COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 70 Dillard Panthers — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

Dillard is not rebuilding. The Panthers are reloading around one of Broward County’s most dangerous receivers, several productive front-seven defenders and enough young talent to make every position battle interesting. The catch is the schedule. There are few soft landings, and the most important district game comes against a program accustomed to playing deep into November.

DILLARD PANTHERS (FORT LAUDERDALE)

Head Coach: Demitris Mincey Sr., fourth year District: District 3A-15 2024 Record: 9-3 2025 Record: 10-1 2025 Final FPRI Rating: 64.63 2025 Final State Rank: No. 80 2026 Preseason Rating: 66.88 2026 Preseason Rank: No. 70 2026 Class Rank: No. 6 2025 Playoff / FIT Finish: 4A Regional Quarterfinalist

The 2025 Panthers were explosive and ruthless through the regular season, averaging more than 43 points while allowing fewer than eight per game. They finished 10-1, generated 60 touchdowns and produced 34 sacks and 17 interceptions, but the postseason ended in the regional quarterfinals. That abrupt finish gives this season its edge. The numbers were excellent. The ending was not.

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Category Value Average Opponent Rating 57.78 Opponent 2025 Record 72-38 Opponent 2025 Win Percentage .655 Hardest Opponent St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) District Games 2

The average is inflated by two statewide heavyweights, but that does not make the rest of the schedule harmless. Seven opponents won at least seven games in 2025. Dillard will spend most weeks facing teams that expect to win, not teams hoping to survive.

2026 FULL SCHEDULE

Week Date Time Opponent 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 1 8/21 7:00 PM @ Piper (Sunrise) 7-5 No. 143 | No. 36 (5A) 54.66 2 8/29 7:00 PM St. Peters Prep (NJ) 8-3 — 52.62 3 9/4 7:00 PM Coconut Creek 9-3 No. 134 | No. 35 (5A) 55.58 4 9/10 7:00 PM St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) 14-1 No. 3 | No. 1 (5A) 99.20 5 9/18 7:00 PM @ McArthur (Hollywood) 10-3 No. 153 | No. 25 (4A) 53.11 6 9/26 7:00 PM Stranahan (Fort Lauderdale)* 2-8 No. 451 | No. 56 (3A) 15.44 7 10/1 7:00 PM @ Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale)* 10-4 No. 74 | No. 9 (3A) 66.24 8 10/10 7:00 PM Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach) 2-7 No. 274 | No. 45 (4A) 39.18 9 10/16 — BYE — — — 10 10/23 7:30 PM @ Miami Southridge 11-2 No. 26 | No. 7 (5A) 77.70 11 10/30 7:00 PM @ Plantation 7-5 No. 87 | No. 17 (4A) 64.02

*District game

The schedule is built in waves. Dillard gets four games to establish its identity before district play, but one of those four is against St. Thomas Aquinas. The late bye is useful. The Panthers will need it before closing with consecutive road games against Miami Southridge and Plantation.

KEY LOSSES

Quarterback Jayden Chico leaves the largest vacancy. He completed 67.5% of his passes for 2,063 yards, 29 touchdowns and only three interceptions while giving the offense a steady distributor. Dillard also loses Anthony Carey Jr., who rushed for 557 yards, averaged 8.7 yards per carry and scored 11 total touchdowns.

The graduation hit extends to the perimeter. Tyophi Clay, Dorian Wildgoose and Tyler Coney combined for 1,062 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. Christopher Tillman added value as a runner, returner, defensive back and punter. That is a lot of versatility walking out the door.

The defensive losses are even more concentrated. Demitris Mincey Jr. produced 96 tackles, 33 tackles for loss and nine sacks, while Dakyri Brown added 20 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Sidney Newkirt Jr., Zamari Marquez and Kenneth Brown Jr. also depart after accounting for 132 tackles and seven interceptions. Dillard still has talent. It does not still have last year’s spine.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Player Position Class 2025 Production Anthony Jennings III WR/CB Senior 34 receptions, 823 yards and 11 receiving touchdowns; 949 all-purpose yards Alexandar Pinder Jr. RB Senior 179 rushing yards, 91 receiving yards and three total touchdowns Tory Thornton DE/OLB Senior 26 tackles, seven tackles for loss and four sacks Mychael Graham DE/MLB Senior Eight tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks and three quarterback hurries Quentin Murray MLB/DE Senior 13 tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks Kyle Brown WR Senior Eight receptions, 269 yards and three touchdowns Sacari Jordan OLB/SS Junior 11 tackles, one tackle for loss, one pass breakup and one forced fumble Harold Graham CB Junior Five tackles and one pass breakup in seven games Justin Spence DT Senior Three tackles and one tackle for loss in nine games

Jennings is the centerpiece, not simply another productive returning receiver. He averaged more than 24 yards per catch and scored 11 times in eight games, giving Dillard a player who can change the geometry of a defense before the ball is snapped.

Pinder has shown efficiency in limited touches and now has a chance to become the featured runner. Defensively, Thornton, Graham and Murray inherit the responsibility of replacing a senior group that generated a large share of Dillard’s pressure and disruption.

Jennings is the centerpiece, but Dillard’s ceiling will depend on how much support develops around him. Pinder has shown efficiency in limited touches, while Thornton, Graham and Murray inherit the responsibility of replacing a remarkably productive senior pass rush.

1ST DOWN — THE GAUNTLET

Dillard’s hardest stretch arrives immediately after the opening trip to Piper. St. Peters Prep brings an 8-3 résumé from New Jersey, Coconut Creek won nine games, and St. Thomas Aquinas follows four days after the Coconut Creek matchup. Three physical opponents. Thirteen days. No room for a slow September.

