MaxPreps 2014 preseason Mr. Football from every state

Recruiting services rank the top high school football players in each state, but often those No. 1 recruits are not recognized as the state Player of the Year when it comes time to hand out the postseason accolades.

In picking the Mr. Football candidates for each state recruiting rankings were considered, but they were not the sole reason for selecting a player as the best in their particular state. Statistics from last year, as well as postseason awards, were also considered.

With that in mind, here are our picks as the Preseason Mr. Football for every state in the nation.


Alabama
Kerryon Johnson, Madison Academy
Johnson, who is headed to Auburn, has helped lead Madison Academy to two straight Class 3A state championships. He rushed for 1,017 yards as a junior and was the Class 3A Back of the Year as a sophomore.



Alaska
Alain Devoe, South (Anchorage)
The all-state tight end caught 13 passes for 272 yards last year and scored two touchdowns. He's one of only two returning large school all-state players.

Arizona
Paul Lucas, Mountain Pointe (Phoenix)
One of the fastest running backs in the nation, Lucas had 1,008 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns last year for the 14-0 Pride.

Arkansas
Ty Storey, Charleston
The third-year starter already has 101 career touchdown passes and has thrown for over 4,000 yards each of the last two seasons. Headed for Arkansas, Storey has 8,701 career yards and he led Charleston to a state championship last season.

California
Jake Browning, Folsom
With 138 career touchdown passes, Browning could feasibly break the national record in that category. The Gatorade State Player of the Year as a junior when he threw for 5,737 yards and 75 touchdowns, Browning will likely own every significant single-season and career passing mark in California by the time he graduates.

Colorado
Eric Lee Jr., Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch)
The big question isn't whether or not Lee is the best player in Colorado, it's whether or not he is the best player on his own team. Fellow defensive backfield mate Brian Dawkins Jr. also ranks high in the 247Sports individual state rankings, but Lee is No. 1 overall.

Connecticut
Mufasha Abdul-Basir, St. Joseph (Trumbull)
The all-state selection rushed for 2,481 yards and 30 touchdowns as a junior. He has 3,079 yards and 35 touchdowns in his career at St. Joseph.

Delaware
Raymond Jones, Hodgson Vo-Tech (Newark)
Jones threw for 1,389 yards and ran for 1,151 last year in earning all-state second team honors at quarterback and on defense.

District of Columbia
Richie Petitbon, Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.)
The grandson of former Washington Redskins defensive back and coach of the same name, RP3 (his father is also Richie), has already committed to play at Alabama next year. He's the top recruit on the top team in Washington D.C.



Florida
Byron Cowart, Armwood (Seffner)
Regarded as one of the top overall prospects in the country, Cowart was a terror on defense last year as he picked up 72 tackles and had 12 sacks from his defensive end position.

Georgia
Preston Williams, Lovejoy
The Class 6A Offensive Player of the Year last season, Williams caught 56 passes for 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns. He's headed to play for Tennessee next year.

Hawaii
Kanawai Noa, Punahou (Honolulu)
An all-state player as a junior, Noa caught 51 passes for 1,145 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also had 15 touchdown catches as a sophomore and has career numbers of 93 catches, 2,123 yards and 25 scores.

Idaho
Tristen Hoge, Highland (Pocatello)
Idaho doesn't usually have many high school All-American candidates, but Hoge is a definite one as the nation's best center prospect. He has already committed to play at Notre Dame.

Illinois
Terry Beckner Jr., East St. Louis
Beckner posted 99 tackles and eight sacks in earning all-state honors. He ranks as one of the top defensive end recruits in the country by 247Sports.

Indiana
Markell Jones, Columbus East
Jones earned all-state Top 5 status from the state coaches association as a junior after rushing for 2,653 yards and 42 touchdowns as a junior.



Iowa
Drew Cook, Regina (Iowa City)
Headed to Iowa, Cook has led Regina to the longest active win streak in the nation at 56 in a row. Cook earned all-state honors last year after throwing for over 3,000 yards.

