Skyline enters the 2026 football season as the team to beat in Region 10, earning the top spot in the preseason coaches poll ahead of defending champion Highland.

The Eagles return eight offensive starters and six on defense from a team that went 9-4 overall and 5-1 in region play last fall before falling 28-26 to Green Canyon in the 4A quarterfinals. New head coach Brandon Matich inherits a roster loaded with senior experience and a Utah-committed running back in Jonah Mailei.

"I'm surprised Highland is not the favorite," Matich told the Deseret News. "They won it last year, which until they are knocked off, they deserve to be favored."

New coach, proven résumé

Matich takes over for Ryan Mailei after a one-year hiatus from coaching. He's entering his 20th season as a head coach in Utah, having built East High into a powerhouse with back-to-back state championships in 2015 and 2016 during a 15-year tenure. Before East, he went 36-11 in four seasons at Park City. A Brighton High graduate and University of Utah alum, Matich will also serve as Skyline's offensive coordinator, running a power-spread scheme.

Sale Tuitavake joins the staff as defensive coordinator.

Mailei headlines returning talent

Jonah Mailei, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior, rushed for 1,215 yards and nine touchdowns while adding 344 receiving yards in 2025, earning Honorable Mention All-State honors. He committed to the University of Utah on May 12, choosing the Utes over Boise State and Oregon State. His father, Marcus Mailei, was a member of the New Orleans Saints' Super Bowl-winning team in 2009 after playing at Weber State.

Mailei also starts at linebacker on defense.

The biggest question mark is at quarterback, where transfer Tate Johnson steps in for graduated First Team All-State signal-caller Xavier Cocci. Cocci accounted for more than 4,600 total yards and 49 touchdowns in 2025. Johnson arrives from Mountain View, where he threw for 1,973 yards with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions last season.

Region 10 landscape

The full preseason poll: 1. Skyline, 2. Highland, 3. Murray, 4. East, 5. Juan Diego, 6. Jordan, 7. Cottonwood.

Highland went 6-0 in region play last year, including a 24-7 win over Skyline that clinched the title. The Rams return eight starters on each side of the ball. Head coach Kautai Olevao wrote in the Deseret News preseason questionnaire that his returning players understand what it took to win the region championship and are pushing the team through the offseason.

Cottonwood, the other Holladay-area team in Region 10, sits at No. 7 under new head coach Mike Ward with zero returning starters on either side of the ball.