Looking outside Texas In a state that had 1,253 football-playing schools this year, Buchanan would like to see Texas adopt a model similar to what Oklahoma and Arkansas use. Oklahoma has 335 football-playing schools and Arkansas has 209, but both have only the largest 16 schools that compete in their top classification/division, with 12 making the playoffs. Bobby Swofford, assistant executive director for the Arkansas Activities Association, said that setup has been used since 2007. Arkansas went to that format because its largest 7A schools have enrollments of about 2,300, and the 32nd-largest school in the state has about 600 students. UIL deputy executive director Jamey Harrison said in July that adding a Class 7A is something that “we will always be looking at,” but it may not happen by the next realignment in two years. “It’s really a math problem,” Harrison said. “Currently in 5A and 6A there are about 500 schools in those two conferences combined. You have to ask how few schools can we have in a conference and make it work geographically and make it a legitimate conference. “The smallest [classification] we have is 4A in terms of number of schools, and that’s in the mid-190s. So if you think 200 times three — 7A, 6A and 5A — you’re going to need about 600 schools to make it work. We know we have 500, but where is that other 100 going to come from?” Using Buchanan’s suggestion, a Class 8A would start with Allen and go down to Dickinson, which had the 32nd-highest enrollment for the UIL’s realignment in February at 3,580.5. The 32 largest schools in the state include 14 from the Dallas area and 13 from the Houston area. The only problem is that the other five schools are spread out, with two in the Austin area, two in Odessa and one in Laredo. But that might not be the case in 2032, as more boomtowns pop up in the suburbs around Dallas and Houston. Celina and Anna could be competing in the highest classification by then, even though both are currently 4A schools. Several coaches who responded to a survey by The News had thoughts similar to Buchanan’s. “The UIL should adopt a 7A for the 2026 realignment. Maybe the top 32 [schools],” Frisco coach Jeff Harbert said. “The growth of our state dictates a larger classification to greater equalize the playing field. There is a great deal of difference between a 2,300 6A school and a 6A school with 4,000 to 4,500 kids. “I’d say schools with 3,500 and up are in 7A, then 3,499 to 2,225 would be 6A.” Eight years ago, Oklahoma had its largest 32 schools competing in one division. The decision was then made to split those up into two 6A divisions of 16 schools each. “I think if you polled the 16 bottom schools, they would think it’s the greatest thing that has ever happened in the history of mankind,” said Mike Whaley, associate director for the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association. “But I don’t know that you would get that from everybody else.” The change was made because Jenks and Tulsa Union combined to win 18 consecutive state titles when Oklahoma’s 6A didn’t have two divisions. Since the change, six different schools have won state in 6A.