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Baylor schedules matchup with national prep football power Buford

Staff file photo by Matt Hamilton / Baylor School football coach Erik Kimrey, who is preparing for his fifth season with the Red Raiders, is excited about the team's Aug. 7 scrimmage at Georgia's Buford High School. The preseason matchup was announced Wednesday.
Staff file photo by Matt Hamilton / Baylor School football coach Erik Kimrey, who is preparing for his fifth season with the Red Raiders, is excited about the team's Aug. 7 scrimmage at Georgia's Buford High School. The preseason matchup was announced Wednesday. Staff file photo by Matt Hamilton / Baylor School football coach Erik Kimrey, who is preparing for his fifth season with the Red Raiders, is excited about the team's Aug. 7 scrimmage at Georgia's Buford High School. The preseason matchup was announced Wednesday.

By Stephen Hargis 6 min read

There will be no easing into the 2026 schedule for the Baylor School football team.

To prepare for a daunting regular-season slate, and with several new starters in key positions, the Red Raiders will play a preseason scrimmage on Aug. 7 at Georgia’s Buford High School, a perennial national powerhouse.

The Wolves, who compete in the GHSA’s highest classification, not only won their 15th state title (and 13th since 2000) last fall, they also were crowned national champions by MaxPreps.com, Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News and USA Today after a 15-0 season that was capped by a 28-21 win against top-ranked Carrollton in the Class AAAAAA title matchup.

Bryant Appling has led the Wolves, who will be part of Class AAAAAAA this year as the GHSA again shakes up its classification system, to four state titles in his seven seasons as their head coach. Last year, Buford averaged more than 44 points per game while outscoring opponents by an average of 34.

“I recruited Buford when I was (an assistant coach) at South Carolina a few years back and have the utmost respect for Coach Appling and the program they’ve built,” said Baylor head coach Erik Kimrey, who last season guided the Red Raiders to the program’s first unbeaten season since 1973 and their second TSSAA Division II-AAA state championship in his four seasons, each of which has ended in the BlueCross Bowl title game at Finley Stadium.