MaxPreps 2012 Junior All-American Football Team

DeShaun Watson is the all-time leading passer in the state of Georgia. And he hasn't even begun his senior season yet.

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound junior completed 305 of 435 passes for 4,024 yards and 50 touchdowns while rushing 221 times for 1,441 yards and 24 scores. In three seasons, Watson has throw for 9,363 yards and 108 touchdowns.

Watson's performance cannot be completely understood looking only at his numbers. His most important achievement was helping lead Gainesville to the program's first state title in a 49-13 victory over Ware County.

Committed to Clemson, he narrowly edged New Jersey sensation Jabrill Peppers and North Carolina quarterback Will Grier for National Junior of the Year honors.



MaxPreps 2012 Junior All-American Team

First Team Offense

DeShaun Watson, QB, 6-3, 195, Gainesville (Ga.)
Watson led Gainesville to its first state title by completing 305 of 404 passes for 4,021 yards. The Clemson commit rushed for 1,420 yards and 24 scores.

Will Grier, QB, 6-3, 185, Davidson Day (N.C.)
Grier's season was highlighted by a 10-touchdown performance, but the Florida commit was outstanding all season long. He completed 324 of 414 passes for 5,785 yards and 69 touchdowns.

Drake Harris, WR, 6-2, 175, Christian (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
In guiding Grand Rapids Christian to a state title, Harris had a monster season. The Michigan State commit hauled in 91 passes for 2,016 yards and 25 touchdowns.

Mark Andrews, WR, 6-6, 225, Desert Mountain (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
Andrews towered over defensive backs all season to the tune of 81 catches for 1,491 yards and 21 touchdowns en route to Player of the Year honors from the Arizona Republic.

Trey Quinn, WR, 6-1, 190, Barbe (Lake Charles, La.)
If there were a fantasy football draft for high school players, Quinn might be the No. 1 overall pick. He caught 111 passes for 2,094 yards and 26 scores.

Nic Weishar, TE, 6-5, 215, Marist (Chicago)
Weishar is a huge target, and in 2012, he caught most things thrown his way. He made 89 catches for 1,034 yards and five scores.



Damian Prince, OL, 6-7, 305, Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.)
Prince was the only junior to earn All-Met honors on the offensive line, according to the Washington Post.

KC McDermott, OL, 6-6, 290, Palm Beach Central (Wellington, Fla.)
An All-Area pick, McDermott graded out at 94 percent and was perhaps the top lineman in Palm Beach County.

Jimmy Byrne, OL, 6-4, 285, St. Ignatius (Cleveland)
Byrne, a Notre Dame commit, powered a St. Ignatius offensive line that dominated many of its opponents on the way to an 11-2 record.

Braden Smith, OL, 6-6, 282, South (Olathe, Kan.)
A member of the VarsityKansas Top 11 Team, Smith was dominant on both sides of the ball for Olathe South, which ran behind him on offense 62 percent of the time.

Demetrius Knox, OL, 6-5, 300, All Saints (Fort Worth, Texas)
A member of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Super Team, Knox is a physical specimen on the All Saints offensive line and a Texas commit.

Jalen Hurd, RB, 6-3, 208, Beech (Hendersonville, Tenn.)
Despite being slowed by injuries, Hurd still managed to rush 317 times for 3,357 yards and 43 touchdowns.

Elijah Hood, RB, 6-0, 200, Charlotte Catholic (N.C.)
Hood was nearly unstoppable, rushing 278 times for 3,309 yards and 47 touchdowns and was the All-Observer Offensive Player of the Year.



Leonard Fournette, RB, 6-2, 230, St. Augustine (New Orleans)
The all-New Orleans large school Player of the Year, Fournette rushed for 31 touchdowns and over 2,100 yards.

Jabrill Peppers, ATH, 6-1, 210, Paramus Catholic (N.J.)
Peppers guided Paramus Catholic to a state title and was named MSGVarsity's Player of the Year. He rushed for 1,552 yards and 18 touchdowns and caught five touchdown passes.

Reid Budrovich, K, 6-0, 180, St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)
Budrovich recorded an eye-popping 55 touchbacks to go along with 61 PATs.



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First Team Defense Gerald Willis, DL, 6-4, 255, Karr (New Orleans)
The Class 4A Defensive Player of Year, Karr registered 110 tackles and 13 sacks for the Class 4A state champion

Qualen Cunningham, DL, 6-3, 220, Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.)
The highly-coveted Cunningham was an all-Arizona pick by the Arizona Football Coaches



Lorenzo Carter, DL, 6-6, 230, Norcross (Ga.)
The best defensive player on the state's top team, Carter was dominant, making 136 tackles and 18 sacks.

