Westlake Football 2026 Preview, Players and Schedule | Top 25 Public HSFB
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2026 Teams to Know Season Preview: Westlake (GA)
Cannon Robinson and 16 returning starters give Westlake the experience to turn competitive halves into a winning season.
Top 25 Public HSFB8/20/20266 min read
Westlake's 4-7 record is easy to dismiss as a losing season. It also misses the most useful detail about the Lions.
Westlake faced five teams in last season's national Top 55 and, according to the program, led at halftime or was within one score against four of them. That makes 2026 a finishing test. With 16 starters back, Kevin Whitley does not need to prove Westlake can share a field with good teams. He needs the Lions to turn competitive halves into complete wins.
Team Snapshot
School: Westlake Lions
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Head Coach: Kevin Whitley
2025 Record: 4-7
2025 Finish: GHSA playoffs
Returning Starters: Eight starters on offense and eight on defense
2026 Outlook
The offense begins with one of the most productive young quarterbacks in Georgia. Cannon Robinson completed 197 of 342 passes for 2,707 yards, 26 touchdowns and four interceptions in his first season as the starter. He is in the Class of 2029, yet Westlake can already ask him to run the full offense instead of simply survive varsity snaps.
The receiving group gives him real continuity. Elias "Lio" Gandy caught 40 passes for 776 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 19.4 yards per reception. Christopher "Roscoe" Hayes added 47 receptions for 684 yards and six scores before committing to West Virginia. Jordan Peacock and Aiden Opore give the rotation two more recruited young targets.
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What I like about that group is the variety. Gandy can create yards after the catch, Hayes gives Robinson a 6-foot-6 target and the younger receivers make it harder for opponents to tilt coverage toward one side. The offense still needs a dependable run game, but it should not have to manufacture every explosive play from scratch.
The line is where consistency has to begin. Paul "PJ" Mitchell is a Class of 2028 blocker with a Bowling Green offer, and the Lions return eight offensive starters overall. Better work on early downs would keep Robinson out of obvious passing situations and allow Westlake to use the full depth of its receiving group.
The defense returns eight starters too, but experience alone does not solve the 29.5 points per game Westlake allowed last season. Ole Miss commit Elijah Cox gives the Lions an edge defender who recorded 35 tackles, eight tackles for loss and four sacks. Mississippi State commit Brandon "BJ" Allen and Khamani Estrada, who holds more than 25 offers, give Whitley two experienced cornerbacks against a schedule filled with dangerous passing games.
Whitley has changed programs quickly before. He won five region championships and reached nine straight postseasons at Stockbridge, then helped Northgate improve from 2-8 to 8-3. This roster gives him more proven pieces than most first-year coaches inherit. The work is getting those pieces to play clean football after halftime.
The schedule keeps returning to that point. After Lovejoy and Wheeler, Westlake plays three straight road games at Hillgrove, Northside-Warner Robins and Houston County. The late stretch is even more demanding: Carrollton, a trip to Northgate and Douglas County. Carrollton and Douglas County beat Westlake by a combined 93-29 last season, so the final three weeks will show whether the Lions have actually closed the gap.
Players to Know
Cannon Robinson, QB, Class of 2029
Robinson threw for 2,707 yards and 26 touchdowns with only four interceptions in his first year as the starter. Offers from Tulane, Boston College, UAB and Appalachian State reflect the long-term upside, but his value in 2026 is immediate: Westlake already knows it can build the offense around him.
Elias "Lio" Gandy, WR, Class of 2027
Gandy led Westlake with 776 receiving yards and produced 488 yards after the catch. His ability to turn shorter completions into explosive gains gives Robinson an answer when a defense takes away the deep ball.
Christopher "Roscoe" Hayes, WR, Class of 2027
Hayes caught 47 passes for 684 yards and six touchdowns before committing to West Virginia. His size changes the geometry of the passing game, especially in the red zone and on third down.
Elijah Cox, EDGE, Class of 2027
Cox is committed to Ole Miss after producing eight tackles for loss and four sacks. Westlake needs him to create pressure without forcing the secondary to survive behind constant extra rushers.
Brandon "BJ" Allen, CB, Class of 2027
Allen is committed to Mississippi State and gives the Lions an experienced cover defender on one side of the field. His presence lets Westlake be more deliberate with how it helps the rest of the secondary.
Khamani Estrada, DB/ATH, Class of 2027
Estrada's offer list has grown past 25 schools, but the football role is straightforward: pair him with Allen and make the back end of the defense hold up against the strongest passing teams on the schedule.
Paul "PJ" Mitchell, OL, Class of 2028
Mitchell holds an offer from Bowling Green and is one of the linemen responsible for giving the offense a steadier floor. Westlake has plenty of perimeter answers; it needs the protection and run blocking to let them matter.
Jordan Peacock, WR, Class of 2029
Peacock holds offers from South Carolina and Tulane. He gives Westlake another young receiver who can earn a larger role without being asked to carry the passing game immediately.
Aiden Opore, WR/DB, Class of 2028
Opore has an offer from Tulane and adds two-way depth on the perimeter. That flexibility matters over a schedule that will test both the receiver rotation and the secondary.
Complete 2026 Schedule
Aug. 22: at Lovejoy
Aug. 28: Wheeler
Sept. 4: at Hillgrove
Sept. 11: at Northside-Warner Robins
Sept. 18: at Houston County
Oct. 2: Newton
Oct. 9: at East Coweta
Oct. 23: Carrollton
Oct. 30: at Northgate
Nov. 6: Douglas County
Biggest Question
Can Westlake finish the kind of games it kept close last season?
Robinson and the receiving group should keep the offense productive. Cox, Allen and Estrada give the defense recruited experience at the positions that can change drives. The issue is whether the Lions can keep the run game, protection and tackling from slipping as the game gets longer.
The three-game road stretch in September should reveal whether the Lions can play the same clean football away from home for three straight weeks. The closing games with Carrollton and Douglas County will show how much the gap has changed. Westlake does not need a different roster story in 2026. It needs the same talent to hold up for four quarters.
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I have Westlake finishing 7-3 and returning to the playoffs. Robinson and the receiving group should keep the offense productive, while Cox, Allen and Estrada give the defense enough recruited experience to improve. The road games at Hillgrove and Houston County and the late matchups with Carrollton and Douglas County keep the Lions from having much margin for error.
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