McAlester Buffaloes OK 2026 Team Preview

Get 25% Off Your Subscription By Entering Knight25 In The Coupon Code Area. Enjoy!   It's the month of July and that means it's preview time! Throughout the month of July and even into August, we are publishing well over 100 of the most in-depth team previews that you'll find anywhere to get you completely ready for the 2026 football season. This is something that began for us at PRZ-Oklahoma in 2021 and it continues to get bigger and better every single year. We're looking forward to diving deep into the top teams across the state in every class. From defending champions, to the top contenders and plenty of dark horses and other teams to know, we'll have complete coverage every single day. There will be multiple previews dropping every single day! In this post, we take a look at the McAlester Buffaloes!   RELATED   <a href="https://youtu.be/QL0XJ_MLb80" data-type="link" data-id="https://youtu.be/QL0XJ_MLb80">- McAlester Video Preview With HC Jeff Craig</a>   McAlester Buffaloes    Preseason Prep Redzone Ranking: #7 In Class 5A   Head Coach: Jeff Craig - 2nd Season - 7-5 Record At McAlester   2025 RESULTS (7-5 Record - Lost In Class 5A Quarterfinals)   Aug. 29th - Lost To Broken Bow 23-20 Sept. 5th - Lost To Poteau 21-14 Sept. 12th - Lost To Ada 37-27 Sept. 26th - Lost To Coweta 22-15 Oct. 3rd - Beat Edison 38-0 Oct. 10th - Beat East Central 55-6 Oct. 17th - Beat Bishop Kelley 31-23 Oct. 23rd - Beat Booker T Washington 29-15 Oct. 31st - Beat Durant 22-21 Nov. 7th - Beat Shawnee 34-7 1st Round - Beat Collinsville 28-27 (OT) Quarterfinals - Lost To Carl Albert 55-0   2025 Offensive Scoring Average: 26.1 Points Per Game 2025 Defensive Scoring Average: 21.4 Points Per Game   A new era of McAlester football began in 2025 with Jeff Craig taking over the Buffaloes. After a long and successful stint at Blanchard, Craig was ready for a new challenge and was one of many major coaching moves prior to the 2025 season. It wasn't the best start to the new era as the Buffaloes faced a very tough non-district schedule and they stumbled a couple times out of the gate. In fact, McAlester started the 2025 season 0-4 after losing three straight to top ten teams in 4A with Broken Bow, Poteau and Ada. Then they opened up district play with another tough loss to Coweta. McAlester found themselves at 0-4 at the end of September and things weren't looking good. But the schedule softened and the Buffaloes found their rhythm. They didn't lose again in the regular season and would finish the year at 6-4 but more importantly, 6-1 in district play with big back to back wins over Bishop Kelley and Booker T Washington. They would face Collinsville in the first round and survive and advance with an overtime win over the Cardinals. That set up a road game to face defending champion Carl Albert. The season came to an end there as they lost 55-0 to the Titans, as Carl Albert would go on to win their ninth state title in the last ten years. The Buffaloes went 7-5 with a loss in the quarterfinals in 2025. But when you consider where they were at the end of September, that's certainly a successful season. Now, the Buffaloes are turning the page and ready to take that next step in 2026. They have one year under their belt and appear to be ready to get back into the contender conversation.   2026 OUTLOOK   McAlester comes into the 2026 season as a top ten team and on paper, they certainly have the talent capable of going on a run this season. Seven starters return on the offensive side of the ball and while they have to find a new guy at the running back position, they are incredibly deep at the receiver position and the quarterback is heading into year two in this system. The Buffaloes have the potential to have a very strong passing attack when they take the field this fall. The personnel they will have will present match-up nightmares with the majority of the opponents that they face this season. This offense averaged around 26 points per game last season and we think they could certainly surpass that in 2026. Defensively, the Buffaloes also bring back seven starters on that side of the ball. When we got a chance to watch them in person back in the spring, we really liked the way they played defense as an overall unit. It seemed like they always had multiple guys around the ball and they played a swarming style of defense that can suffocate opponents. The schedule is once again very tough for the Buffaloes and they find themselves in a district where five teams have a legitimate shot to make the playoffs but there will only be four spots available. McAlester is hungry to be one of those teams. The Buffaloes made back to back state championship appearances in 2021 and 2022. Then they followed that up with back to back exits in the first round of the playoffs in 2023 and 2024. When they take the field in 2026, they are expecting to begin down the road which ends in Edmond.    