By Birmingham City Schools | The Birmingham Times
Huffman High School senior Carlos Smith Jr. is the AHSAA Class 1A-7A Spring Esports State Champion for Madden ’26, the first in school history.
Smith bested Maximus Murrah of Sheffield High School by a score of 49-42 for the championship. Playing as the Philadelphia Eagles, Smith scored a touchdown in with less than a minute to play to claim the victory over Murrah, who controlled the Baltimore Ravens.
The senior also excels in the classroom with a 3.8 GPA. He is a member of the Student Government Association, National Honor Society, the Vikings bowling team and the Peer Peace Board, and he serves as a senior ambassador.
Under Coach Justin Hackett, Carlos Huffman Jr. has enjoyed success in esports. (Birmingham City Schools)
Under Coach Justin Hackett, Huffman has enjoyed recent success in Esports. Earlier this school year, Class of 2026 graduate Robert Miller secured an Esports scholarship from the University of Montevallo.
Colleges across the country offer tens of millions of dollars in esports scholarship money, with more being added every year.
The championship also marks back-to-back state champions for Birmingham City Schools, as Wenonah’s Amari Megginson, who won the Fall 2026 Esports Championship, ironically playing as the Ravens and beating the Ravens.
Esports competition is rooted in technology. Research has found a large crossover between esports players and STEM interests. In fact, more than 50% of aspiring esports students pursue college majors in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) category.
Esports are co-ed, inclusive, and engage students who might not otherwise participate in other school activities or athletics.
Participation in esports follows the same strict scholastic requirements as any other high school sport. Teachers and parents both report renewed interest in schoolwork and an improvement in student grades as a result of participation.
