Liberty Football 2026 Preview, Players and Schedule | Top 25 Public HSFB
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2026 Teams to Know Season Preview: Liberty (AZ)
Liberty reloads around an experienced nine-starter core after reaching Arizona's Open Division semifinals.
Top 25 Public HSFB8/25/20267 min read
Liberty won 10 games and reached Arizona's Open Division semifinals last season. The Lions return only nine starters, but the group coming back includes enough proven talent to keep the championship goal intact.
Jayden Sanchez, Braxton Huynh, TJ Gardner, Cannon Collins and Kadin Young give Liberty a proven starting point. Breckin Garday, Chase Ochoa, Brayden Howland and Isaiah Phillips add the depth the Lions will need while replacing 13 starters.
Team Snapshot
Team: Liberty Lions
Location: Peoria, Arizona
Head Coach: Colin Thomas
2025 Record: 10-2
2025 Finish: AIA Open Division semifinalist
Returning Starters: 5 offense, 4 defense
T25PS Ranking: No. 53
Nine Starters, No Lowered Standard
The returning count means Colin Thomas has real jobs to fill, but the foundation is better than a nine-starter number suggests. Jayden Sanchez and Braxton Huynh accounted for more than 1,300 yards from scrimmage last season, Cannon Collins anchors the secondary, and Brecken Garday returns at linebacker. The Lions are rebuilding around players who have already handled an Open Division semifinal week, not starting over with a roster that has never seen the stage.
The summer also changed the depth chart in useful ways. Chase Ochoa arrives from Chandler after producing more than 800 yards from scrimmage as a sophomore, and senior newcomer Brayden Howland adds another big body to the secondary. Trindon “TJ” Gardner and Isaiah Phillips give the offensive line two young players worth developing, while Kadin Young's recruiting rise reflects the ceiling in the next defensive wave.
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Quarterback remains the position I would watch first. The current roster includes senior Kenny Raymond and sophomore Jason Haines, but no starter has been publicly established. Liberty does not need that player to carry the entire offense; it needs him to distribute the ball, protect possessions and let a deep running back room and veteran receiver create the difficult decisions.
Players to Know
Jayden Sanchez, RB/KR, Class of 2027
Sanchez ran for 704 yards and nine touchdowns on 110 carries last season, an efficient 6.4 yards every time he touched it. He also added 109 receiving yards and 134 on kick returns, giving Liberty 947 all-purpose yards from a player who was not the only featured back. His college opportunities include Northern Arizona, Fort Lewis and Western New Mexico. With so much senior production gone, he now moves from an important option to one of the players who has to set the weekly floor.
Braxton Huynh, WR/QB, Class of 2027
Huynh is committed to San Diego State and enters his senior year as Liberty's most proven returning receiver. He caught 35 passes for 521 yards and four touchdowns last season after a 1,094-yard, 11-touchdown sophomore year, so defenses already know what he can do when the volume rises. Liberty can also use his arm on changeups; his only completion in 2025 went for a 61-yard touchdown. The new quarterback's job becomes easier if Huynh consistently gives him a clean first read.
Trindon “TJ” Gardner, C, Class of 2029
Gardner was already on the varsity field for 11 games as a freshman, rare experience for a young interior lineman on a 10-win team. At roughly 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, he has the size to grow into the center of Liberty's next offensive line, and Northern Arizona has extended his first Division I offer. His challenge is no longer simply proving that he belongs; it is becoming the dependable communicator a new quarterback needs in front of him.
Cannon Collins, S, Class of 2027
Collins made 40 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack last season while working in a senior-heavy defense. The 6-foot-3 safety now becomes one of the veterans responsible for organizing a rebuilt unit. His offer list includes Dartmouth, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Northern Arizona and Utah Tech. Liberty lost most of its top pass rush and takeaway production, which makes Collins' ability to erase mistakes and get the secondary lined up especially important.
Kadin Young, CB, Class of 2028
Young played all 12 games as a sophomore and enters 2026 with a much larger role waiting for him. He made 10 tackles and a tackle for loss in limited defensive work, then built an offer list that now includes Arizona, Fresno State, Montana State, New Mexico State and Northern Arizona. The recruiting ceiling is obvious, but Liberty needs the Friday-night version now. If Young can take away a boundary matchup, the Lions can be more aggressive with the rest of a rebuilt defense.
Chase Ochoa, RB, Class of 2028
Ochoa gives Liberty a proven second runner after transferring from Chandler. As a sophomore, the 5-foot-11, 200-pound back rushed for 714 yards and six touchdowns at seven yards per carry, then added 98 receiving yards and another score. Northern Arizona has offered him, but the immediate fit matters more: pairing his power with Sanchez gives the new quarterback a backfield capable of carrying the offense while the passing game settles.
Brecken Garday, LB; Brayden Howland, DB; and Isaiah Phillips, OL
Garday is a Class of 2028 linebacker who was already highlighted after his sophomore season and now has to help replace a decorated senior front seven. Howland is a senior newcomer with the size to work at safety or closer to the box, adding flexibility to a secondary losing several regulars. Phillips is a Class of 2029 offensive lineman whose development gives Liberty another young option alongside Gardner. This group will not receive the same attention as the biggest recruits, but it may decide whether the Lions still have championship depth in November.
More College-Recruited Lions
The recruiting depth extends beyond the primary names. Senior tackle Quaid Guiney is committed to Eastern Washington, Class of 2028 defensive lineman Aidan Thompson holds an offer from Northern Arizona, and the Lumberjacks have also offered Class of 2029 tight end Jayden Sellers and Class of 2030 tight end Jacob Belle. Those younger offers are projections, not promises of immediate production, but they show why Liberty can replace 13 starters without treating 2026 like a rebuilding year.
Schedule Breakdown
The schedule immediately tests the two biggest transition points. Corner Canyon visits Sept. 4, Basha awaits two weeks later and ALA Queen Creek follows on the road. A new quarterback and rebuilt pass rush will be examined before the calendar reaches October.
The finish is just as unforgiving. Liberty hosts Hamilton on Oct. 23 and closes at Centennial on Nov. 6, with both games likely to affect Open Division positioning.
Complete 2026 Schedule
Aug. 28: at Mesa
Sept. 4: #13 Corner Canyon (UT)
Sept. 11: Highland
Sept. 18: at #5 Basha
Sept. 25: at ALA Queen Creek
Oct. 2: Mountain Ridge
Oct. 15: Boulder Creek
Oct. 23: #56 Hamilton
Oct. 30: at O’Connor
Nov. 6: at Centennial
Biggest Question
Can Liberty replace 13 starters without losing the depth required to survive the Open Division?
The returning core gives the Lions a strong top line, but the season will turn on what happens behind it. Garday, Ochoa, Howland, Phillips and the new starters have to make the rotation trustworthy enough that Liberty can stay physical late in November.
Bottom Line
Liberty remains an Arizona title contender because the returning core is real and the program has already reached the semifinal stage. I would watch the depth more than the stars. If the new lineup holds together, the Lions can get back and take the next step.
MISTER F00TBALL's National High School Football Composite Rankings, partnered with and powered by Prep Gridiron Logistics, the only rankings to include every national poll and every team receiving a Top 25 vote.
8-2 Regular season. AIA Open Division runner up. I think this Liberty team is a little bit slept on in other rankings. I think they are right behind Basha as the top teams in Arizona
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