This is the kind of preseason list that tells you a lot about where a region is headed. The Akron Beacon Journal's Top 10 Summit County two-way players to watch for 2026 does exactly that: it highlights the Greater Akron players who are not just lining up on both sides of the ball, but actually shaping games while doing it.
And that matters. Two-way players are the ones who give a season its edge, its urgency, its weekly sense that the same names keep popping up in different big moments. In a football landscape where specialists are everywhere, these are the athletes who still carry old-school value.
The names at the top of the conversation
Fisher is on the list after a huge all-around year that included 59 tackles, three for loss, 1½ sacks, 28 receptions, 393 yards and five touchdowns. That is not a useful player dabbling in both roles; that is a genuine impact player who can hurt teams in more than one way.
Kopec brings the same sort of problem for opponents. He posted 446 yards, seven touchdowns, 56 carries, two touchdowns, 61 tackles, five for loss, three sacks, four quarterback pressures and four pass breakups. That is exactly the profile coaches love and opposing coaches hate: volume, production and defensive disruption in the same package.
Johnson also fits the bill, and the recruiting trail is already paying attention. He committed to Bowling Green on June 5, and his production backs up the interest: 16 catches, 361 yards and three touchdowns on one side, plus 73 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, 14 passes, 255 yards, four touchdowns and six interceptions on the other. That is a serious two-way résumé, not a marketing line.
Foust arrived with major recognition already attached. In 2025, he was the Suburban League American Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year and Division II second-team all-state after putting up 36 tackles and three pass deflections. That kind of status is earned, not handed out.
Council was a third-team All-Ohio defensive back in Division IV at Streetsboro High School in 2025, and that label matters because it places him in elite regional company before the new season even begins. Beverly, meanwhile, was Division IV honorable mention All-Ohio in 2025, which confirms that this list is full of players who have already shown they can produce against high-level competition.
Production is the point
What jumps out from this group is not just talent, but usefulness. Jackson led the Knights in receptions, yards and touchdowns and also returned a kickoff for a touchdown. That is the sort of all-purpose impact that turns a good player into a season-defining one.
Maxa's numbers are just as persuasive. He posted 70 tackles, eight for loss and four sacks, the kind of defensive output that changes how offenses have to scheme. Karim, who committed to Bowling Green in June, is equally hard to ignore after 73 tackles, nine for loss and two scores.
There is more. Haller delivered 31 tackles, seven pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and three interceptions, while Justin Todd, the Grizzlies coach, described him as Gavin Madigan 2.0. That is not a throwaway comparison; it is a strong sign of how highly his all-around game is regarded.
And Madigan himself has the sort of stat line that belongs in this conversation: 31 tackles, 16 for loss, 10 sacks, 27 receptions, 458 yards and four touchdowns. That is the definition of a two-way headache.
Why this list matters now
The real value of a preseason ranking like this is that it gives you a map before the season gets messy. The Akron Beacon Journal has put a spotlight on the players most likely to decide games in Summit County and Greater Akron, and several of them already have college attention to match their production.
That is the part worth watching in 2026. Some lists are just names. This one is a snapshot of a region where high school football still rewards toughness, versatility and the ability to stay on the field for all three phases of an evening that can change fast.
So yes, this is a watch list. But it is also a warning. If these players are healthy and anywhere near last season's form, Summit County football is going to be powered by athletes who are too good to keep off the field and too productive to ignore.
