Michigan High School Football Rankings: Preseason Top 25 teams

High school football season is just weeks away in Michigan, as teams across the Great Lake State ramp up in their pursuit of state playoff runs at all levels.

The On3 Massey Ratings, officially used during the BCS era, is a model that ranks sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule and margin of victory.

And while no teams from the state rank among the top 100 nationally, there is plenty of ultra-competitive football to come over the next four months. Below are the top 25 teams in Michigan heading into the 2024 season.

1) Rockford

Few programs have been more dominant over the past 20 years in Michigan high school football than Rockford, a consistent top-25 program and three-time state championship winner. After an 11-1 campaign in 2023 and a run into the playoffs that ended at the hands of Davison High, Rockford is back as the projected No. 1 team to start 2024.

2) Belleville

You can’t talk about the programs with Michigan without talking Belleville, who has won two of the last three Division I state championships and finished as runners-up in 2023. The Tigers are led by the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025 class — quarterback and LSU commit Bryce Underwood — as they look to reclaim their throne atop the state.

3) Muskegon

If the aforementioned program in Rockford is one of the most dominant programs in the state for the past two decades, Muskegon might sit atop the list altogether. The Big Reds have won five championships since 2004 and will be looking to add a sixth in 20 seasons this season. They’re led by Rutgers offensive tackle commit N’Kye Wynn, and he is bookended on the other side by Virginia commit Jim Harris.

4) De La Salle

Another pillar of high school football in the state, De La Salle is looking to find its championship form again after winning Division 2 titles in both 2021 and 2022. They’ll face one of the state’s toughest schedules with games against Davison, Central Catholic and Chippewa Valley — all top-25 preseason teams — during the regular season.

5) West Bloomfield

The Lakers have consistently been among the top programs in the state since 2020, including a Division 1 state title that year. After finishing 11-3 in 2023 and ending the season with a loss to Southfield A&T in the state semifinals, they have their eyes on a championship this season. Colorado offensive line commit Jay Gardenhire-Crooks and four-star receiver Kamren Flowers (Toledo commit) lead the way.

6. Grand Rapids Catholic Central
7. Caledonia
8. Grand Rapids Forest Hills
9. Davison
10. West Catholic

11. Clarkston
12. Zeeland West
13. Lake Orion
14. Southfield
15. Chippewa Valley

16. Detroit Catholic Central
17. Grandville
18. Adams
19. Mona Shores
20. Byron Center

21. Dakota
22. Romeo
23. Eisenhower
24. Harper Woods
25. South Christian