Meet the No. 1 football players across the USA Today Florida Network
Jon SantucciWe're No. 1!
Several of the sites in the USA Today Florida Network posted the list of the top college football recruits in their area.
Here are the players who topped those lists.
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Note: Not every list ranked the players. In those cases, the top-ranked player from the area on the USA Today Florida Network top 100 is listed below.
Brevard County
Robert Stafford (Eau Gallie ATH)
Making the jump from offense to defense is what Stafford said really got him major college attention.
"At first, it was receiver my freshmen and sophomore year. Then I just went to DB this year, and that's when all the big stuff started dropping," Stafford said.
In his first full season of playing on defense, Stafford had one interception, 19 tackles and five pass breakups.
As a wide receiver last season, Stafford had 42 catches for 605 yards and five touchdowns. — 321preps Dandy Dozen
More:Position switch boosted Robert Stafford's appeal to colleges
Daytona Beach
Sharif Denson (Bartram Trail CB)
Cornerback is a dog-eat-dog position, in the words of Bartram Trail senior Sharif Denson.
On his own team, Denson stands alone as the alpha on the boundary. But this spring, the Florida commit linked up with one of the nation's elite 7-on-7 secondaries — South Florida Express. He teamed with Lakeland's Cormani McClain, American Heritage's Damari Brown, Wharton's Dijon Johnson and Texas phenom Malik Muhammad during the tournament cycle.
"If you give up a (completion) early in the tournament, you're getting taken out of the game," Denson said. "I'm trying to play with the best players possible. It shows (college) coaches that I'm not scared to compete with these guys at the same spot." — Daytona Beach Terrific 10
More:Sharif Denson, Bartram Trail's lockdown corner and Florida commit, tops list
Jacksonville
Jordan Hall (Westside DL)
As a junior, Hall dominated the heart of the line despite constant double-teams, recording 34 tackles (15 for loss) and five sacks. He also forced one fumble and recovered another, earning All-First Coast recognition as well as the district's player of the year award.
Hall is now pounding down barriers in a new way, mauling offensive lines for the Wolverines to earn a berth on the Times-Union's annual Super 11 list for high school football prospects.
"Before I got there, I know for my generation, nobody wanted to go to Westside," he said.
The school hadn't produced a Super 11 selection since linebacker and future Gators national champion Brandon Hicks in 2006, when the school was still known as Forrest High. It's different now. — Florida Times-Union Super 11
More:Offense to defense switch pays off for Westside defensive tackle Jordan Hall
Gainesville
Gavin Hill (Buchholz DL)
The production of Gavin Hill is a direct reflection of the talent on Buchholz's defense. Last season, Hill was a part of the Bobcats' defense that gave up just 73 points in the regular season. Often double-teamed by opposing offensive lines, Hill tallied 18 tackles in 2021 with eight of them being behind the line of scrimmage. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 255 pounds, Hill has garnered the attention of a number of Power 5 schools, including the likes of Arizona, Auburn, Kentucky, Miami and Florida State. But at the end of the day, soon after Hill hauled in his "dream offer" from Florida, he committed to the Gators shortly after. — Gainesville Sun Super 11
More:Super 11: Gainesville Sun picks area's best high school football players for 2022 season
Lakeland
Cormani McClain (Lakeland CB)
Cormani McClain's talent was obvious early. Following his sophomore season, then-Lake Gibson High head coach Robert Paxia nominated McClain as the county's Defensive Player of the Year.
There hardly was any pushback from the other county coaches, and they weren't the only ones awed by McClain's talent.
McClain began piling up college offers as he rose to the top of the recruiting rankings. Often described as a player who will play on Sunday, McClain enters his senior year as the No. 1-ranked player in the state and the No. 3-ranked player in the nation. He's also No. 1 on The Ledger's Super 16 list, Polk County's top 16 college football recruits heading into the 2022 high school football season."When I was a kid, I always wanted it (No. 1 ranking)," he said. "I used to want to say I'm No. 1, I'm No. 1, I'm No. 1. But now that I got it, I'm just humbled. It really humbles me." — Lakeland Ledger Super 16
More:Super 16: Lakeland's McClain can't hide his talent, 'he's a special player'
Palm Beach
Dee Jay Holmes (Pahokee EDGE)
Last season, Holmes led Pahokee's dog-eat-dog defense to the Class 1A region finals and a 9-2 finish. It was the Blue Devils' best finish since going 14-0 in 2008 for their last state championship.
The 6-foot-3, 255-pound end and tackle posted 92 tackles, 19.5 sacks, one interception and three forced fumbles as a junior, earning a three-star rating and the looks of college coaches of all conferences.
Even with 24 offers, Holmes' recruitment is open, planning to add more with what the team hopes is Pahokee's seventh state title in history. — Palm Beach Post Super 11
More:How Pahokee star DeeJay Holmes Jr. does justice to Anquan Boldin's legendary jersey number
Sarasota
Damon Wilson (Venice EDGE)
He stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 240 pounds. He has an 81-inch wingspan, making it virtually impossible for an offensive lineman to get his hands on him. He can bench press 450 pounds, but strength alone doesn't make Damon Wilson the area's top recruit, with scholarship offers from 33 colleges.
"He's the total package," Venice coach John Peacock said. "He's the kind of guy you want to date your daughter. And he might be the No. 1 player in the country." — Sarasota Herald-Tribune Super 20
More:Venice's Damon Wilson tops the H-T's Super 20 list as Sarasota area's No. 1 football recruit
Southwest Florida
Richard Young (Lehigh RB)
The hype around Richard Young has been known before he even played a down of high school football in 2019.
The Lehigh running back, entering his senior season, was the local Pop Warner legend. He was physically mature beyond his years at the time and still is to this day, choosing not to be complacent. Despite taking numerous visits this past summer, Young always found time to get in the weight room, work on agility training, and much more.
He's even hungrier this season after putting up video game-type numbers in 2021 when he won the Southwest Florida Football Offensive Player of the Year. Young's looking to surpass his 1,755 yards and 20 touchdowns from a season ago, which would put him over 5,000 yards for his high school career.
Young is the first player to be at the top of The News-Press/Naples Daily News Big 15 list for three straight three seasons. — Southwest Florida Big 15
More:The Big 15: See who from Dunbar, Naples, First Baptist, Lehigh ranked No. 5 to 1 for 2022
Treasure Coast
Wilky Denaud (John Carroll Catholic EDGE)
The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Denaud held offers from Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Indiana, Miami, Penn State, South Carolina and Tennessee among others. Denaud narrowed his choices between of Auburn, Florida State, Indiana and Tennessee before selecting the Tigers and head coach Bryan Harsin.
With the size and athleticism tailored to playing in the SEC, Denaud had an excellent junior season with 55 total tackles, 15 sacks and 14½ tackles for loss to vault himself into one of the state's most coveted defensive line prospects. — TCPalm Super 11
More:Auburn commit Wilky Denaud set for monster final season with John Carroll Catholic