The Panthers will need Pinder to give the offense balance. Jennings can tilt coverage, but asking a new quarterback to live through obvious passing situations against that stretch is dangerous. On defense, Thornton and Graham must turn pressure into drive-ending plays. Replacing 16 sacks from Mincey and Brown cannot become a committee in name only.

KNOW YOUR OPPONENT

Opponent Week/Location 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) Week 4/Home 14-1 No. 3 | No. 1 (5A) 99.20 5A State Champion @ Miami Southridge Week 10/Away 11-2 No. 26 | No. 7 (5A) 77.70 6A Regional Finalist

St. Thomas Aquinas is the obvious measuring stick. Miami Southridge is the late-season examination. One tests whether Dillard can withstand elite talent; the other tests whether the Panthers have become a complete team by October.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Dillard does not need to win every game in the gauntlet to prove it belongs. It must avoid letting one bad night become two. The schedule punishes emotional hangovers.

2ND DOWN — STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

The first half is designed to expose weaknesses. Piper, St. Peters Prep, Coconut Creek, St. Thomas Aquinas and McArthur combined for 48 victories in 2025. By the time district play begins, the coaching staff should know exactly what it has at quarterback, along the offensive line and in the rebuilt front seven.

The quarterback position must be treated as a competition until somebody earns it. Brian Slack Jr., Trent Beesing and Jaedin Reid are listed among the available options, but none should be handed Chico’s production by assumption. The best outcome is not necessarily an instant star. It is a composed operator who gets the ball to Jennings, protects possessions and allows the defense to play from ahead.

The back half offers more breathing room around the district slate, but it is not easy. Blanche Ely precedes the bye, and Miami Southridge and Plantation wait afterward. That makes roster development critical. Young defensive backs such as Harold Graham, Sacari Jordan and Ja’Corey Rhoden cannot still be learning basic assignments in late October.

THE BOTTOM LINE: This schedule can accelerate Dillard’s growth or expose every unfinished position. There is almost no middle ground.

3RD DOWN — THE PROVING GROUND

The swing games are Coconut Creek, McArthur and Plantation. They sit below the statewide power tier represented by St. Thomas Aquinas and Miami Southridge, but all three are capable of turning Dillard mistakes into losses. Those are the games that will define the Panthers’ record.

Coconut Creek comes before the short turnaround to St. Thomas Aquinas, making focus a major issue. McArthur follows the St. Thomas game, creating another emotional test. Plantation closes the regular season after the trip to Southridge. Dillard must prove it can reset quickly, because the schedule repeatedly places a dangerous opponent immediately before or after a marquee game.

Jennings will be tested by brackets, press coverage and defensive backs determined to remove the deep ball. Pinder must show he can handle a larger workload. Thornton, Graham and Murray must demonstrate that Dillard’s pressure package still works without its two leading sack producers.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The Panthers’ ceiling will not be decided only by how they look against the giants. It will be decided by whether they consistently beat the good teams standing directly in front of them.

4TH DOWN — PLAYOFF PICTURE

District 3A-15 is small, direct and unforgiving. Dillard hosts Stranahan before traveling to Cardinal Gibbons six days later. The Stranahan game should be handled cleanly. The Cardinal Gibbons game is the district championship pivot.

A district title provides an automatic playoff berth. Without it, Dillard would enter the wildcard race, where MaxPreps rankings determine qualification and seeding. That makes the non-district schedule highly relevant. Victories over teams such as Coconut Creek, McArthur or Plantation would strengthen Dillard’s position even if the Panthers do not win the district.

DISTRICT BREAKDOWN

Team 2025 Record 2026 Rank (Overall | Class) Preseason Rating 2025 Finish Dillard (Fort Lauderdale) 10-1 No. 70 | No. 6 (3A) 66.88 4A Regional Quarterfinalist Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale) 10-4 No. 74 | No. 9 (3A) 66.24 2A State Semifinalist Stranahan (Fort Lauderdale) 2-8 No. 451 | No. 56 (3A) 15.44 Missed postseason

Dillard and Cardinal Gibbons are separated by less than one preseason rating point. That is not a district race with a clear favorite. It is a one-night argument.

For Dillard, the playoff path runs through Jennings’ ability to create explosive plays, Pinder’s ability to keep the offense on schedule and a rebuilt defense’s ability to pressure the quarterback without giving away the back end. Win the district, and the Panthers control the invitation. Lose at Cardinal Gibbons, and every other result becomes part of the résumé.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Oct. 1 is the hinge. Dillard can survive a difficult non-district loss. It cannot casually surrender the game that offers the cleanest playoff path.

SEASON OUTLOOK

Difficulty Rating: 8/10

A 7-3 regular season is realistic, with 8-2 available if the quarterback transition stabilizes early and the returning pass rushers replace enough lost production. The ceiling is a district title and a dangerous playoff run; the limiting factor is whether too many new answers are required at quarterback, linebacker and in the secondary at the same time.

COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 70 Dillard Panthers — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

A gifted group of returning playmakers gives Dillard a high ceiling, but a demanding schedule will force the Panthers to grow up quickly.

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COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF: No. 70 Dillard Panthers — 2026 Season Preview, Schedule Analysis, Players to Watch and Playoff Outlook

A gifted group of returning playmakers gives Dillard a high ceiling, but a demanding schedule will force the Panthers to grow up quickly.

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