KEY LOSSES TO GRADUATION   Creede Tribbey - Offensive/Defensive Lineman Jordan Clark - Running Back/Defensive Back (2025 All State Honorable Mention)   PLAYERS TO WATCH    2027 wide receiver and defensive back [player_tooltip player_id='1175581' first='Brandon' last='Smith'] has the chance to be one of the top two-way players in Class 5A this season. He has had a monster offseason and we've had the chance to watch him in person a couple of times and each time, he is one of the best players on the field. With his size, playmaking ability and overall versatility, he reminds us of a former Jeff Craig-coached player in Brayson Carter at Blanchard. Smith might be a little bigger but he brings that same juice to the game. Where he's going to help his team win, no matter where he lines up on the field. Look for Smith to be an impact player for the Buffs on both sides of the ball.   (2025 All State Honorable Mention)     2028 quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1586758' first='Brody' last='Parker'] has the potential to make one of the bigger jumps for any quarterback in Class 5A this season. Parker emerged last season at the quarterback position and he was serviceable but when we caught him back in the spring, he looked like a totally different quarterback. We talk about this jump all the time when it comes to the quarterback position. When a guy is going into his junior season or year two in general as the starter, you typically see a pretty decent jump. And when you look at the weapons that Parker has around him, everything is pointing to him taking a huge jump forward in this McAlester offense.      2027 wide receiver and tight end hybrid [player_tooltip player_id='2250553' first='Davien' last='Pouncil'] is one of the additions to this McAlester roster as they plucked him out of the gym and put some pads on him. Pouncil was one of the more impressive Buffaloes that we watched when we caught McAlester in person back in the spring. He's clearly a very athletic player with his basketball background and when you combine that with his size and reliable hands, he's going to be a major target for the Buffaloes. And when he gets the ball, he's looking to inflict as much damage on a would-be tackler as possible. He's incredibly physical and we think everything is pointing to him being a breakout player for McAlester.     McAlester has a ton of skill talent returning on the offensive side of the ball, specifically at the receiver position. But that means nothing if the quarterback doesn't have time to throw the ball. 2027 offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1696078' first='Gavin' last='Mason'] comes into this season as one of the more experienced players returning for the Buffaloes. He's been a name in this 2027 class that we've known about for a while now and he has the potential to be the unquestioned leader on the line of scrimmage for the Buffaloes. If Mason and the rest of this McAlester offensive line comes together to give Parker time to throw the ball, the sky is the limit but it's going to start with Mason and this line unit.     2028 wide receiver and cornerback [player_tooltip player_id='1689507' first='Rodney' last='Washington'] is going to be one of the best athletes on the field, every time he steps on the field. Washington has absolutely blown up this offseason as a basketball prospect. He's currently considered the top basketball prospect in the state and one of the best guard prospects in this region. However, we still think he is a D1-caliber football prospect. His ceiling is unbelievably high based on the athleticism alone. Now, he might end up on the basketball floor at some point and he might choose to focus only on basketball. But while he's still on this McAlester football roster, he is always going to be a player to watch for the Buffaloes.   (2025 All State Honorable Mention)    MORE NAMES TO KNOW   [player_tooltip player_id='1830949' first='Blayde' last='Smith'] - 2028 Defensive Back Denver Durant - 2027 Wide Receiver/Linebacker DJ Johnson - 2030 Running Back [player_tooltip player_id='2117764' first='Jasper' last='Meat'] - 2029 Offensive/Defensive Lineman Jekolbi Boyd - 2029 Wide Receiver/Linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1834497' first='Kyle' last='Moss'] - 2029 Kicker [player_tooltip player_id='1837194' first='Langston' last='Weger'] - 2028 Offensive/Defensive Lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1830944' first='Trevin' last='Simons'] - 2027 Linebacker   2026 SCHEDULE   Aug. 28th - Broken Bow - The Buffaloes kick off the regular season against Broken Bow for the seventh consecutive year. These two started