Mark Fossati, St. Joseph Regional

Photo by Daniel Coppola

Malik McDowell, OL, 6-7, 290, Loyola (Detroit)
Also a superb two-way player, McDowell was a Detroit News Dream Team pick on offense after he paved the way for a 2,000-yard rusher Keymonn'e Gabriel.

Mark Fossati, LB, 5-11, 195, St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.)
The Star Ledger's pick for Defensive Player of the Year, Fossati was in on 154 tackles and scored two defensive touchdowns.

Tre' Williams, LB, 6-3, 225, St. Paul's Episcopal (Mobile, Ala.)
An all-region selection, Williams made 113 tackles and is a top recruit in the class of 2014.

Grant Watanabe, LB, 5-11, 216, Brennan (San Antonio)
The Express-News Defensive Player of the Year, Watanbe made 167 tackles for a Brennan squad that finished 9-2.

Kain Daub, LB, 6-4, 240, Sandalwood (Jacksonville, Fla.)
An first team all-area defensive selection, Daub made an immediate impact after transferring from Nease in-season. He finished with 74 tackles, seven sacks and five forced fumbles.

Raekwon McMillan, LB, 6-2, 230, Liberty County (Hinesville, Ga.)
McMillan was the Savannah Morning News Defensive Player of the Year after compiling 155 tackles and seven sacks to go along with five forced fumbles.

Bishard "Budda" Baker, Bellevue

Photo by Jeff Napier

Edward Paris, DB, 6-0, 190, Mansfield Timberview (Arlington, Texas)
An all-state selection, Paris made seven interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns.

Bishard "Budda" Baker, DB, 5-10, 175, Bellevue (Wash.)
A Seattle Times all-area selection, Baker was a two-way star for Bellevue. He returned two touchdowns for interceptions in a single game.



Quin Blanding, DB, 6-2, 200, Bayside (Virginia Beach, Va.)
An All-Tidewater selection, Blanding caught 55 passes for 1,035 yards and six touchdowns but also flourished in the secondary.

Marlon Humphrey, DB, 6-0, 180, Hoover (Ala.)
A first team all-state pick in Class 6A, Humphrey was pivotal in Hoover's defense, which helped the Bucs capture the Class 6A title.

Justin Barron, P, 5-11, 177, Falcon (Colo.)
Barron averaged 50.18 yards per punt and booted 17 inside the 20-yard line.



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Second Team Offense Justin Sawmiller, WR, 6-0, 175, Kenton (Ohio)
Sawmiller continues to post eye-popping stats. This fall, he made 128 catches for 1,810 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Malachi Dupre, WR, 6-2, 185, Curtis (River Ridge, La.)
Dupre was one of eight Curtis players to receive first team all-state honors in Class 2A, but he was the only junior. He caught 36 passes for 816 yards and 15 touchdowns for the nation's No. 1 team.

Saeed Blacknall, WR, 6-3, 200, Manalapan (Englishtown, N.J.)
An all-area pick by MSGVarsity, Blacknall caught 40 passes for 743 yards and 11 scores.

Jeb Blazevich, TE, 6-5, 230, Charlotte Christian (N.C.)
An all conference and all-state pick, Blazevich is one of the country's most sought-after recruits. He caught 30 passes for 379 yards and five touchdowns.

Cameron Robinson, OL, 6-6, 315, West Monroe (La.)
After transferring to West Monroe, Robinson was an impact player, helping the Rebels to the Class 5A semifinals and earning first team all-state recognition.



Andy Bauer, OL, 6-5, 285, DeSmet Jesuit (St. Louis, Mo.)
An all-state pick and an all-area selection by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Bauer allowed DeSmet to accumulate nearly 3,000 yards on the ground.

Donnell Stanley, OL, 6-3, 300, Latta (S.C.)
More athletic than his size lets on, Stanley was an HSSR all-state selection

Quenton Nelson, OL, 6-5, 280, Red Bank Catholic (N.J.)
A fast-rising prospect, Nelson was dominant at offensive line but also thrived on defense, recording 42 tackles and seven sacks, leading Red Bank Catholic to the state final.

Mason Cole, OL, 6-5, 275, East Lake (Tarpon Springs, Fla.)
A first team all-Pinellas pick by the Tampa Bay Times, Cole helped buy time for prolific quarterback Pete Dinovo.

