Unlike basketball and baseball, where outstanding high school prospects only need one to two years to make their rise to the professional level, football requires great high school players to pay their dues.
High school football players are not immediately eligible for the draft, like baseball prospects, and they are unable to leave for the NFL draft after their freshman year in college, like basketball players. Most top football players put in anywhere from four to five years at the college level before making themselves eligible for the NFL draft.
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As a result, judging the best high school players from the past decade can be a tricky task. While success at the pro level was not a necessary criterion for selecting the MaxPreps All-Decade High School Football Team, having players excel at the college and pro level certainly helps to validate the honors achieved at the high school level.
With that in mind, the All-Decade team is weighted a little more toward the first half of the decade since players in the latter half are still proving themselves at the college level. Perhaps in five years if we were to re-evaulate the first 10 years of the 21st century, our All-Decade Team might look different than it does today.
But in the absence of a time machine that can whisk us into the future, here are our choices for the top high school players from the past decade. Note that the players are chosen based on their graduating class, thus the selections are from the classes of 2000 to 2009.
MAXPREPS ALL-DECADE FOOTBALL TEAM
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WR – Percy Harvin, Landstown, Virginia Beach (Va.), 2005-06. Caught 78 passes for 1,384 yards and 14 TDs and earned USA Today All-American first team honors. He was a member of two national championship teams at Florida while earning All-American honors as a senior. Drafted 22nd overall in the 2009 NFL draft by the Vikings.
WR – A.J. Green, Summerville (S.C.), 2007-08. A USA Today first team All-American as a junior and a Parade All-American as a senior, Green concluded his high school career as one of the all-time national leaders in yardage with 5,373 and receptions with 279. Made All-SEC first team in his freshman year at Georgia in 2008.
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WR – Julio Jones, Foley (Ala.), 2007-08. Earned All-USA Today first team honors after catching 68 passes for 1,181 yards and 16 touchdowns. Signed with Alabama and was named the freshman of the year in the SEC in 2008.
TE – Greg Olsen, Wayne Hills, Wayne (N.J.), 2002-03. A first team All-USA Today pick, Olsen grabbed 38 passes for 703 yards as a senior. Played at University of Miami and was drafted in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft by the Bears. Led the Bears in receiving touchdowns in 2008.
OL – Andrew Whitworth, West Monroe (La.), 2000-01. First team All-USA Today. Two-time All-SEC at LSU. A second round draft pick, Whitworth is in his fourth season with the Bengals.
OL – Michael Oher, Briarcrest Christian, Eads (Tenn.), 2004-05. First team All-USA Today, Oher was ranked the No. 1 lineman in the country as a senior by Tom Lemming. He was twice All-SEC at Mississippi and a first team All-American as a senior. Chosen in the first round by the Ravens in 2009.
OL – Justin Blalock, Plano East, Plano (Texas), 2001-02. First Team All-USA Today. A two-time All-American at Texas, he was chosen in the second round by the Atlanta Falcons and has been a starter the past three seasons.
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OL – Joe Thomas, Brookfield Central (Wis.), 2002-03. A USA Today second team All-American, Thomas went on to win the Outland Trophy at Wisconsin and is a two-time Pro Bowl selection with the Cleveland Browns.
OL – Jeff Byers, Fort Collins (Colo.), 2003-04. The Gatorade and EA Sports national player of the year, Byers is one of the few offensive lineman to be so recognized. Plagued by injuries while at USC, Byers was awarded a sixth year of eligibility with the Trojans and is an All-American candidate for 2009.
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QB – Vince Young, Madison, Houston (Texas), 2001-02. Named the EA Sports National Player of the Year, Young had 12,987 yards of total offense while at Madison. Ranked by ESPN as the 10th greatest college player in history, Young led Texas to the NCAA championship. He is currently a member of the Tennessee Titans.
Tim Tebow, Nease (Ponte Vedra, Fla.)
Photo by Gray Quetti
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RB – Reggie Bush, Helix, La Mesa (Calif.), 2002-03. Bush ran for 1,691 yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior and was All-USA Today first team. Won the Heisman Trophy while at USC and was the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft by the Saints. Now in his fourth season with New Orleans.
RB – Mike Hart, Onondaga Central, Nedrow (NY), 2003-04. Hart set the national record for touchdowns (203) and points (1,240) while rushing for 11,052 yards in his career. He was first team All-American by USA Today and became Michigan’s all-time leading rusher with over 5,000 career yards. Currently in the NFL with the Colts.
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RB – Adrian Peterson, Palestine (Texas), 2003-04. A USA Today first team All-American, Peterson rushed for 2,313 yards and 32 TDs as a senior. He was a first-team AP All-American as a freshman at Oklahoma and has become a standout NFL player, earning Rookie of the Year honors in 2007 and first team All-Pro honors in 2008.