playing in non-district play back in 2020 and the Buffaloes started this series 5-0 but that streak came to an end last season. Broken Bow won 23-20 and they come into this season as the preseason number one team in 4A. Sept. 4th - AT Muskogee - The Buffaloes head over to Muskogee to face the Roughers in week one. These two haven't met since 2019. They played every year from 2014-2019 but the Buffaloes were 2-4 against Muskogee. This is a semi-renewal of an old 4A match-up. Craig used to coach at Blanchard while Muskogee head coach Dale Condict coached at Wagoner. Sept. 11th - Ada - McAlester will wrap up non-district play with a home game against Ada in week two. This was one of their four losses to start the 2025 season a year ago, losing 37-27. These two have played the majority of the last decade and it has been a series that has gone back and forth. Since 2018, Ada has a 4-3 advantage over the Buffs. Sept. 25th - AT Glenpool - District play kicks off in week four with a road trip up to Glenpool. The Warriors are back in McAlester's district after two years away. But these teams will be somewhat familiar with one another after being district opponents off and on for the last decade. In the last ten years, McAlester has a 6-0 advantage over the Warriors.  Oct. 2nd - Coweta - This will be a date that the Buffaloes have circled on the schedule. They host Coweta in week five. Last year, the 22-15 loss to the Tigers was McAlester's only district loss and the only thing keeping them from capturing the district title. These two have developed quite the district rivalry over the last decade. Each team is 5-5 in the last ten meetings. Oct. 9th - AT Sapulpa - McAlester heads north in week six to square off with Sapulpa as the Chieftains are back in Class 5A after spending the last two seasons in 6A-2. The last time the Chieftains were in 5A, they were in McAlester's district and handed the Buffaloes two losses in 2022 and 2023. This is another major match-up that will have playoff seeding implications. Oct. 15th - Tulsa Rogers - On a Fall Break Thursday night in week seven, McAlester returns home to host Tulsa Rogers in district play. The Ropers are another new district opponent for the Buffaloes this season. They've only met twice in the last 15 years. They were district opponents in 2020 and 2021. The Buffaloes won each meeting by 39 points or more.  Oct. 23rd - AT East Central - McAlester heads back to Tulsa in week eight to face East Central. These two have been district opponents since the 2020 season and the series has been completely one-sided. The Buffaloes are 6-0 during this stretch and the closest game was a 30-point McAlester win in 2023. The Cardinals will have a first year head coach this fall. Oct. 30th - Bishop Kelley - The Buffaloes host Bishop Kelley in week nine and this kicks off a two-week stretch at the end of the regular season where it will feel like the playoffs have come early with the pressure that will be in these final two games. The Buffaloes have beaten the Comets in each of the last two seasons in district play but both games have been close. Nov. 6th - AT Del City - The regular season comes to an end in week ten with a trip to Del City. It's not crazy to think that the district championship could be on the line here as the Buffaloes face the Eagles. These two were district opponents in 2022 and 2023. They split those two meetings, with McAlester winning the 2022 meeting and Del City winning the last one in 2023.   NOTABLE   The Buffaloes come into the 2026 season looking to leave no doubt and get back into the mix with some of 5A's top teams. Last season, McAlester ended up being the cardiac kids with half of their games being decided by one possession. Six games were decided by eight points or less, including their overtime victory over Collinsville in the first round of the playoffs. The Buffaloes were 3-3 in those one possession ball games. A ball bounces one way or the other and that record could have been significantly better or conversely, it could have been significantly worse. Now, that was last season and the Buffaloes do come into this season with serious expectations considering the overall experience and talent level they have returning in 2026. When McAlester takes the field this fall, they are going to look to dominate every week and not let the game be decided by a single possession in the first place.    LAST FIVE SEASONS   2025 - 7-5 - Lost In Class 5A Quarterfinals 2024 - 8-3 - Lost In Class 5A 1st Round 2023 - 6-5 - Lost In Class 5A 1st Round 2022 - 11-3 - Class 5A Runner Ups 2021 - 13-1 - Class 5A Runner Ups   CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY   2 State Championships   1988 - Beat Altus 13-3 1968 - Beat Stillwater 42-14

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