HBCU media poll: Red Lobster Band of The Year (D1) 2026

The Red Lobster Band of the Year competition is heading into its fourth year, and the 2026 HBCU marching band season begins with a familiar name at the top of the Division I preseason rankings.

The North Carolina A&T State University Blue and Gold Marching Machine is ranked No. 1 in the 2026 Red Lobster Band of the Year Division I preseason media poll.

For the second consecutive year, media outlets that cover HBCUs and HBCU marching bands voted on a preseason poll ahead of the season. Twenty-two media outlets participated, ranking bands overall and across five categories: musicality; pictures, drill and design; percussion; drum majors; and auxiliaries.

North Carolina A&T has plenty of history with the competition. The Blue and Gold Marching Machine won the inaugural Division I Red Lobster Band of the Year championship in 2023. A&T returned to the championship in 2024, finishing as runner-up to the Florida A&M University Marching “100.”

The Southern University Human Jukebox enters 2026 as the reigning champion after capturing the 2025 Division I title.

But the preseason poll also brings two other prominent HBCU bands back into the Band of the Year conversation.

Jackson State, Bethune-Cookman ranked despite previous decisions

The Jackson State University Sonic Boom of the South is No. 2 in the preseason media poll, while the Bethune-Cookman University Marching Wildcats are ranked fifth.

Both programs made headlines during the 2025 season after announcing that they did not intend to participate in the Red Lobster Band of the Year finals process.

Jackson State announced in September 2025 that it wanted the Sonic Boom removed from the rankings, citing internal priorities. Bethune-Cookman director of bands Donovan Wells subsequently reiterated his opposition to the competition format and requested that the Marching Wildcats be excluded.

However, Band of the Year officials maintained that the bands would continue to be adjudicated during the season. Both Jackson State and Bethune-Cookman subsequently appeared in the October rankings despite having withdrawn from finals consideration.

That distinction is important with the release of the 2026 rankings: this is a preseason media poll, rather than an in-season ranking produced from adjudicated performances.

2026 Red Lobster Band of the Year Division I Preseason Top 10

1. North Carolina A&T State University — Blue and Gold Marching Machine
2. Jackson State University — Sonic Boom of the South
3. Norfolk State University — Spartan Legion
4. Southern University — Human Jukebox
5. Bethune-Cookman University — Marching Wildcats
6. Florida A&M University — Marching “100”
7. Texas Southern University — Ocean of Soul
8. Alabama State University — Mighty Marching Hornets
9. South Carolina State University — Marching 101
10. Tennessee State University — Aristocrat of Bands

North Carolina A&T, Jackson State and Norfolk State occupy the top three spots in the overall poll. Southern sits fourth as the defending champion, while Bethune-Cookman rounds out the top five.

The category rankings tell a slightly different story, with four different bands holding No. 1 positions.

Musicality

1. Florida A&M University — Marching “100”
2. Southern University — Human Jukebox
3. Norfolk State University — Spartan Legion
4. Jackson State University — Sonic Boom of the South
5. Bethune-Cookman University — Marching Wildcats
6. North Carolina A&T State University — Blue and Gold Marching Machine
7. Texas Southern University — Ocean of Soul
8. Tennessee State University — Aristocrat of Bands
9. Alabama State University — Mighty Marching Hornets
10. Prairie View A&M University — Marching Storm

Pictures, Drill & Design

1. Florida A&M University — Marching “100”
2. North Carolina A&T State University — Blue and Gold Marching Machine
3. Southern University — Human Jukebox
4. Norfolk State University — Spartan Legion
5. Bethune-Cookman University — Marching Wildcats
6. Jackson State University — Sonic Boom of the South
7. Texas Southern University — Ocean of Soul
8. Tennessee State University — Aristocrat of Bands
9. Prairie View A&M University — Marching Storm
10. North Carolina Central University — Sound Machine

Percussion

1. Norfolk State University — Spartan Legion
2. North Carolina A&T State University — Blue and Gold Marching Machine
3. Jackson State University — Sonic Boom of the South
4. Bethune-Cookman University — Marching Wildcats
5. South Carolina State University — Marching 101
6. Florida A&M University — Marching “100”
7. Texas Southern University — Ocean of Soul
8. Prairie View A&M University — Marching Storm
9. North Carolina Central University — Sound Machine
10. Alabama State University — Mighty Marching Hornets

Drum Majors

1. Jackson State University — Sonic Boom of the South
2. Florida A&M University — Marching “100”
3. Bethune-Cookman University — Marching Wildcats
4. Norfolk State University — Spartan Legion
5. Southern University — Human Jukebox
6. North Carolina A&T State University — Blue and Gold Marching Machine
7. Alabama State University — Mighty Marching Hornets
8. Texas Southern University — Ocean of Soul
9. South Carolina State University — Marching 101
10. Alcorn State University — Sounds of Dyn-O-Mite

Auxiliaries

1. North Carolina A&T State University — Blue and Gold Marching Machine
2. Southern University — Human Jukebox
3. Jackson State University — Sonic Boom of the South
4. Texas Southern University — Ocean of Soul
5. Alabama State University — Mighty Marching Hornets
6. Alcorn State University — Sounds of Dyn-O-Mite
7. Bethune-Cookman University — Marching Wildcats
8. Norfolk State University — Spartan Legion
9. Alabama A&M University — Marching Maroon and White
10. Prairie View A&M University — Marching Storm

The preseason results set up another intriguing HBCU band season. Florida A&M leads two categories — musicality and pictures, drill and design — despite ranking sixth overall. Norfolk State leads percussion, Jackson State leads drum majors and North Carolina A&T leads auxiliaries.

And the preseason nature of these rankings matters. Once the season gets underway, the Band of the Year process shifts toward performances being adjudicated and scored. In 2025, bands were encouraged to submit performances monthly before the field was progressively narrowed toward the championship selections.

Road to Atlanta starts here

The destination is Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The 2026 Red Lobster Band of the Year competition will take place Friday, Dec. 11, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, one night before the Cricket Celebration Bowl.

North Carolina A&T begins the journey at No. 1, looking for another HBCU championship after winning the inaugural title and finishing runner-up the following season. Southern begins its title defense from the No. 4 position, while 2024 champion Florida A&M starts sixth.

Meanwhile, the presence of Jackson State and Bethune-Cookman near the top adds another storyline to watch. Both remain among the most highly regarded bands in the preseason media poll and will be adjudicated, even after their decisions regarding participation in the Band of the Year finals became a major story last fall.

For now, though, this is the media’s first word on the 2026 Division I HBCU band landscape — not the last.