NSU University School 2026 Football Preview: Schedule & Players

NSU University School enters 2026 with more than a routine coaching transition. Traveon Henry replaces Mike Norman after four seasons and takes over a roster that lost much of its pass-rush production, its starting quarterback and several of its most productive offensive weapons. The foundation remains credible. The margin for error does not.

NSU UNIVERSITY SCHOOL SHARKS (FORT LAUDERDALE)

Head Coach: Traveon Henry, first year Region: SSAA 11-Man-South 2024 Record: 9-3 2025 Record: 8-4 2025 Final FPRI Rating: 68.69 2025 Final State Rank: No. 53 2026 Preseason Rating: 65.54 2026 Preseason Rank: No. 77 2026 Class Rank: No. 2 2025 Playoff / FIT Finish: SSAA 11-Man State Semifinalist

The 2025 Sharks were dangerous because they could attack from multiple directions. They averaged more than 200 passing yards per game, rushed for 24 touchdowns and produced 40 sacks and 17 interceptions. That balance carried NSU University School to the SSAA 11-Man State Semifinals. Rebuilding one side of the ball would be manageable. Replacing a quarterback, a leading receiver and three senior edge producers at the same time makes Henry’s first season considerably more complicated.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Category Value Average Opponent Rating 49.14 Opponent 2025 Record 73-40 Opponent 2025 Win Percentage .646 Hardest Opponent American Heritage (Delray Beach) District Games 0

There is very little filler here. Six opponents posted winning records in 2025, three won at least 10 games and the closing month includes the reigning champions from two different SSAA classifications. The Sharks will have to earn every piece of breathing room.

2026 FULL SCHEDULE

Week Date Time Opponent 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 1 8/14 6:00 PM @ North Broward Prep (Coconut Creek) 5-6 No. 311 | No. 17 (SSAA Atlantic) 34.61 2 8/21 7:30 PM @ Mount Dora Christian 12-2 No. 94 | No. 1 (IND B) 61.29 3 8/27 7:00 PM @ Calvary Christian (Fort Lauderdale) 7-3 No. 92 | No. 3 (SSAA Atlantic) 61.56 4 9/3 6:00 PM King's Academy (West Palm Beach) 4-6 No. 193 | No. 8 (SSAA Atlantic) 47.59 5 9/10 6:00 PM Stoneman Douglas (Parkland) 4-6 No. 435 | No. 14 (IND A) 17.90 6 9/18 — BYE — — — 7 9/24 6:00 PM Somerset Charter (Silver Palms) 7-4 No. 240 | No. 24 (2A) 42.40 8 10/2 6:30 PM @ Jupiter Christian 12-1 No. 76 | No. 1 (SSAA 11-Man) 65.59 9 10/9 7:00 PM Gulliver Prep (Pinecrest) 6-4 No. 220 | No. 23 (2A) 44.70 10 10/16 7:00 PM @ Ransom Everglades (Miami) 6-5 No. 202 | No. 21 (2A) 46.80 11 10/23 7:00 PM @ American Heritage (Delray Beach) 10-3 No. 58 | No. 1 (SSAA Atlantic) 68.95

The road assignments tell much of the story. NSU University School visits four of its five highest-rated opponents, including both teams rated above the Sharks. That is not a schedule built to protect a new coaching staff. It is built to expose weaknesses quickly.

KEY LOSSES

The largest departure is quarterback Jayden Miller, who accounted for 2,839 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns and another 250 yards and 10 scores on the ground. His production shaped the entire offense. NSU University School is not merely replacing an arm; it is replacing the player responsible for 34 touchdowns.

Carlos Avila-Lopez transferred after leading the Sharks with 46 receptions and 716 receiving yards. Alex Peeples Jr. also graduated after producing 471 rushing yards, 290 receiving yards and eight total touchdowns. Together, they removed more than 1,400 yards of offense from the equation.

The defensive losses may be even more disruptive. Tristan Ayala recorded 101 tackles, 23 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks. Daniel Oren added 50 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks, while Joey Novelli led the team with 122 tackles. David Cushaney contributed another 52 tackles in the interior. That group gave the Sharks violence, experience and answers on third down. None will be replaced by one player.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player Position Class 2025 Production Madan Patel RB Junior Rushed for 134 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries, averaging 6.7 yards per attempt Izayah Harris SS/WR Senior Caught 29 passes for 385 yards and three touchdowns; added 82 tackles, five tackles for loss and two interceptions Darrell Tiger MLB/DE Senior Recorded 71 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks and nine quarterback hurries Jorel Gonzalez T/DT Senior Contributed 11 tackles, one tackle for loss and one sack in six games Colin Allen WR/CB Sophomore Caught eight passes for 66 yards; made nine tackles and intercepted two passes in nine games Max Stringer T/G Senior Returning 6-foot-4, 275-pound offensive lineman expected to anchor the blocking unit Brady Anderson C/LS Senior Returning interior lineman who brings size and continuity to a reworked offense Nicholas “Nick” Milnthorpe K/P Senior Made seven of eight extra points and a 36-yard field goal; also averaged 27.8 yards on six punts

Patel is the most logical candidate for a larger rushing role, but the Sharks cannot simply hand him the old workload and expect the offense to function unchanged. Harris and Tiger are the established centerpieces. One creates problems in multiple phases; the other must help rebuild a front that lost nearly 30 sacks from three seniors alone.

