The Montgomery area is heading into the 2026 Alabama high school football season with a clear set of preseason expectations, and one name stands out above the rest: Deshawn Hall. The Prattville player has been projected as a possible winner of the ASWA Mr. Football Award, making him the headline figure in a week that will begin to shape Alabama high school football scores across the region.
This is a preseason predictions piece rather than a review of finished games, but the broader picture is easy to see. The Montgomery area is set to kick off this week, and there are already bold claims about which teams and players could define the season. The AHSAA football season also now features an extra championship because of the split between public and private schools in postseason play, which adds another layer to the race for titles in Alabama.
Deshawn Hall is the name to watch
Hall’s case is built on what he already produced in 2025. He caught 40 passes for 660 yards and five receiving touchdowns, a return that puts him firmly in the conversation for one of the state’s biggest individual honours. He is also described as a top 10 recruit in the Class of 2027, which only adds to the belief that his profile could keep rising through 2026.
That is why the prediction around Hall feels so significant. If he delivers another strong season, he would not just be one of the best players in the Montgomery area. He could also become the latest local name to take the ASWA Mr. Football Award.
Montgomery still has title-game ambition
The wider Montgomery-area picture is just as interesting. Montgomery Academy is among the programs being watched closely after nearly missing out on a semifinal game in 2025. That suggests there is still room for a strong run if the team can turn last season’s near miss into a more complete push.
The discussion around the area also reflects how much weight preseason expectations carry before the first scores are even recorded. In Alabama, especially in Class 6A, Single A and Double A, the margin between a good season and a title-game season can be narrow. That is why early projections matter so much.
Why the preseason matters now
The last Montgomery-area player to win the ASWA Mr. Football Award was Carver-Montgomery’s Jeremy Johnson, which gives Hall’s projection a sense of history as well as hype. It is not a guarantee, but it does place him in a conversation that has real local significance.
For now, the focus turns to the first Alabama high school football scores of 2026 and what they might tell us about the teams and players in the Montgomery area. If the predictions prove accurate, Hall will be central to the story, and Montgomery Academy could also emerge as one of the region’s key teams to track as the season develops.
