FOX10 Big Friday Kickoff

The Big Friday Kickoff Podcast wraps up its 2026 preseason region previews with a look at a loaded Double-A Private classification.

Sports Director Emily Cochran and Robert Ristaneo go school-by-school through St. Michael, UMS-Wright, St. Paul’s, McGill-Toolen, Faith Academy, Glenwood, Montgomery Catholic and Houston Academy. They break down the teams and players to watch, McGill-Toolen’s quarterback battle between seniors Bo Miller and Davis Fisher, and a unique schedule that could leave some programs spending more than 20 hours on the road this fall.

With championship tradition throughout the classification and no clear-cut easy path to the post season, Emily and Robert make their picks for the teams to watch in Year One of Double-A Private.

This week on the Big Friday Kickoff Podcast, Emily Cochran and Robert Ristaneo are joined by TP Hammock of the Alabama High School Football Historical Society and Vlad Valasiuk of Bama Preps to look back at the inaugural Big Friday Kickoff Media Day, highlighting the biggest storylines, standout moments and what they learned from the area’s coaches and players.

In the second half of the episode, Emily and Robert preview Class 1A Region 1, discussing why Leroy remains the favorite, how reclassification has strengthened the region from top to bottom, and which teams are best positioned to battle for the remaining playoff spots this fall.

This week on the Big Friday Kickoff Podcast, Emily and Robert continue their season preview series with 2A Region 1.

Can Clarke County remain at the top with Luverne and Thomasville in the mix?  Will J.U. Blacksher be the dark horse in the region? Is Monroe County going to surprise people? They break it all down in this episode.

They also discuss all the news and storylines coming out of Mobile County Media Days including NIL and the transfer rule.

Class 3A Region 1 may be the most unpredictable region in South Alabama heading into the 2026 football season. In this episode of the Big Friday Kickoff Podcast, Sports Director Emily Cochran and Robert Ristaneo break down every team in the region, discuss the biggest offseason storylines, identify players to watch, and debate who has the best chance to emerge as region champion.

Vigor and Williamson enter 2026 as the early favorites in the new-look 4A Region 1, but everything behind them is wide open. Orange Beach joins the region after statewide realignment, adding another intriguing contender to a crowded playoff race that also includes BC Rain, Citronelle, LeFlore and Satsuma.

This week on the Big Friday Kickoff Podcast, Sports Director Emily Cochran and Robert Ristaneo break down every team, the top players to watch, the biggest storylines and make their playoff predictions.

The public-private playoff split has reshaped 5A Region 1, but one thing hasn’t changed—everyone is still chasing Saraland.

Emily Cochran and Robert Ristaneo break down every team in the region, from the Spartans’ championship expectations to Gulf Shores’ playoff push, Spanish Fort’s bounce-back hopes, Theodore’s new era under Randy Larson, and what to expect from Baldwin County, Blount, Elberta, and Murphy.

Plus, predictions for the region race and the players to watch heading into the 2026 high school football season.

This week on the Big Friday Kickoff Podcast, we kickoff our 2026 season preview coverage by breaking down 6A Region 1.

We're talking Baker, Bryant, Daphne, Davidson, Fairhope, Foley, MGM, and Robertsdale.

Who's improved, who's down, and who are some of the best players in the region. 

This week, Emily and Robert talk about the 7v7 tournament hosted by the Univeristy of South Alabama. Who impressed? Who won? Who should we be excited about heading into the season.

Then, Emily talks about some of the practices she's been to for various schools over the last week and what she's learned about each team.

They wrap up by discussing the hire of Jason Phillips at Satsuma and why Robert thinks its a great hire for the Gators.

This week on the Big Friday Kickoff Podcast, Emily and Robert are joined by Vlad Valasiuk, the founder of Bama Preps, a social media platform dedicated to changing the way Alabama high school football is covered.

From recruiting to the biggest storylines across the state, Vlad shares how Bama Preps got started, how it’s grown, and why social media has become such a powerful tool in high school sports.

