We’re still a month away from kickoff, but much like SEC Football Media Days last week, this Thursday’s high school football media day in Gainesville is the unofficial kickoff to the prep football season.

This year’s North Central Florida High School Football Media Day will originate from Best Western Gateway Grand (4200 NW 97th Blvd, Gainesville) in the Springhills Ballroom beginning at 9 a.m.

Putting together a media day, like I did last year for basketball, takes a lot of work.

“It’s incredibly demanding—logistically, financially and mentally,” said Joshua Wilson, founder and publisher of FloridaHSFootball.com, who is organizing the one-day event. “We’re expecting over 30 teams this Thursday in Gainesville, just over a week after hosting nearly 60 teams at our Tampa Bay Media Day at the Buccaneers’ facility.”

Wilson said these events “don’t come together easily or cheaply.”

“Behind the scenes, we’re coordinating with coaches, securing venues, organizing media flow, preparing live production, designing graphics for each team, and managing on-air talent and equipment—all to ensure a high-quality experience for every program involved,” Wilson said. “This year, we’ve moved the event to the Best Western Gateway Grand to better accommodate our needs and improve the overall setup. While the venue will help us deliver a smooth event, the reality is that putting something like this on takes significant time and funding.”

Last year, Wilson had strong community support, with many local businesses stepping up to sponsor team segments. Unfortunately, that level of support hasn’t carried over this year.

“It’s disheartening, not because we expect anything for free but because this event is about uplifting local student-athletes and programs in a way few others do,” Wilson said. “When fewer businesses invest, it threatens the long-term sustainability of something that’s truly special for this region. Thankfully, we do have a few loyal partners returning or stepping in, such as Jaguars PREP, scoutSMART, Vertical Raise, and our newest long-term partner, the Florida Coaches Coalition.”

Wilson said their support has helped cover the venue rental, but it doesn’t begin to account for the countless hours invested or the production costs needed to execute an event of this scale.

“We believe in what we’re doing and its value to the community, but to continue doing this at a high level, we need more businesses to see it as an opportunity to give back, support local schools, and be part of something bigger. It really does take a village,” he said.

Gainesville has been a hotbed for high school football media day around the state.

Four years ago, Eastside High School hosted the event, marking the 20th anniversary of high school football media day in the state of Florida.

It was started in 2001 by former Gainesville Sun prep editor John Patton, sports editor Arnold Feliciano, Cliff Olsen, among others, with 34 teams in a three-day period at the Gainesville Sun.

In 2022, FloridaHSFootball.com partnered with Varsity Sports Network and hosted the event at Hotel Indigo in Gainesville, followed by media day coverage in 2023 at Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille in Celebration Pointe.

A total of 30 teams assembled at the Alachua County Sports & Events Center at Celebration Pointe in Gainesville for the 2024 North Central Florida High School Football Media Day.

“Putting together the North Central Florida High School Football Media Day means a great deal, not just to high school football but to the community as a whole,” Wilson said. “In a time when media coverage of high school sports has declined in many areas of the state, Gainesville continues to be a place where high school athletics are celebrated and prioritized.”

Wilson is going into his 16th year of operating FloridaHSFootball.com, which covers high school football on a state-wide level.

“In some parts of Florida, it’s hard to even find a blurb in the newspaper about Friday night’s games, so to bring something like this Media Day to a region where high school sports still matter is significant,” said Wilson, who covered high school sports for four years before launching his site in 2010. “It also gives players and coaches the platform to share their excitement about the upcoming season and highlight all the hard work they’ve put in during the offseason. That’s incredibly rewarding to witness.”

The full Media Day will be livestreamed (Watch here) on multiple platforms, including YouTube and Facebook @FloridaHSFootball and on X (formerly Twitter) @FlaHSFootball.

Each team. will have about 10–12 minutes on stage, with live Q&A and on-screen graphics that include player information and the team’s 2025 schedule.

After the event, replays and individual team segments will be available on their YouTube channel and FloridaHSFootball.com—making it easy for athletes, coaches, parents, and fans to go back and watch.

If any local businesses are interested in stepping in, FloridaHSFootball.com is offering team. sponsorships for just $200 (a discounted rate from the original $300). That includes logo placement during the team’s segment, a 30-second commercial or live read, and promotion on our digital materials. Packages for multiple teams are also available.

To get involved or for more information, contact Joshua Wilson at (904) 217-1153 or joshua.wilson@floridahsfootball.com.