Kansas
Ryan Willis, Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission)
An honorable mention all-state pick as a junior, Willis is headed to play at Kansas next season. He threw for 2,983 yards and 31 touchdowns as a junior.

Kentucky
Damien Harris, Madison Southern (Berea)
Harris, who is headed to Michigan, ran for 2,621 yards and 45 touchdowns while earning all-state honors.

Louisiana
Nick Brossette, University Lab (Baton Rouge)
A starter since his eighth-grade year, Brossette has 133 career touchdowns and 6,973 career rushing yards. He will play at LSU next season.

Maine
Joe Fitzpatrick, Cheverus (Portland)
Fitzpatrick helped lead his team to the state finals and earned all-state honors in the process as he rushed for 1,937 yards and 32 touchdowns as a junior.

Maryland
Steven Smothers, Franklin (Reisterstown)
Franklin could be one of the top teams in Maryland this year and Smothers is the reason why. A member of the Baltimore Sun's All-Metro team as a junior, Smothers caught 50 passes for 1,052 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Massachusetts
Joe Gaziano, Xaverian Brothers (Westwood)
Earned All-Scholastics honors from the Boston Globe last year after excelling as a tight end, a defensive end and a punter. He finished the season with 12 sacks on defense.



Michigan
Brian Cole, Heritage (Saginaw)
The all-state selection is one of the top defensive backs in the country. He posted 47 tackles and had five interceptions and earned MaxPreps Junior All-American honors last year.

Minnesota
Jashon Cornell, Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul)
The top-ranked player in Minnesota by 247Sports, Cornell made the MaxPreps Junior All-American team last year while also earning all-state honors.

Mississippi
Jamal Peters, Bassfield
Peters is a preseason All-American choice despite playing in one of the smallest classifications in Mississippi. He was a MaxPreps All-American as a junior and helped lead Bassfield to a state championship with 72 tackles and six sacks.

Missouri
Drew Lock, Lee's Summit
A first team all-state selection as a junior, Lock threw for 3,052 yards and 35 touchdowns in leading Lee's Summit to 10 wins. He is headed to play at Missouri.

Montana
Dalton Daum, Butte
The state champion in the 100 and 200 meters, Daum was the Gatorade State Athlete of the Year in Track and Field. He was also an all-state receiver as a junior and should be the fastest player in Montana.

Nebraska
Calvin Strong, Omaha North
Strong became the first running back in state history to rush for over 3,000 yards with 3,008 during Omaha North's state championship season. He has 4,900 career yards and is on pace to break the state record of 6,099 career rushing yards.

Nevada
Alize Jones, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
Jones earned all-state honors as a junior by grabbing 35 passes for 571 yards and 10 touchdowns. He's ranked by 247Sports as the No. 1 tight end in the country.



New Hampshire
Ivan Niyomugabo, Merrimack Valley (Penacook)
An all-state selection who will play for University of New Hampshire next season, Niyomugabo threw for 1,654 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior and rushed for 783 yards and 11 scores.

New Jersey
Brandon Wimbush, St. Peter's Prep (Jersey City)
Although teammate Minkah Fitzpatrick is the top-rated player in the state, Wimbush gets the nod here as the potential Mr. Football if he can lead St. Peter's Prep to a Non-Public championship.

New Mexico
Zach Gentry, Eldorado (Albuquerque)
Committed to Texas, Gentry is one of the bigger quarterbacks in the nation at 6-foot-7. He threw for 1,583 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior, but he had 2,022 passing yards as a sophomore.

New York
Tyrone Wheatley Jr, Canisius (Buffalo)
Transfered to Canisius last year when his father, former NFL running back Tyrone Wheatley took a position with the Buffalo Bills. He is a prized recruit at both tight end and defensive end and earned all-area honors last year by the Buffalo News.