Keller Chryst, QB, 6-4, 230, Palo Alto (Calif.)
One of the top quarterbacks in the Class of 2014, Chryst was a first team all-Mercury News selection after throwing for 2,489 yards and 28 touchdowns.

Shuler Bentley, QB, 6-1, 197, Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.)
The leader of Byrnes' high-powered offense, Bentley connected on 299 of 462 yards for 59 touchdowns versus only 13 interceptions.

Racean Thomas, RB, 6-0, 200, Oxford (Ala.)
Thomas rushed for 1,768 yards and 24 touchdowns, earning Class 6A all-state first team all-state recognition.



Jake LaCoste, RB, 5-10, 180, West Albany (Albany, Ore.)
LaCoste was the Class 5A Offensive Player of the Year after carrying 312 times for 2,876 yards and 38 touchdowns.

Arkeel Newsome, RB, 5-8, 180, Ansonia (Conn.)
Despite battling early-season injuries, Newsome carried 227 times for 2,245 yards and 34 touchdowns. He was a CHSCA All-State selection.

Christian McCaffrey, ATH, 6-0, 205, Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch, Colo.)
The Colorado Player of the Year, McCaffrey rushed for 1,264 yards and 22 touchdowns and caught 51 passes for 643 yards and 14 scores for Class 5A champion Valor Christian.

Austin Fitzgerald, K, 5-10, 155, Liberty (Henderson, Nev.)
An all-state pick, Fitzgerald was 10-11 on attempts, with a long of 48 yards.



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Second Team Defense

Josh Frazier, Har-Ber

Photo by Richey Miller

Josh Frazier, DL, 6-3, 330, Har-Ber (Springdale, Ark.)
A disruptive force on the interior line, Frazier was an all-state pick, finishing with 65 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

Peyton Newell, DL, 6-3, 270, Hiawatha (Kan.)
An imposing interior lineman, Newell finished with 79 tackles, 10 sacks and five forced fumbles. He was the News-Press Defensive Player of the Year and an all-state pick.



Da'Shawn Hand, DL, 6-5, 250, Woodbridge (Va.)
For the second year in a row, Hand earned all-Met honors from the Washington Post. He made 78 tackles and 16 sacks.

Nolan Robinson, DL, 6-1, 190, Ryan (Denton, Texas)
Robinson put together one of the more impressive statistical campaigns in the country. On his way to first team all-state honors in Class 5A, Robinson made 55 tackles and 22 sacks.

Dwight Williams, LB, 6-2, 205, Serra (Gardena, Calif.)
Williams was selected to the LA Times All-Star team after making 158 tackles and forcing three fumbles.

Melvin Keihn, LB, 6-3, 225, Gilman (Baltimore)
Keihn made 13 sacks and nine tackles for loss, helping earn all-Metro honors from The Baltimore Sun.

Elijah Lee, LB, 6-3, 210, Blue Springs (Mo.)
Lee took home the Buck Buchanan award, which recognizes the top lineman or linebacker in the Kansas City area. He recorded 72 tackles and 15 1 / 2 sacks.

Dante Booker, LB, 6-4, 215, St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio)
Ohio's Division III Co-Defensive Player of the Year, Booker was instrumental in SVSM's state title run. He made 72 tackles and six sacks and intercepted two passes.

Delvin Purifoy, LB, 6-3, 227, Pensacola Catholic (Fla.)
A first team all-area and all-state pick, Purifoy made 116 tackles and was one of the top defenders in the panhandle.

Jalen Tabor, DB, 6-0, 182, Friendship Collegiate Academy (Washington, D.C.)
An all-Met selection, Tabor did not allow a single completion as Friendship finished 8-3.

Nick Harvey, DB, 5-11, 175, Lancaster (Texas)
A starter since is freshman season, Harvey thrived as a junior, intercepting six passes and breaking up 15 others. His efforts earned him Class 4A all-state honors and helped guide Lancaster to a state final.

Adoree' Jackson, DB, 5-10, 170, Serra (Gardena, Calif.)
The dynamic Jackson made 56 tackles and five interceptions for one of California's top teams.



Nathan Starks, DB, 6-0, 210, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
One of the key cogs to Bishop Gorman's 2012 squad, Starks rushed for 1,821 yards and 27 touchdowns, earning first team all-state honors. He's also a hard-hitting safety and may play the position in college.

Josh Stevens, P, 6-2, 205, Irvin (El Paso, Texas)
Stevens averaged 46.97 yards per punt and was an all-state selection in Texas' Class 4A.