FLORIDA POWER RANKINGS INDEX: IMG Academy National leads preseason Florida Power 25 for 2026

The first Florida Power 25 of 2026 does not require much explanation at the very top.

IMG Academy National is No. 1. Raines is No. 2.

That is exactly where those two programs finished in the final Florida Power Rankings Index of 2025, and they enter a new season still setting the pace in the Enhanced Florida Power Rankings Index (FPRI).

IMG Academy National opens with a 105.70 rating, the highest mark in Florida. Raines follows at 101.14, with St. Thomas Aquinas at No. 3 with a 99.20 rating, Miami Northwestern at No. 4 with a 97.06 and Cardinal Mooney at No. 5 with a 96.46.

There is plenty that will change once games begin. There always is.

But as a starting point, the top of these rankings is not built on projection alone. It is packed with programs that spent the end of last season proving they belonged in this conversation.

IMG and Raines Set the Early Standard

IMG Academy National finished 9-0 in 2025 and closed the season No. 1 in the FPRI.

Raines was every bit as dominant in its own lane. The Vikings went 14-0, won the Class 3A state championship and finished No. 2 in the final ratings.

Now they begin another season in the same two positions.

St. Thomas Aquinas moves into the No. 3 spot after a 14-1 season and another Class 5A state championship, while Miami Northwestern starts at No. 4 after going 13-1 and reaching the Class 3A title game.

Cardinal Mooney rounds out the Top 5 after a 14-1 campaign that ended with the Class 2A state championship.

Add it all together and the first five teams in the rankings went 64-3 in 2025.

That is not much room for mediocrity.

The Top 10 Is Loaded With Proven Winners

There is almost no easing into this Top 10.

American Heritage (Plantation) opens at No. 6 after winning the Class 4A state championship. West Boca Raton is No. 7 after a 13-2 season that also ended with a state title.

Lakeland begins at No. 8 after reaching the Class 5A championship game, while Lake Mary is No. 9 after winning the Class 7A crown.

Cardinal Newman rounds out the Top 10 after its own championship run.

American Heritage carries a 96.06 rating, West Boca Raton is at 95.98, Lakeland at 94.73, Lake Mary at 94.12 and Cardinal Newman at 93.05.

Only 3.01 points separate No. 6 from No. 10.

That matters because the rankings are not suggesting a clean break after the first five. They are showing a second cluster of teams sitting within striking distance before anyone has played a meaningful snap.

Seven of the opening Top 10 either won a state championship or finished as a state runner-up in 2025, with IMG Academy National finishing undefeated outside the FHSAA playoff structure.

There are preseason rankings built on reputation.

This group has receipts.

The Second 10 Is Where Things Get Interesting

Buchholz opens at No. 11 with a 92.37 rating, and from there the rankings begin to reveal more of what the preseason model sees beyond last year’s final order.

Jones is No. 12.

Chaminade-Madonna is No. 13.

St. Augustine starts No. 14, followed by Armwood at No. 15 and Venice at No. 16.

Bolles is No. 17, Miami Central No. 18, Hawthorne No. 19 and Vero Beach No. 20.

That is a remarkable amount of postseason experience sitting outside the Top 10.

Buchholz reached a state semifinal last season. Jones played for a state championship. Chaminade-Madonna did the same. Armwood reached a semifinal. Venice reached a semifinal. Bolles reached a title game.

Hawthorne won the Rural state championship.

Vero Beach went 14-1 and reached the Class 7A title game.

If the Top 10 is loaded with proven winners, Nos. 11 through 20 are where the depth of Florida football becomes obvious.

There are teams in this range that would be comfortable carrying championship expectations in almost any season.

Venice, Nease and Cocoa Make Major Preseason Jumps

This is where the distinction between a final ranking and a preseason rating becomes important.

The final 2025 FPRI told us what happened over the course of an entire season.

The preseason 2026 ratings are trying to establish what comes next.

Those are not the same exercise.

Venice might be the clearest example.

The Indians finished No. 31 in the final 2025 ratings after a 9-4 season, but that record came with a run to the Class 7A state semifinals. Venice now opens 2026 at No. 16 statewide.

Jones moves from No. 20 at the end of last season to No. 12.

Chaminade-Madonna climbs from No. 19 to No. 13.

Miami Central goes from No. 23 to No. 18.

Then there is Nease.

The Panthers finished No. 41 in the final 2025 FPRI but enter this season at No. 23.

Cocoa makes an even more dramatic move.

The Tigers finished No. 55 last season after going 8-5, but their year still included a trip to the Class 2A state semifinals. They begin 2026 at No. 25 in Florida.

Those are the kinds of teams that make preseason rankings interesting.

They are not being rewarded for where they finished.

They are being evaluated for where the numbers believe they should start.

South Florida Still Owns the Deepest Bench

There are strong teams in every corner of Florida, but the opening Power 25 again makes one thing difficult to ignore: South Florida has more high-end depth than anyone else.

St. Thomas Aquinas is No. 3.

Miami Northwestern is No. 4.

American Heritage is No. 6.

West Boca Raton is No. 7.

Cardinal Newman is No. 10.

Chaminade-Madonna is No. 13.

Miami Central is No. 18.

West Broward is No. 21.

That is eight teams in the Florida Power 25, including five of the first 10.

The concentration gets even more striking near the top. Six of the first 13 teams in Florida come from South Florida.

Northeast Florida has its own strong group with Raines at No. 2, St. Augustine at No. 14, Bolles at No. 17 and Nease at No. 23.

Tampa Bay places Lakeland at No. 8, Armwood at No. 15 and Carrollwood Day at No. 24.

Central Florida has Lake Mary at No. 9, Jones at No. 12 and Edgewater at No. 22.

Southwest Florida brings IMG Academy National at No. 1, Cardinal Mooney at No. 5 and Venice at No. 16.

The power is spread around.

It is just more concentrated in South Florida.

What Changed From the End of 2025?

The easiest thing to do with preseason rankings is compare every team with where it finished last season.

That can also be misleading.

Some continuity matters.

IMG Academy National remains No. 1.

Raines remains No. 2.

St. Thomas Aquinas moves from No. 4 to No. 3.

Miami Northwestern rises from No. 6 to No. 4.

Cardinal Mooney shifts from No. 3 to No. 5.

Cardinal Newman, Buchholz and Lake Mary also remain among the teams closest to the top.

But 2026 is not an extension of the 2025 standings.

Rosters have changed. Schedules have changed. Classifications have changed. The circumstances surrounding every program are different.

That is why teams such as Jones, Venice, Nease and Cocoa can start significantly higher than where they finished.

A final ranking is backward-looking.

A preseason ranking has to look forward.

Now the Rankings Have to Survive Friday Nights

This is the easy part for the numbers.

Nobody has lost yet.

Nobody has pulled an upset.

Nobody has gone on the road and beaten a team the model thought was better.

Nobody has exposed a flaw that preseason data could not see.

That starts changing now.

The Enhanced FPRI enters 2026 with a rebuilt framework designed to increasingly shift toward what teams accomplish on the field as the season develops. The more games that are played, the less preseason expectation matters and the more current performance and strength of schedule begin shaping the picture.

That is when these rankings become more interesting.

Some teams will make their opening position look conservative.

Some will fall.

Someone outside the first Power 25 will almost certainly force their way in.

And there will be results that make the preseason order look foolish in hindsight. That is football.

For now, though, the starting point is set.

IMG Academy National opens at No. 1. Raines is right behind at No. 2. St. Thomas Aquinas, Miami Northwestern and Cardinal Mooney complete the first five.

The rest gets decided on the field.

2026 Preseason Florida Power 25