There’s something brewing in the Hub City.

• While the Bulldogs lost in the first round of the playoffs to a Mandarin team that was a defensive stand away from a Final Four berth, it marked Crestview’s first playoff appearance since 2022, and the Bulldogs return much of that roster.

Head Coach Thomas Grant views it as a foundation to build on, with the focus in spring football and summer staying simple: stacking good days and getting better.

“We’re just trying to get better every single day. We’ve had a great offseason. I’m excited for the season to start,” Grant said.

With that, here are five storylines for the Bulldogs heading into the year.

1. Is this the best Crestview defense since 2018?

This Crestview defense has a strong case for being the program’s best since the 2018 Final Four run, and it’s easy to see why. The unit was the catalyst for the Bulldogs’ 2025 turnaround from 1-3 to five straight wins and a playoff berth, with only Choctaw, Pace and Mandarin managing to put more than 20 points on Crestview all year in year one of former Fort Walton Beach head coach Chip Petree’s stint as Bulldogs defensive coordinator.

Year two has the potential to be even better.

While Crestview lost a lot of seniors from last year’s defense, it returns just as much talent. The Bulldogs boast a deadly front that includes Chasen Lawrence, Landon Scott and Stone Coburn, while Wake Forest commit Zy Tassin is the star of the defense and headlines a secondary that also features Jaxson Gathings and Manwell Robinson.

Grant recognizes the group as a special one.

“That side of the ball has a chance to be really special,” Grant said.

2. A two-quarterback system and a young receiver corps with endless potential

Tassin doesn’t just play defense. He’s also QB1. However, the Bulldogs plan to run a two-quarterback system this year, with sophomore Brock Spears also getting reps, allowing the team to be creative with Tassin and open up more ways to use his talents.

Meanwhile, Crestview’s receivers are young, but you can feel the excitement in Grant’s voice when he talks about their potential. The wideouts include Corneilous Union Jr., Elijah Rice and Rashawn Cargill.

“They had a great spring. There’s only one other senior there, there’s a lot of juniors and sophomores. They have the chance to be really explosive. They haven’t done it yet, they have to go out there and prove it, but I’m excited,” Grant said.

3. Ground and pound

Although Crestview can air the ball out this year, its identity on offense is found through the run game. In Grant’s words, it’s the Bulldogs’ bread and butter.

Robinson had a breakout year with 600 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground, while Tassin added 11 rushing touchdowns of his own, including what might have been the highlight of the year, a 33-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-1 against Niceville. With seniors moving on, the backfield is clearly in the hands of Robinson and Tassin.

But none of it is possible without the guys up front, which brings us to the next storyline.

4. Trenches, trenches, trenches

It’s no surprise that Grant recognizes the value of the offensive line. After all, he’s a former offensive lineman for the Bulldogs, and he views the line as the engine that makes everything go.

“We’re returning five offensive linemen that all started at one time during their time here, so we’re going to be big and we’re going to average 290 across the o-line. That should be one of the strengths of our team, so I’m really excited about the development of our o-line, so we are definitely trying to play a physical brand of football,” Grant said.

5. A schedule that is truly “Any Given Friday”

The Bulldogs’ schedule will be brutal, to say the least. There will truly be no easy Friday for Crestview, as Grant scheduled a murderer’s row.

It starts with a tough district. The Bulldogs are in a district with archrival Niceville, Sweet 16-bound Pace, FIT runner-up Tate and Navarre, which, while not the Raiders team of yesteryear, is still a respectable opponent. In Grant’s eyes, it’s a district anybody can win.

Outside of district play, the Bulldogs have road games against Enterprise, the same team that handed Choctaw its only loss of the regular season and denied the Indians the No. 1 seed in the region; Dothan, a top-20 team in Alabama; and host Coffee County, a Georgia team that made the playoffs last year. Crestview also opens the season against playoff-bound Lincoln and will travel to Mitchell in New Port Richey, which made the Elite Eight last year.

The goal of the schedule is simple for Grant: get Crestview ready for the playoffs. Get the program ready for teams such as Mandarin, Buchholz, Lakeland, St. Thomas Aquinas and Ponte Vedra, all of which are in 5A.

“To get to where we want to go in 5A, you have to play good teams. Because Mandarin, Buchholz, St Thomas Aquinas, Lakeland, those are all 5A. You have to be battle-tested. And we’re going to be battle tested, so when these playoff games come, it won’t be a shock to our system, because we’re going to be in these games throughout the regular season,” Grant said.

The bottom line

Here’s what to expect from Crestview this year:

• A physical brand of football centered on strong results from the offensive line.
• A creative offense that can do damage in any facet.
• A defense with the potential to do special things.
• A tough schedule where every game could go either way.

2026 Crestview football schedule

*District game
#Area opponent game

Aug. 13: vs. Booker T. Washington (Kickoff Classic)
Aug. 21: vs. Lincoln
Aug. 28: at Enterprise (Ala.)
Sept. 4: vs. Pine Forest
Sept. 11: vs. Tate*
Sept. 18: vs. Coffee County (Ga.)
Sept. 25: at Pace*
Oct. 2: at Mitchell
Oct. 9: Bye
Oct. 16: vs. Niceville*#
Oct. 23: at Navarre*
Oct. 29: at Dothan (Ala.)