1ST DOWN — THE GAUNTLET

The hardest portion begins immediately. After opening at North Broward Prep, the Sharks travel to Mount Dora Christian and Calvary Christian on consecutive weeks. Both are rated above 61, both are ranked inside the preseason top 100 and Mount Dora Christian is coming off a 12-win season and an SSAA 11-Man State Runner-Up finish.

Then comes the closing challenge. NSU University School travels to defending SSAA 11-Man State Champion Jupiter Christian on Oct. 2 and defending SSAA Atlantic State Champion American Heritage on Oct. 23. There is no soft landing before the postseason conversation begins.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT

Opponent Week/Location 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish American Heritage (Delray Beach) Week 11/Away 10-3 No. 58 | No. 1 (SSAA Atlantic) 68.95 SSAA Atlantic State Champion Jupiter Christian Week 8/Away 12-1 No. 76 | No. 1 (SSAA 11-Man) 65.59 SSAA 11-Man State Champion

Patel’s ability to create dependable rushing yards will matter most in these games. A young or newly installed quarterback cannot be asked to survive obvious passing situations against championship-level defenses. On the other side, Tiger must become the centerpiece of the pass rush, with Harris helping manufacture pressure from the secondary.

The Sharks do not need to dominate this gauntlet. They need to remain structurally sound inside it.

THE BOTTOM LINE: NSU University School will face four opponents rated above 61, all on the road. Splitting those games would be a substantial accomplishment and a powerful boost to its postseason résumé.

2ND DOWN — STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

The schedule’s average opponent rating of 49.14 does not fully capture its shape. The middle offers recovery opportunities against King's Academy, Stoneman Douglas and Somerset Charter, but the beginning and end are loaded with travel and high-end opposition.

That structure places the quarterback competition under a microscope. NSU University School has a quarterback listed on the 2026 roster, but there is not enough established varsity production to declare a proven successor to Miller. Henry must let the competition develop without forcing a premature answer. The first three weeks will punish indecision, but they will punish careless certainty even more.

The offensive line should provide the best stabilizing mechanism. Stringer, Anderson, Gonzalez and Thomas Lo give the Sharks returning size. Their job will extend beyond pass protection. They must make Patel’s expanded role viable and keep the offense out of the long-yardage situations that invite elite pass rushers to take over.

The bye arrives at a useful time. After five games, Henry’s staff will have enough evidence to decide what the offense can actually execute — not what it hoped to execute in August.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The schedule provides a midseason laboratory, but no preseason runway. NSU University School must develop its quarterback while facing two top-100 opponents before September begins.

3RD DOWN — THE PROVING GROUND

King's Academy and Somerset Charter are the swing games. They are neither automatic wins nor championship-level roadblocks. They are the contests that will reveal whether the Sharks can control comparable opponents instead of merely surviving superior ones.

King's Academy arrives after the three-game opening road trip. That makes the Sept. 3 home opener a test of emotional recovery as much as execution. A team carrying two or three early losses can still stabilize its season there. A team carrying frustration can let one difficult month become two.

Somerset Charter comes immediately after the bye. That is the cleaner evaluation point. The quarterback competition should be settled or substantially narrowed. Patel’s workload should be defined. The offensive line’s best combination should be established. Defensively, Tiger, Harris and Gonzalez must show that the Sharks can create negative plays without the departed senior trio.

Gulliver Prep and Ransom Everglades offer another type of test. Those back-to-back games sit between the two defending SSAA champions. NSU University School cannot treat them as schedule filler. They are the games a legitimate postseason contender closes.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The Sharks’ ceiling will not be determined only by what happens against Jupiter Christian or American Heritage. It will be determined by whether they consistently handle the teams in the middle of the schedule.

4TH DOWN — PLAYOFF PICTURE

NSU University School competes in SSAA 11-Man, which means there is no district championship or automatic district berth to chase. CCI positioning will determine playoff qualification and seeding, with strength of schedule, overall record and MaxPreps data among the factors shaping the postseason picture.

That makes this schedule both dangerous and useful. Games against Mount Dora Christian, Jupiter Christian and American Heritage provide significant strength-of-schedule value, but that value cannot replace victories. The Sharks need to accumulate wins against North Broward Prep, King's Academy, Stoneman Douglas, Somerset Charter, Gulliver Prep and Ransom Everglades while remaining competitive against the top tier.

Player development will be directly tied to that path. Patel must turn flashes into weekly production. Tiger must translate his seven-sack season into leadership of an almost entirely reconstructed pass rush. Harris may be the roster’s most important player because his receiving production and defensive playmaking allow Henry to solve problems on either side of the ball.

Special teams also could matter more than usual. Milnthorpe has field-goal experience and should give the Sharks a chance to take points rather than force fourth-down decisions. In a ranking system where the entire résumé matters, one possession can alter much more than one Friday night.

THE BOTTOM LINE: NSU University School’s schedule is strong enough to build favorable CCI positioning, but only if the Sharks win the middle tier and avoid being buried during the four most difficult road trips.

SEASON OUTLOOK

Difficulty Rating: 8/10

A 7-3 regular season is realistic if NSU University School establishes its quarterback, protects the football and rebuilds enough of its pass rush around Tiger and Harris. The ceiling rises if the Sharks steal a game from the top tier; it drops quickly if their lost offensive production turns the early road stretch into a prolonged identity crisis.

COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 77 NSU University School Sharks — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

A new coach inherits a proven postseason program, but the Sharks’ unforgiving schedule will not allow much time for introductions.

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COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 77 NSU University School Sharks — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

A new coach inherits a proven postseason program, but the Sharks’ unforgiving schedule will not allow much time for introductions.

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