This article shows the top athlete in every high school football recruiting class from 2014-2022 according to 247sports.com. Many of these top athletes have gone on to have amazing college and professional careers.
2014: Myles Garrett, Defensive End
The top athlete in the class of 2014 was a prospect named Myles Garrett. Playing for Martin High school out of Texas, Garrett decided to stay in-state and enrolled at Texas A&M. Garrett's career at Texas A&M was dominant; he ended his career playing a total of 34 games recording 141 tackles and 31 sacks. Garrett was a great fit at Texas A&M and was developed into an All-American defensive end by his junior year. The All-American decided to forgo his senior season and declare for the 2017 draft. He was selected first overall to the Cleveland Browns, where he has become 4-time Pro Bowler and 2-time All-Pro team. Other prominent recruits in the class include Leonard Fournette and Jabrill Peppers.
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2015: Trenton Thompson, Defensive Tackle
Trenton Thompson was the top recruit in the 2015 class. In his senior season, Thompson tallied 84 tackles, including 36 tackles for loss and four sacks, one interception and one forced fumble, earning him USA Today's National Defensive Player of the Year. The Georgia native decided to play for the home team, the Georgia Bulldogs, and join their powerhouse team. Thompson played in 13 games his junior year with three starts and 38 total stops…3.5 of those tackles resulted in lost yardage. Thompson decided to leave UGA after his junior year and declare for the draft despite injuries. He went undrafted in the 2018 draft and signed as a free agent to the Cleveland Browns. Since his season on the Browns, Tompson has played professional football in leagues other than the NFL, most recently signing with the Indoor Football League's Vegas NightHawks.
2016: Rashan Gary, Defensive Tackle
Rashan Gary, from Paramus Catholic in New Jersey was the best football player in the 2016 class. Committed to University of Michigan, he had 13.5 sacks, 55 tackles (including 29 tackles for loss), four forced fumbles, and returned a blocked punt for a touchdown in nine games his senior season. This performance led to him being named USA Today's Defensive Player of the Year. Gary recorded 38 total tackles during the 2018 season, including 6.5 tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks in his junior season at Michigan. Gary decided to not return to Michigan after his junior year of college and declared for the draft. He was drafted 12th overall by the Green Bay Packers. His four seasons at the Packers resulted in 80 career solo tackles and 22.5 sacks.
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2017: Walker Little, Offensive Tackle
Walker Little was a five star and highly recruited prospect in 2017. His size, strength, and natural ability made him the top offensive lineman and football player in his class. He committed to Stanford where he started every game in the 2018 season which resulted in Little being named Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year. Little did not play much due to injury in 2019 and did not return to Stanford in 2020 due to the pandemic. Little declared for the 2021 draft and was selected in the second round with the 45th pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
2018: Trevor Lawrence, Quarterback
Trevor Lawrence was the best college prospect in the 2018 class. Since his sophomore year in high school, Lawrence finished with 41 victories, 2 state championships, and 4 region titles. Many schools competed to recruit the talented playmaker. Lawrence ultimately decided to attend Clemson University, where he had an amazing career. He won the National Championship his freshman year and did not lose a football game until the National Championship the next year. Lawrence was touted as one of the best college prospects since quarterback John Elway. The Jacksonville Jaguars picked Lawrence as the first overall pick.
2019: Antonio Alfano, Defensive Line
Antonio Alfano was a five star defensive lineman for New Jersey. And was named to the All-American team. He committed to University of Alabama to play under legendary coach Nick Saban. At Alabama, Alfano did not attend classes or practice and his time at Alabama was short. Alfano transferred to Colorado after his freshman year. He had problems at Colorado and was suspended from their team in 2020. Alfano never quite lived up to his potential. His actions and behavior hurt his football career and has no game stats available.
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2020: Bryce Young, Quarterback
Bryce Young had an incredible career after transferring to California high school powerhouse Mater Dei. His senior season ended with more than 4500 passing yards and 58 touchdowns. His senior performance secured him the California Gatorade Player of the Year and USA Today's Offensive Player of the Year. At the University of Alabama, Bryce Young went 11-2 his junior year and culminated in winning the Sugar bowl against Kansas State. Young decided to not return to Alabama his senior year and declared for the 2023 draft, where he was the first overall pick by the Carolina Panthers.
2021: Quinn Ewers, Quarterback
This high school quarterback from Texas was one of the best recruits to ever come out of the state. He is the first QB to receive a perfect 1.000 ranking from 247sports.com. He completed 28 touchdown passes and over 2,400 passing yards in only eight games his junior season. Ewers committed to Ohio State University after his senior year of high school. He transferred after one year at Ohio State to the University of Texas. He started for the Longhorns in 2022 and finished with a passer rating of 132.6, throwing for 15 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, and over 2,100 passing yards. Ewers is looking to put together another good season with the Texas Longhorns in 2023.
2022 – Travis Hunter, Cornerback
Travis Hunter made headlines in 2022 when he committed to Jackson State, looking to play for NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders. He was the highest ranked recruit to play for an HBCU or FCS football team. Hunter recorded 76 receptions for 1,128 yards, 10 touchdowns on offense, 23 tackles, 4 interceptions, and a forced fumble on defense his senior year. Hunter had a pretty good freshman year at Jackson State: 15 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 1 touchdown. News broke in 2022 that coach Sanders was leaving Jackson State to become the head coach at Colorado. Hunter announced he has entered the transfer portal and committed to Colorado, following Coach Sanders.
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Image Credit: USA Today/USA Today/USA Today
* Originally published on June 7, 2023, by Ryan Wiley
