Irmo football is back, and the Yellow Jackets are still seeking that ever-elusive state title. 

After consecutive championship appearances in the 5A Division II title game, Irmo is back in 4A and considered one of the favorites to win it all. 

Head coach Aaron Brand is still in charge. Since taking over, Irmo has become one of the most formidable programs in the state. 

The Yellow Jackets have come so close to winning a title, but lost both games to Northwestern. The Trojans are no longer in the same classification as Irmo, removing one potential obstacle from the team’s path. 

In their new 4A region, Irmo will be placed with a lot of teams from the Aiken area. There are no other Lexington County football teams in 4A. Many of those new region mates were in the same conference as Airport, Gilbert, Gray Collegiate and Brookland-Cayce last season. 

Brand made it clear that for the team to be successful this season, they can’t afford mistakes that have cost them other key games. 

“We’ve got to be better. We cannot keep self-inflicting ourselves into bad situations,” he said. “It's got to change. I'm too old for us to not be able to be disciplined on the field.”

Those mistakes have bitten Irmo in both of their trips to the championship. It also cost the team two region titles to Dutch Fork. 

In their first contest of this season, Irmo’s mistakes cost them a game against Rock Hill. The Yellow Jackets got into a 17-0 hole, were penalized more than 20 times and threw two crucial interceptions in the final minutes. 

“We laid an egg,” Brand said. 

Despite this, Brand believes his team will adjust this season as the year goes on. It’s not just on the players to clean things up, it’s also the coaches. 

“We’ve got to coach it better, got to behave better, especially between the whistles,” he said. “We’ll be better next time out.” 

Players to watch 

Irmo’s roster is full of talent on both the offense and defensive sides of the ball. 

With multiple players committed to Division I schools, the Yellow Jackets are favorites to advance deep in the playoffs. 

Leading the offense this season is quarterback Britton Davis. The junior split reps last season, but is poised to hold the role full-time in 2026. 

Running behind Davis is Alabama commit Tai Phillips. 

South Carolina commit Nate Carson is the leader on the offensive line, and athlete Jay Eady is one of the top pass-catching targets. 

The Yellow Jackets’ defense revolves around edge rusher Jaiden Bryant. He is committed to playing college ball at Miami.

2026 schedule

Week 0 - Aug. 21 - vs. Rock Hill

Week 1 - Aug. 28 - at Spring Valley

Week 2 - Sept. 4 - at Lower Richland

Week 3 - Sept. 11 - vs. Wilson

Week 4 - Sept. 18 - at Dorman

Week 5 - Sept. 25 - BYE

Week 6 - Oct. 2 - vs. North Augusta*

Week 7 - Oct. 9 - at South Aiken*

Week 8 - Oct. 16 - at Midland Valley*

Week 9 - Oct. 23 - vs. Aiken*

Week 10 - Oct. 30 - vs. Fox Creek*

Note: (*) indicates a game against a region opponent