Next Up: High school football's best at each position in the Class of 2020

By Zack Poff Feb 8, 2019, 6:30pm

Bryan Bresee, DJ Uiagalelei, Justin Flowe, Elias Ricks and Zachary Evans lead a group of star-studded rising seniors.

With National Signing Day having passed on Wednesday, it is time to focus on the high school football Class of 2020. This class has a chance to go down as one of the best ever.

It's loaded at every position with big-time talent that includes DJ Uiagalelei, the California Gatorade Player of the Year, Julian Fleming, the Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year and Bryan Bresee, the Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year and No. 1 rated player overall on 247sports composite rankings.

When looking at the Top 100 players from the Class of 2020, the four major states — California, Florida, Georgia, and Texas — account for over 50 percent of the total. California leads the way with 14 players, followed by Texas (13), Florida (12) and Georgia (11). 

Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) has a team-high four players featured in the Top 100. St. John's (Washington, D.C.), Marietta (Ga.) and St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) all have three players and Calabasas (Calif.) has two.



There are a bunch of legit guys from the Class of 2020 and these are the No. 1 players at each position based off 247sports player composite rankings.

Quarterback — DJ Uiagalelei (6-4, 240), St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)
Named the California Gatorade Player of the Year after throwing for nearly 3,500 yards and 48 touchdowns while leading St. John Bosco to a Top 5 finish in 2018. He's also a big-time baseball prospect and could be a Top 10 pick down the road.

Dual-threat quarterback: Bryce Young (6-0, 175), Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
No one had bigger shoes to fill in 2018 than Young replacing Gatorade Football Player of the Year, JT Daniels. Young led Mater Dei to its second consecutive CIF Open Division state title. The 2020 USC commit threw for nearly 4,000 yards and 39 touchdowns. The 5-star quarterback was named the Co-Junior Player of the Year.

Running back: Zachary Evans (6-0, 215), North Shore (Houston)
The No. 2 player overall from the Class of 2020 and the top guy from the Lone Star State. He shared the Junior Player of the Year award with Young after leading the Mustangs to a UIL Texas 6A Division I state championship and rushing for nearly 2,000 yards and 29 touchdowns.

All-purpose back: Chris Tyree (5-9, 180), Dale (Chester, Va.)
The top-rated all-purpose back has landed over 30 FBS offers. He had nearly 2,000 yards of total offense in 2018.

Checks in as the No. 5 player overall from the Class of 2020 and took home the Gatorade Player of the Year award for Pennsylvania with nearly 1,500 yards receiving and 22 touchdowns. He also had four interceptions and three pick-sixes.

The only player from Nevada ranked in the Top 350 overall, the 5-star tight end is one of the most difficult matchups for opposing defenses because of his size and speed.

Offensive tackle: Paris Johnson Jr. (6-7, 295), St. Xavier (Cincinnati)
2020 Ohio State commit is also the top prospect from Ohio and No. 6 overall. He'll have a chance to go down as one of the best offensive lineman to ever come from the Buckeye State.

Offensive guard: Justin Rogers (6-2, 310), Oak Park (Mich.)
An imposing player, the MaxPreps All-American first team selection made an impact on both sides of the ball during his junior season.

The offensive line played a major role in the Green Knights winning the New Jersey Non-Public Group IV championship. Wypler was the leader in the trenches, despite being an underclassmen. He Paris Johnson as one of two 2020 Ohio State commits that are No. 1 at their respected positions.

Weak side defensive end: Chris Braswell (6-3, 210), St. Frances Academy (Baltimore)
The Panthers have quickly become one of the top football programs in the country, finishing in the Top 5 and undefeated for the second consecutive season in 2018. Braswell, a 2020 Alabama commit, leads a talented group that could contend for the No. 1 spot.



Strong side defensive end: Bryan Bresee (6-5, 290), Damascus (Md.)
Checks in as the No. 1 recruit in the country and was named the Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year after piling up 36 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks. Maryland claims the top spot on the edge for both defensive end positions and the DMV area is one of the best areas in the nation when it comes to producing talent.

A first team MaxPreps Junior All-American pick after racking up 91 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks and forced three fumbles in 2018.

Inside linebacker: Justin Flowe (6-2, 225), Upland (Calif.)
California is loaded with 2020 players and the top-rated guy is Upland's 5-star linebacker. There's a good chance Flowe ends up being the No. 1 player overall. He was one of five juniors to be named to the All-American team and checks in as the No. 3 player among all rising seniors.

Outside linebacker: Sav'ell Smalls (6-3, 230), Garfield (Seattle)
The No. 4 overall prospect had 21 tackles for a loss and seven sacks despite only playing in five games during his junior season. Smalls added over 600 yards receiving and seven touchdowns.

Cornerback: Elias Ricks (6-2, 180), Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
He did something we might not see again — return three interceptions for touchdowns in a single half. Ricks pulled it off in the Monarchs' 48-14 CIF Southern Section semifinal win over Centennial (Corona). The 5-star defensive back ended his junior season with nine interceptions and committed to LSU on Christmas.

His father, Ray Mickens, was a 13-year NFL veteran cornerback and the son is following the same footsteps. He is one of the best players overall in Texas and is one of the most versatile dudes from in the country. He makes plays at wide receiver and you can line him up anywhere on defense.

There are a lot of similarities with the top rated athlete from the Class of 2020 as the same guy who was No. 1 last year - Bru McCoy. He is a dominant player on both sides of the ball and is an absolute nightmare no matter where he lines up.

Lewis is the only player listed among kickers for the Class of 2020 on 247sports. He's already committed to USC and expect more kickers to join the player rankings as we get closer to the 2019 season.
Zachary Evans, North Shore
Zachary Evans, North Shore
File photo by Ken Murray