Among some of the storylines are Class 6A state semifinalist Buchholz football, its post-Trace Johnson era and University of Florida commit Justin Williams, who finished second in the voting last year for the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 6A Player of the Year, Rural state runner-up Hawthorne football and its quest for a sixth straight state championship game appearance, and can Newberry football reload and make another run at a district title and lengthy postseason run in Class 2A.

Plus, the impact of offseason coaching changes across several rural classification programs.

“But more than anything, I’m excited to hear from all the teams,” Wilson said. “Each program. brings a unique story, and this event allows us to spotlight them all in a way that’s meaningful and memorable.”

Mainstreet Daily News will once again have a 16-page special insert to be distributed during our print publication on Wednesday, Aug. 20, just prior to the start of the regular season (2024 online e-edition).

All online football stories/previews will begin on Monday, Aug. 11, and run daily through Friday, Aug. 22.

Tentative schedule for Thursday

SEGMENT SCHOOL/MEDIA CHECK-IN TIME ON-DECK TIME ON-AIR TIME
1 Opening of Media Day 8:30 A.M. 8:47 A.M. 9:00 A.M.
2 Suwannee Bulldogs 8:43 A.M. 9:00 A.M. 9:13 A.M.
3 Dixie County Bears 8:56 A.M. 9:13 A.M. 9:26 A.M.
4 Chiefland Indians 9:09 A.M. 9:26 A.M. 9:39 A.M.
5 Keystone Heights Indians 9:22 A.M. 9:39 A.M. 9:52 A.M.
6 Gainesville Hurricanes 9:35 A.M. 9:52 A.M. 10:05 A.M.
7 North Marion Colts 9:48 A.M. 10:05 A.M. 10:18 A.M.
8 Interlachen Rams 10:01 A.M. 10:18 A.M. 10:31 A.M.
9 Countryside Chr. Minutemen 10:14 A.M. 10:31 A.M. 10:44 A.M.
10 Trinity Catholic Celtics 10:27 A.M. 10:44 A.M. 10:57 A.M.
11 Oak Hall Eagles 10:40 A.M. 10:57 A.M. 11:10 A.M.
12 Buchholz Bobcats 10:53 A.M. 11:10 A.M. 11:23 A.M.
13 Eastside Rams 11:06 A.M. 11:23 A.M. 11:36 A.M.
14 Forest Wildcats 11:19 A.M. 11:36 A.M. 11:49 A.M.
15 Hamilton County Trojans 11:32 A.M. 11:49 A.M. 12:02 P.M.
16 — LUNCH BREAK — 11:45 A.M. 12:02 P.M. 12:15 P.M.
17 — LUNCH BREAK — 11:58 A.M. 12:15 P.M. 12:28 P.M.
18 Trenton Tigers 12:11 P.M. 12:28 P.M. 12:41 P.M.
19 West Port Wolf Pack 12:24 P.M. 12:41 P.M. 12:54 P.M.
20 Branford Buccaneers 12:37 P.M. 12:54 P.M. 1:07 P.M.
21 Dunnellon Tigers 12:50 P.M. 1:07 P.M. 1:20 P.M.
22 Bronson Eagles 1:03 P.M. 1:20 P.M. 1:33 P.M.
23 Bradford Tornadoes 1:16 P.M. 1:33 P.M. 1:46 P.M.
24 Vanguard Knights 1:29 P.M. 1:46 P.M. 1:59 P.M.
25 Saint Francis Catholic Wolves 1:42 P.M. 1:59 P.M. 2:12 P.M.
26 Newberry Panthers 1:55 P.M. 2:12 P.M. 2:25 P.M.
27 Bell Bulldogs 2:08 P.M. 2:25 P.M. 2:38 P.M.
28 Belleview Rattlers 2:21 P.M. 2:38 P.M. 2:51 P.M.
29 Lake Weir Hurricanes 2:34 P.M. 2:51 P.M. 3:04 P.M.
30 Hawthorne Hornets 2:47 P.M. 3:04 P.M. 3:17 P.M.
31 Union County Tigers 3:00 P.M. 3:17 P.M. 3:30 P.M.
32 Williston Red Devils 3:13 P.M. 3:30 P.M. 3:43 P.M.
33 Fort White Indians 3:26 P.M. 3:43 P.M. 3:56 P.M.
34 Columbia Tigers 3:39 P.M. 3:56 P.M. 4:09 P.M.
35 Closing of Media Day 3:52 P.M. 4:09 P.M. 4:22 P.M.