question is how does this offense rebuild after losing a decent chunk of last years production?

Centennial has the roster, schedule, coaching stability and defensive foundation to justify a top-five ranking. The biggest unknown is if the Huskies can pull the right strings on offense to weather the storm of the first few weeks of the season.

If the quarterback play stabilizes early, Centennial has enough talent to compete with anyone on its schedule and make a serious push toward the top of the public-school rankings.

T25PS Prediction

Regular Season Prediction: 9-1, with the schedule as loaded as it is a 9-1 regular season would mean Centennial could still find themselves in the poll position to take home the 2026 Public School National Championship.

Postseason Prediction: CIF Division 1 Runner-Up

Bold Prediction: Corona will beat Santa Margherita and lose to Mater Dei in the regular season, but then in the postseason both outcomes reverse. Corona will beat Mater Dei in the semis, but unfortunately find the same outcome in the D1 Championship vs Santa Marg.

Bottom Line

Centennial has one of the highest ceilings in the entire 2026 Public Schools Top 100, and the only team in the country that truly controls their own destiny from day one. If they run the table, there is not a ranking in the world that would not have them #1.

The Huskies have the schedule, talent, coaching stability, defensive backfield and public-school profile to justify the No. 4 ranking. The path is brutal, but that is also what makes Centennial so dangerous in the national conversation.

If the quarterback question gets answered, Corona could become a real No. 1 threat.

Thanks for reading,

Alex | T25PS

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