Pell City Football 2026 Preview: Playoff Eligibility Restored | Top 25 Public HSFB
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2026 Teams to Know Season Preview: Pell City (AL)
Pell City has its playoff path back, but four headline transfers are gone and the remaining Panthers must rebuild the season around their own returning core.
Top 25 Public HSFB8/20/20266 min read
Pell City got its season back less than 48 hours before opening night.
In May, the AHSAA placed the Panthers on restrictive probation and removed them from the 2026 playoffs. On Aug. 19, the Central Board overturned that part of the ruling. Pell City can qualify for the postseason again, and every Class 5A Region 6 result is back to carrying its full weight.
What the appeal did not do was rewind the summer. The AHSAA notice restored the team’s playoff eligibility, but it did not reverse the separate player-eligibility decisions or Jake Ganus’s coaching suspension. Quarterback Jake Lowery, linebacker Ba’Roc Willis, defensive back Kylan Baker and offensive lineman Fisher Brinegar are now back at Moody. The roster Pell City takes into the opener is not the star-heavy roster that existed in the spring.
Team Snapshot
School: Pell City Panthers
Location: Pell City, Alabama
Head Coach: Jake Ganus (suspended from AHSAA coaching for the 2026-27 school year)
Classification: AHSAA Class 5A, Region 6
2025 Record: 7-4
2025 Finish: AHSAA first round
2026 Postseason Status: Eligible following the Aug. 19 appeal
Program Status: Regular probation through the 2027-28 academic year
2026 Outlook
Pell City now enters Region 6 with a real postseason reward and a very different football problem. Four of the most prominent names in the offseason plan are gone, including the quarterback expected to arrive from the defending state champion, the defense’s highest-profile edge player and secondary addition, and a 330-pound senior lineman. There is no honest way to treat those departures as minor.
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There is also no reason to treat the roster as empty. The offense goes back to a quarterback who was already there. Brody Gossett started for Pell City in 2025 and threw nine touchdown passes, including three in the regular-season finale against Southside-Gadsden. He has already managed this offense through an AHSAA schedule, and that continuity matters more now than it did when Lowery was expected to join the room.
Gossett still has useful pieces around him. JJ Hamby returns as a senior target at tight end and receiver. Kemari Love brings experience in the backfield, while Brenon Saulter and Steven “TJ” Sanders give the Panthers two more options who can contribute on both sides of the ball. DJ Verges also carried a short-yardage role last season and led the team with five rushing touchdowns.
The defense has to be the stabilizer. Theon Williams can play from the second level and chase the ball in space. Verges brings size in the middle and can close downhill. Sanders gives the secondary a returning playmaker after recording an interception last fall. Losing Willis and Baker removes two recruited defenders, but Pell City still has enough experience to make opponents earn their yards.
The line of scrimmage is where the late changes will be felt most. Brinegar’s return to Moody takes away the centerpiece of the projected offensive front, and Willis is no longer available to tilt the defensive edge. Against Central-Phenix City, Oxford, Saraland and Clay-Chalkville, Pell City cannot hide either absence. The current front has to protect Gossett without turning the offense cautious, then hold up long enough for Williams, Verges and the secondary to finish plays.
The restored playoff path gives the six Region 6 games a clear purpose. Trips to Pinson Valley, Oxford and Clay-Chalkville are paired with home dates against St. Clair County, Southside-Gadsden and Springville. Pell City does not need to pretend the summer never happened. It needs to be ready when the games that now count begin.
Players to Know
Brody Gossett, QB, Class of 2027
Gossett is the returning quarterback around whom the reset can make sense. He threw for 862 yards and nine touchdowns in 2025, and his best night came when Pell City needed him to finish the regular season with momentum. His command and poise will matter even more behind a reshaped offensive line.
Theon Williams, OLB/RB, Class of 2027
Williams gives Pell City range on defense and another option with the ball. He can fit the run from linebacker, work in space and move into the backfield when the offense needs a change of pace.
DJ Verges, MLB/RB, Class of 2027
Verges is the kind of two-way senior a roster in transition needs. He can anchor the middle of the defense, handle physical carries and help Pell City shorten a difficult game by winning on early downs.
JJ Hamby, TE/WR, Class of 2027
Hamby returns as a big target for Gossett after contributing in the passing game last season. His ability to work inside or flex outside gives Pell City a dependable answer when defenses crowd the box.
Kemari Love, RB, Class of 2027
Love brings another senior presence to the backfield. Pell City needs his experience to keep the offense out of obvious passing situations and to make the play-action game useful against the strongest defenses on the schedule.
Brenon Saulter, WR/TE, Class of 2028
Saulter can work as a receiver or tight end, allowing Pell City to change its presentation without changing personnel. That versatility should help Gossett identify matchups and keep the offense moving.
Steven “TJ” Sanders, CB/WR, Class of 2028
Sanders already has varsity experience on both sides of the ball. He gives the secondary a returning cover player and can add speed to the receiver rotation when Pell City needs another way to stretch the field.
Complete 2026 Schedule
Aug. 21: at Bessemer City
Aug. 28: Central-Phenix City
Sept. 4: at Pinson Valley
Sept. 11: at Oxford
Sept. 18: St. Clair County
Sept. 25: Saraland
Oct. 2: at Clay-Chalkville
Oct. 9: Southside-Gadsden
Oct. 23: Springville
Biggest Question
Can Pell City turn a restored playoff path into a fresh start?
The Panthers received the ruling they wanted, but they did not get the spring roster back with it. That makes this less a story about relief than response. Gossett, Williams, Verges and the players who remained have to make the team their own quickly.
A postseason berth would be a meaningful answer, especially after the uncertainty that followed the May ruling. The opportunity is real again. Now Pell City has to prove that the team still in the building can do something with it.
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I have Pell City finishing 5-4. The returning quarterback, two-way depth and manageable portion of the Class 5A schedule should produce another winning regular season, but the top of the schedule includes four opponents capable of controlling the game at the line of scrimmage.
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