They also discuss the transfer portal, the changing landscape of Alabama high school football, and what the future may hold for players, coaches, and fans.

This week on the Big Friday Kickoff Podcast, Emily and Robert break down the latest coaching news.

McIntosh hires former Vigor coach John McKenzie and Rodney Jordan is out at Satsuma. We break down the latest coaching moves.

Then, we see our local players stand in the latest recruiting rankings.

We have instant reactions to the news that Mary G. Montgomery High School has been fined, placed probation and head coach Zach Golson has been suspended.

We break down the news and discuss what this means for the MGM football program going forward.

This week on the Big Friday Kickoff Podcast, Robert Ristaneo and Emily Cochran break down the fallout surrounding the suspension of Mary G. Montgomery Head Coach Zach Golson before previewing some of the biggest local spring football games on the schedule.

Plus… why the Daphne vs. Gulfport matchup could be one of the Gulf Coast’s must-watch spring showdowns.

This week, Sports Director Emily Cochran and Robert Ristaneo are breaking down the starting quarterbacks in class 2A and 1A.

Is Jace Sellers the best quarterback in 1A? Will Jayden Collins take another big step for Chickasaw? They break it all down.

Then, Big Friday Kickoff Photographer Hayden Hite joins the show to say goodbye. Hayden is following his dream of becoming a pilot so they talk about some of their favorite memories during his time with FOX10.

We have an emergency, breaking news episode of the Big Friday Kickoff Podcast as Mary G. Montgomery Head Coach Zach Golson has been placed on administrative leave.

FOX10 News reporter Claudia Nichols has been covering this story and joins the podcast to tell us what she’s found out.

We will have our regular Wednesday episode tomorrow afternoon.

This week on the Big Friday Kickoff Podcast, Sports Director Emily Cochran and Robert Ristaneo are highlighting the best returning skill players in Class 3A, 2A, and 1A.

All of the best running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, and all-around gamechangers on offense, we'll discuss them in this episode.

This week on the Big Friday Kickoff Podcast, Robertsdale Head Coach Justin Jones joins the show as he enters year two leading the Golden Bears. We’re talking expectations, the process of rebuilding a program, and the personal side of coaching his own son. From setting the standard to changing the culture, there’s a real buzz building in Robertsdale. You don’t want to miss this one.

This week, on a new episode of the Big Friday Kickoff Podcast, it’s packed with high school football talk.

Sports Director Emily Cochran and Robert Ristaneo break down the top offensive skill players to watch this season across Double A and Single A private schools. We also dive into the new playoff format and what it means moving forward.

This week on the Big Friday Kickoff Podcast, Sports Director Emily Cochran and Robert Ristaneo highlight some of best skill position players in 6A, 5A, and 4A for the 2026-2027 season.

We look at some of the best running backs, wide receivers, and playmakers who will make the biggest difference for their teams next season.

This week on the Big Friday Kickoff Podcast, Emily and Robert rank the returning quarterbacks in Region One, class 4A, 3A, and the two private school divisions.

From Gunner Rivers, Shamar Toodle, and Davis Barnett to Tucker Wade and Jarrod Crook, we break down the numbers, success, and projected upcoming season to compile our first rankings of the offseason. 

This week on the Big Friday Kickoff Podcast, Emily and Robert talk about Saraland Quarterback Jamison Roberts and his performance at the Elite 11 camp.

Then they talk about Snook Christian joining the AHSAA before running through the latest ASWA rankings for baseball, softball, and soccer.

This week on the Big Friday Kickoff Podcast, Emily Cochran and Robert Ristaneo sit down with T.P. Hammock — co-host of the Alabama High School Football History Podcast.

From his roots as a sports writer to helping build one of the most detailed archives of high school football in the state, Hammock shares the story behind the podcast and the passion it takes to track every game played on Friday nights across Alabama.

If you love Friday night lights, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.