The Alpharetta Raiders will open the Danny Carlisle era Aug. 21 against Heritage with a roster headlined by a Power 4 recruit and a proven running back, all after a summer spent practicing outdoors because construction shut down their school campus.

Carlisle, who previously coached at Chattahoochee, was the first head coach to take the stage at the Fulton County Schools media day July 24 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. He brought two players with him: junior offensive lineman Calvin Landy Jr. and junior running back Nick DePietro.

Landy has pulled in scholarship offers from Georgia, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia Tech and North Carolina. He told Appen Media he wants college scouts to know he is "very coachable and very versatile" and can play all five positions on the offensive line.

DePietro earned 2024 Region 7-5A second-team honors and rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a sophomore at Johns Creek. He transferred to Alpharetta and spent last season on the junior varsity squad to comply with GHSA transfer rules. Carlisle called him the team's "workhorse" heading into 2026.

"I'm excited to see us come together," DePietro said at media day. "We're all confident in our coaching staff and to see how far we can go."

Summer of adversity

Alpharetta High's campus was closed from May 22 through July 27 for construction, forcing summer staff to relocate to Innovation Academy on Milton Avenue. For the football team, that meant every workout happened outside, exposed to Georgia's summer heat.

Carlisle said setup and breakdown for each practice takes an hour and a half. Still, he told reporters the players accepted the challenge as an opportunity for the development they wanted.

The school's athletics account posted a construction access map in late May directing families to use the Lower Stadium Entrance for drop-off during summer workouts.

What's ahead

As we reported Aug. 6, the Raiders' Week 0 matchup against Heritage marks the official start of the Carlisle era. The full 2026 schedule has not been published online; Appen Media directed readers to its print edition for dates beyond the opener.

Across town, Milton returns 15 starters and three Power Four commits in its own title chase, as we covered Tuesday, Aug. 11.

The Raiders open against Heritage on Aug. 21.