North Carolina
Johnny Frasier, Princeton
As a junior, Frasier rushed for 3,042 yards and 45 touchdowns. Included in that total was a 50-point effort against North Duplin in which he ran for 410 yards and seven touchdowns and caught a 76-yard pass for a score. He has 4,834 career rushing yards.

North Dakota
James Johannesson, Fargo South
A member of the all-state team, Johannesson rushed for 2,671 yards and 30 touchdowns. He has 4,126 career yards.

Ohio
Justin Hilliard, St. Xavier (Cincinnati)
The top-ranked recruit in the state by 247Sports, Hilliard had 74 tackles in just seven games as he missed part of the season due to injury. He is headed to play at Ohio State.



Oklahoma
John Kolar, Norman North
The Oklahoma State commit is regarded as one of the top pocket passers in the country. He threw for 1,693 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior.

Oregon
Cameron Scarlett, Central Catholic (Portland)
The top-ranked player in Oregon by 247Sports has yet to make his college choice. He rushed for 1,640 yards and 22 touchdowns last year.

Pennsylvania
Andre Robinson, Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg)
The Class AAA state player of the year as a junior, Robinson ran for 2,279 yards and 29 touchdowns. He is set to play for Penn State next season.

Rhode Island
Marquem Monroe, Cranston East
One of the more dynamic players in the state, Monroe scored 11 touchdowns on receptions last year, nine rushing and two on returns. He had 1,005 receiving yards and also had 54 tackles on defense.

South Carolina
Dupree Hart, Northwestern (Rock Hill)
Already the state record holder with 306 career receptions, Hart could put his name among the all-time receiving greats in national history. He has 3,485 career yards and 48 touchdown receptions after catching 115 passes for 1,655 yards and 26 touchdowns last year.

South Dakota
Taryn Christion, Roosevelt (Sioux Falls)
All-state as a junior, Christion threw for 2,549 yards and 24 touchdowns and also ran for 988 yards and 18 scores. He will play at South Dakota State next season.

Tennessee
Jauan Jennings, Blackman (Murfreesboro)
Outstanding in track and field and basketball, Jennings is also the top-rated player in the state by 247Sports after throwing for 1,462 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushing for 814 yards and 10 scores.



Texas
Kyler Murray, Allen
The MaxPreps National Player of the Year as a junior, Murray returns and hopes to lead Allen back to the state championship game. Murray threw for 3,669 yards and 46 touchdowns as a junior. Headed to play at Texas A&M, Murray is also considered a potential high draft pick in next year's MLB draft.

Utah
Austin Kafentzis, Jordan (Sandy)
Kafentzis is on track to become the all-time leading passer in Utah and the state's all-time leading rusher. He has 9,217 career passing yards entering his senior season and 5,100 rushing yards. He has thrown 75 touchdown passes and run for 78 scores.

Vermont
Austin Robinson, Middlebury
An all-state selection at quarterback as a junior, Robinson rushed for 12 touchdowns last year while averaging nine yards a carry. He also had 10 touchdown passes for the state champions.

Virginia
Josh Sweat, Oscar Smith (Chesapeake)
A member of the MaxPreps Junior All-American team, Sweat had 94 tackles and 22 sacks last year. He ranks as one of the top recruits in the country at defensive end.

Washington
Brett Rypien, Shadle Park (Spokane)
The nephew of former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien, Brett has the top single-game yardage mark in state history with 613 yards passing. He threw for 4,240 yards last year and already has over 8,000 yards passing in his career.

West Virginia
Deamonte Lindsay, Martinsburg
The top prospect on a team that has won a state-record four straight AAA state championships. Lindsay will play for West Virginia next season.

Wisconsin
James Morgan, Ashwaubenon (Green Bay)
Committed to Bowling Green, Morgan was one of the top passers in Wisconsin last year with 2,540 yards passing and 26 touchdowns.



Wyoming
Tevis Bartlett, East (Cheyenne)
Also a three-time state champion in wrestling, Bartlett is the state's top football recruit while mulling over offers from Oregon and Wyoming. He threw for 1,521 yards and rushed for 1,400 last year.