With the UIL set to reveals its biennial realignment at 9 a.m. Thursday, here’s a look back at Dave Campbell’s Texas Football’s predictions for the new districts and regions for the Brownwood Lions, Early Longhorns and Bangs Dragons.

Brownwood learned in early December in what remain in Class 4A Division I, and the publication feels head coach Sammy Burnett’s squad will shift to Region I. The Lions, however, could find themselves in an even tougher though their postseason journey could be easier.

According to DCTF, the Lions are projected to be in the new Class 4A Division I along with reigning Division I state champion Stephenville, reigning Division II state champion China Spring, perennial power La Vega, Alvarado and San Angelo Lake View.

“We could go to west Texas and be in with Andrews, Big Spring and San Angelo Lake View, we could go into the district we’ve been in the last four years and just remove Midlothian Heritage and replace them with China Spring,” Burnett said Wednesday morning. “There’s also a possibility we go toward Burnet, Lampasas, Marble Falls, Fredericksburg. With the UIL, you never know. If you look at a map and see where we are compared to everyone else in the state of Texas, we stick out and we could really go any direction. I have no clue what direction we’re going.”

Early and Bangs are both dropping as the Longhorns will be in Class 3A Division II for the next years while the Dragons will compete in Class 2A Division I.

For Early, the news was definitely a welcome gift as the Longhorns will be dropping down to Class 3A Division II in football. In all other sports, the Longhorns and Lady Horns will remain Class 3A as they have been for more than a decade.

With the drop to 3A Division II, Early will avoid a potential football district pairing in Division I with Brock and Jim Ned. Instead, the Longhorns could be facing district opponents such as Comanche, Dublin, and Eastland to the east, or Wall, Ballinger, San Angelo TLCA, and Grape Creek to the west.

“We were really excited to see we came in at the 3A Division II number,” said Early head football coach and athletic director Daniel Price said in December. “We knew we were going to be close. It really changes your outlook on life going from the district we’ve been in the last four years with Jim Ned, Breckenridge and Clyde and having that type of competition with the numbers we’ve had. We were pretty close to 70 kids less than all three of them and then you go to the playoffs and get Brock and you’re less than 100 kids from what they have.”

According to DCTF, Early is anticipated to land in District 5-3A Division II which also shifts them to a northeastern region. Along with the Longhorns, Comanche, Dublin, Eastland, Merkel and Millsap are expected to round out the league.

In Bangs, both the Dragons and Lady Dragons will change classifications completely with the drop to Class 2A, but football could be facing a tougher challenge. Schools that Bangs could be paired with include Cisco, Coleman, Goldthwaite, and San Saba.

“It’s definitely something that was unexpected for us just based on the history of the alignment numbers. That was quite a big jump,” Bangs head football coach Kyle Maxfield said in December. “We looked at it this morning, and we could go any direction I feel like, but (Cisco, Coleman, Goldthwaite, and San Saba) makes the most sense. But any time I think I’ve got the UIL figured out they do something else.”

According to DCTF, Bangs is projected to be housed in District 5-2A Division I along with Coleman, Goldthwaite, Harper, Junction, Mason, San Saba and Winters. District 5 is on the western edge of a region centered throughout the middle of the state, based on DCTF projections.

The fates of those three football programs, and the rest throughout the state, will be finalized Thursday morning.