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Alexander returns a core of starters to a squad looking to have a breakout season in 2026.

Head football coach Cody Neal, in his fourth season, has eight or nine starters back on offense and defense.

“We have a pretty experienced football team this year,” Neal said at the recent DCSS Football Media Day. “Most of these guys all played last year as juniors, and some of them have been playing since they were freshmen and sophomores.”

The Cougars’ veteran offensive line is the team’s “strongest yet” in Neal’s four seasons at AHS, he said.

Alexander also returns multiple proven running backs, including senior JaQuan Sutton, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards last year.

Neal said his team’s goals this season are to win the region, go undefeated at home, make the playoffs and “try to get Alexander football back to where we know it can be.”

“We feel really good about that, and we’re excited for this year,” he said.

Alexander is now in Region 5-AAAAAA with this year’s reclassification, where they’ll compete against Chapel Hill, East Paulding, Hiram, New Manchester, Osborne, South Cobb and South Paulding.

Neal highlighted several key players during the Media Day:

• OL/DL Brady Dever, Sr.
• DB Boone Franks, Sr.
• QB Jack Gable, Sr.
• OL Landon Harrell, Sr.
• WR/CB Gregory Jones, Sr.
• RB Van Kio, Sr.
• WR/DB Kaiden Thomas, Sr.
• DB/WR Ayden Tolson, Sr. (Liberty University commit)
• DB/CB Christian Westley, Sr.

The Cougars open the season at Villa Rica in a non-region contest on Aug. 21.