Miami Gardens, Fla. – The Miami Dolphins welcomed 100 high school football teams from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties for the 2026 Tackle Football High School Media Day presented by Gatorade Water. The event was held at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 15 and brought together more than 1000 student-athletes and 200 coaches – including 2025 National Football Coach of the Year Roger Harriott of St. Thomas Aquinas – to participate in a day designed to celebrate, educate and inspire the next generation of South Florida’s football talent.
This year’s Media Day featured 24 schools from Miami-Dade County, 39 from Broward County and 37 from Palm Beach County. Among the attendees were multiple 2025 FHSAA state championship-winning teams, including Cardinal Newman (Class 1A), American Heritage-Plantation (Class 4A) and St. Thomas Aquinas (Class 5A), showcasing top-tier talent from across the tri-county area.
Throughout the media day experience, student-athletes attended multiple stations designed to teach, engage and empower. At the NCAA/NIL Roundtable, they heard directly from industry experts about the college recruiting process and how to navigate name, image and likeness opportunities. On the media stages, athletes experienced press conferences and interviews with local media, helping them build confidence and communication skills in front of the camera. Communication and Sports Broadcast students from local colleges, including Nova Southeastern, Florida Memorial University and St. Thomas University, were also invited to participate in the press conferences and film team content to gain valuable professional experience.
Miami Dolphins alumnus Lamar Thomas made a special appearance at the press conferences stages to talk to players and coaches. Teams completed their experience in the photo area to capture professional-style media day portraits for each program.
“It was incredible to welcome high school football teams from across South Florida back to Hard Rock Stadium for High School Media Day,” said Miami Dolphins Vice President of Community Affairs Kim Miller. “It’s important to us that local student-athletes feel empowered by this event and take home information they can utilize as a resource to support their futures. Our priority is to facilitate their growth both on and off the field and we’re proud to help foster the next generation of leaders in our community and beyond.”
This initiative is part of the Miami Dolphins continued commitment to fostering youth development through football, offering student-athletes an opportunity to be recognized for their achievements in tandem with providing important knowledge to support their journey both on and off the field.
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