K – Mason Crosby, Georgetown (Texas), 2002-03. Crosby was ranked the No. 3 overall kicker in the country as a senior at Georgetown and he went on to become Colorado’s all-time leading scorer while earning first team All-American honors. Drafted by the Packers, Crosby led the NFL in total points as a rookie in 2007.
DL – Shaun Cody, Los Altos, Hacienda Heights (Calif.), 2000-01. National player of the year by USA Today, Cody had 105 tackles and 22 sacks as a senior at Los Altos. An All-American and two-time All-Pac 10 player at USC, Cody was selected in the second round of the NFL draft by the Lions. He played four years at Detroit and is now a member of the Houston Texans.
DL – Tommie Harris, Ellison, Killeen (Texas), 2000-01. First team All-USA Today. Won the Lombardi Award as the nation’s best college lineman in 2003. He is a three-time Pro Bowl selection with the Chicago Bears and was All-Pro in 2005.
DL – Vince Wilfork, Santaluces, Palm Beach County (Fla.), 1999-2000. An All-USA Today second team All-American, Wilfork was All-American in college at Miami. He has also earned All-Pro honors as a member of the New England Patriots.
DL – Haloti Ngata, Highland, Salt Lake City (Utah), 2001-02. Had 15 sacks as a senior and was All-USA Today first team. An All-American at the University of Oregon, Ngata was the 12th overall pick in the 2006 draft by the Ravens and was a second team All-Pro pick in 2008.
LB – D.J. Williams, De La Salle, Concord (Calif.), 1999-2000. The USA Today defensive player of the year had 312 career tackles including 92 for losses. Williams had 133 tackles as a senior on De La Salle’s 12-0 team. He is currently in his sixth year as a starter for the Denver Broncos.
LB – Brian Cushing, Bergen Catholic, Oradell (N.J.). All-USA Today first team, Cushing was a two-time all-state player in New Jersey and had 103 tackles as a senior. At USC, Cushing was a first team All-American as a senior. He was chosen 15th overall in the 2009 NFL draft by the Houston Texans.
LB – Patrick Willis, Central, Hollow Rock-Bruceton (Tenn.), 2002-03. A two-time all-state player in Tennessee, Willis was a two-time All-American at Ole Miss. He won the Butkus Award and the Jack Lambert Award in college and has been a two-time All-Pro in the NFL with the 49ers.
LB – Keith Rivers, Lake Mary (Fla.), 2003-04. A first team All-USA Today choice, Rivers had 111 tackles as a senior. He was an All-American and a two-time All-Pac 10 choice at USC and was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft by the Bengals. He is in his second season with Cincinnati. He finished second in the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
DB – Tedd Ginn Jr., Glenville, Cleveland (Ohio), 2003-04. More of an offensive player in college and in the NFL, Ginn was the national defensive player of the year by USA Today as a defensive back. He had eight interceptions and returned five for TDs as a senior at Glenville. He was a two-time All-American at Ohio State and is in his third season with the Miami Dolphins.
DB – Kenny Phillips, Carol City (Fla.), 2004-05. The National Defensive Player of the Year by USA Today, Phillips had 84 tackles and seven interceptions as a senior at Carol City. He was twice All-ACC at Miami and was named a freshman All-American. Drafted in the first round by the New York Giants and is starting his second year with the team.
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DB – Antonio Cromartie, Lincoln, Tallahassee (Fla.), 2002-03. The USA Today National Defensive Player of the Year, Cromartie had six interceptions and 53 tackles. He was the 19th overall pick in the 2006 draft and was an All-Pro selection for the Chargers in 2007.
DB – Antrel Rolle, South Dade, Homestead (Fla.), 2000-01. Had 86 tackles and four interceptions as a senior while earning All-USA Today first team honors. An All-American while at the University of Miami, Rolle was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft. He is entering his fifth season with the Cardinals.
DB – Taylor Mays, O’Dea, Seattle (Wash), 2005-06. Had 166 tackles and five interceptions as a senior to warrant first team honors by USA Today. A senior at USC in 2009, Mays has already been named All-American as a sophomore and junior and is a preseason All-American choice for his senior season.
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P – Chris Kluwe, Los Alamitos (Calif.), 1999-2000. A first team All-USA Today selection, Kluwe averaged 46.6 yards per kick. He was one of the top punters in the Pac-10 while at UCLA and has played in the NFL for four seasons with the Vikings.
AP – Terrelle Pryor, Jeannette (Pa.), 2007-08. Ran for 4,250 yards and passed for 4,249 in his career at Jeannette. Was the National Player of the Year by USA Today and MaxPreps. He was 8-1 as a starter at Ohio State as a true freshman.
Terrelle Pryor, Jeannette (Pa.)
Photo by Steve Ickes
