Hough Huskies 2026 Season Preview

My colleagues have done a great job in previewing schools across North Carolina, and I will start previews with key players on schools within the Charlotte Metro Area. Previewing schools in the Charlotte Area can always be tricky in the new transfer era that we are in now, so if we preview a player who may have switched schools after a preview is completed, please forgive us.   The Huskies are coming off of an 8A State Championship victory - the first in the history of North Carolina. Head Coach Deshawn Baker is returning a lot of special talent, along with some key additions that are making Hough a favorite to repeat in the 8A Classification. We'll share our thoughts on those players in this preview.    I recently wrote about Ethan's commitment to Marshall, and you can see why Ethan was successful in leading the Huskies to their first-ever state championship. The intangibles for him are off the charts, and it matches his on-field talent as well. The dynamic dual-threat quarterback makes special plays consistently on Friday nights with his speed and scrambling ability. Royal is surrounded by dynamic playmakers, and it allows Hough to spread the field, creating natural lanes for him to run on designed runs or scrambles off of passing plays consistently. Royal can also make throws from the pocket to a talented receiving core who can take advantage of single coverage from teams loading up to slow down the run. It's a great system for Ethan to shine, and I think he will once again this season.     Jamarion, or "Boogie" as he's called by everyone who knows him, had a sophomore explosion in the second half of last season to take the starting running back role and not look back. The Huskies like to rotate their backs, but Morrison was just too good to keep off the field, plain and simple. I love his speed/power combination as he can break big runs and go the distance easily, even at 210 pounds. Along with that, he has excellent vision to get in and out of the hole, and he shows the ability to catch out of the backfield as well.     The Huskies have several candidates to be a go-to receiver this upcoming season, but I wanted to highlight Mason because he made a major impact offensively as a freshman, and he's seen nothing but exponential interest and offers come his way since this offseason. Per his Twitter profile, he's listing 10 Division 1 offers, and more will be coming his way for sure. It's the speed, hands, and route-running discipline you see at such a young age that have college football programs excited. Stats may not tell the whole story because the Huskies share the ball in their offense, but Mason is an important piece of the offensive attack.     The biggest changes in the Hough offense this offseason have been upfront on the offensive line, where they graduated some talented players. They have reloaded with some really big and talented guys at the guard and tackle positions, but the center they call "Tui" returns to anchor the middle of the line of scrimmage. Tui moves defensive linemen consistently in the running game and keeps everyone on the same page consistently up front. He's got his own share of recruiting interest, so expect college programs to ramp that up as the season goes along. I don't think I've ever seen interior pressure in the passing game against Hough, and Tui's pass protection skills are a big reason why. He's strong and gets his hands on defensive tackles quickly after the snap, an important skill for centers.     One of the biggest things to me this offseason was seeing who would step up on the defensive line with the Huskies this year after having some talented guys graduate. Cory is one of the best defensive linemen in his class in the United States, and on July 1st he announced he would be attending Hough - not surprising after his old head coach at his old school announced he was leaving to take a job opportunity in Georgia. Cory provides incredible pass rushing ability in the middle of the Huskies defense - Cory had 15 sacks last season, and in this system, he could become unblockable up front. I think this is a great fit schematically, and the talent surrounding Cory is going to help him shine even more.     Ryan is one of the best linebackers in his class in the country, and he's grown physically from what he's listed at here, as I recently saw him last week on Hough's campus. His mindset is clear, and he wants to be the best player he can be. I think he will be even better this year as he's an excellent run stopper and can blitz from depth when called to do so. He's a three-down player who had multiple interceptions in the passing game last season and has excellent range in coverage. He's got a ton of recruiting offers as well, and deservedly so.     I could have written about a number of guys at the defensive back position, but Josh is a consensus highly-rated player who slides into the "Samari Matthews" role in the Huskies' secondary as a cornerback who can take away a team's top threat and be left on an island without a second thought. Josh has elite man coverage skills and excellent speed to stay with just about any receiver on the Huskies' schedule this upcoming season. Josh recently committed to play college football at South Carolina, and the Gamecocks are getting a special player for sure.

My colleagues have done a great job in previewing schools across North Carolina, and I will start previews with key players on schools within the Charlotte Metro Area. Previewing schools in the Charlotte Area can always be tricky in the new transfer era that we are in now, so if we preview a player who may have switched schools after a preview is completed, please forgive us.