High school football: Elijah Brown, Davion Gause headline 2021 Preseason MaxPreps Sophomore All-America Team

By Zack Poff Jul 26, 2021, 11:45am

Mater Dei quarterback leads talented group of 54 players from Class of 2024.

The highly anticipated 2021 high school football season is around the corner and we begin our look at the country's best player with the Preseason MaxPreps Sophomore All-America Team. The talented crop of 2024 graduates features 54 players and is headlined by quarterback Elijah Brown of Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.).

One of five Monarchs landing on the squad, Brown was the fourth quarterback in school history to start as a freshman, joining Todd Marinovich, JT Daniels and Matt Barkley. In a shortened spring season, Brown threw for nearly 1,000 yards on 74-of-107 passing (69 percent) and 15 TDs as Mater Dei went 5-0. He came up big in the Monarchs' 34-17 season-ending win over St. John Bosco throwing for 203 yards and four scores.

The Braves, along with IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), land three players on the MaxPreps Sophomore All-America Team led by linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and DBs Peyton Woodyard and Marcelles Williams.

Stacy Gage, who showed flashes last season during his time on the IMG Academy National Team, is poised to grow into a bigger role for the reigning MaxPreps National Champions.
Graphic by Ryan Escobar
First Team Offense

Height: 6-2 | Weight: 190
Became the fourth quarterback in program history to start as a freshman last spring joining Matt Barkley, JT Daniels and Todd Marinovich.



Height: 5-11 | Weight: 205
Expect a monster campaign after rushing for 441 yards and six touchdowns in the playoffs for the 3A runner-up.

Height: 5-10 | Weight: 185
Rushed for nearly 1,000 yards last spring and has offers from Florida State, Nevada, Oregon State, Texas, USC, Utah and Washington.

Height: 6-2 | Weight: 185
The Eagles are loaded with talent and he will be a big-time playmaker for one of Georgia's best teams.

Height: 5-10 | Weight: 160
Already has 28 FBS offers and is one of the most explosive pass catchers in the Class of 2024.

Height: 6-4 | Weight: 210
The Florida State commit will make a huge impact for the Packers in 2021.

Height: 6-2 | Weight: 275
Helped the Rams to the AAAAAAA state title and is one of the top players overall from the Class of 2024.

Height: 6-6 | Weight: 340
The Peach State has produced some of the best offensive lineman and Calhoun is next up.

OL DeAndre Carter, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
Height: 6-5 | Weight: 350
Played a significant role on the offensive line for the best team in California last spring.



OL Isendre Ahfua, O'Dea (Seattle)
Height: 6-5 | Weight: 330
Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Michigan, Texas, Texas A&M, and USC are some of the Power 5 schools that have extended offers.

Height: 6-3 | Weight: 275
The two-way lineman is one of the best players in Florida from the Class of 2024.

AP Joseph Stone Jr., Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)
Height: 5-11 | Weight: 180
The Rams graduated a lot of talent but have plenty of legit underclassmen, including Stone who's poised for a breakout campaign.

First Team Defense

Height: 6-4 | Weight: 270
Selected to the MaxPreps Freshman All-America first team, expect more of an impact as a sophomore.

Height: 6-2 | Weight: 250
Expected to be the next great in a long line of standout defensive linemen for the Eagles.



Height: 6-3 | Weight: 305
Last year's AAAAAA runner-up will be in the mix to win their third state title in five years and White will play a key role in the trenches.

Height: 6-1 | Weight: 260
The three-time defending 6A state champs have a lot of talented underclassmen and James Jr. could be the best of the group.

Height: 6-3 | Weight: 215
Made a huge impact as a freshman on a defense loaded with future FBS players.

Height: 6-3 | Weight: 220
Led one of the best programs in the state in tackles last season.

Height: 6-4 | Weight: 210
The talented linebacker has already landed offers from Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Iowa, Louisville, Miami and Maryland.

DB Omillio Agard, St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia)
Height: 5-11 | Weight: 165
One of the best cornerbacks in the country regardless of class.



DB Peyton Woodyard, St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 190
It is rare for freshman to make an impact for the Braves but Woodyard did just that last spring.

Height: 5-10 | Weight: 150
Helped the Bearcats to their third consecutive 5A Division 2 state championship, finishing with three interceptions.

Height: 6-0 | Weight: 170
The talented defensive back has landed 20 FBS offers.

Height: 6-0 | Weight: 170
One of the top safeties in the Class of 2024 finished with over 60 tackles and two interceptions.

Height: 5-11 | Weight: 175
Named the MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year after accounting for over 2,200 total yards and 34 touchdowns on offense and 57 tackles and an interception on defense.

Second Team Offense



Height: 6-1 | Weight: 190
The talented quarterback already has offers from Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon and a handful of Power 5 programs.

Height: 6-1 | Weight: 185
Expect a breakout campaign as he takes over for his older brother under center for one of the top programs in the San Diego area.

Height: 5-11 | Weight: 200
Played sparingly as a freshman for the National Team and should have an even bigger role for the defending MaxPreps National Champions.

Height: 5-10 | Weight: 190
The Florida State commit will be in contention to be the top-rated running back in the Class of 2024 when 247Sports releases its initial sophomore player rankings.

Height: 6-1 | Weight: 175
Should have a monster sophomore season for the Eagles after a stellar year on both sides of the ball at Livingston.

Height: 6-0 | Weight: 150
Florida, Florida State, Georgia and LSU are some of the notable programs who've offered the talented wideout.

Height: 6-2 | Weight: 180
One of the best all-around athletes in the Peach State impacts the game at a high level in all three phases.

Height: 6-3 | Weight: 195
A matchup nightmare for opposing defenses draws the nickname "Megatron" for a reason.



OL Brandon Baker, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
Height: 6-5 | Weight: 290
Fresno State and Michigan already offered a key cog for the No. 1 team in the MaxPreps Top 25.

Height: 6-7 | Weight: 280
Helped lead the Patriots to a MAIS Class 6 state title last season.

Height: 6-3.5 | Weight: 300
Impacts the game on both sides of the ball for one of the Garden State's premier programs.

Height: 6-3 | Weight: 270
Started at center for the 11-win Hawks, who reached the 6A Division 2 quarterfinals last season.

Height: 6-6 | Weight: 310
Played well against the best competition in the DMV last spring and has already received offers from Boston College, Maryland, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Texas A&M and West Virginia.

Height: 6-1 | Weight: 175
The Friars have talented seniors leading the No. 21 team in the MaxPreps Top 25, but Mosley is certainly to stand out as well.

Height: 5-9 | Weight: 175
Accounted for nearly 2,200 yards of total offense and 16 touchdowns last year.



Second Team Defense

Height: 6-3 | Weight: 225
Logged 64 tackles and 11 sacks for the Wolverines.

Height: 6-3 | Weight: 205
One of the best players in the Yellowhammer State, regardless of class, had 79 tackles, 31 tackles for loss and nine sacks in 2020.

Height: 6-3 | Weight: 225
Alabama has had some great defensive lineman in the past and Henderson is up next.

DL Aydin Breland, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
Height: 6-5 | Weight: 315
Will play a pivotal role in the trenches for the top-ranked team in high school football.

LB Kari Jackson, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Height: 6-1 | Weight: 215
Transferred to the Ascenders after helping West Bloomfield (Mich.) to a Division 1 state title last year.



Height: 5-11 | Weight: 220
LSU has already offered but expect a lot more to come for the talented linebacker.

Height: 5-11 | Weight: 185
Lines up everywhere on defense for one of the best teams in Northern California.

Has already racked up 14 offers that include Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and USC.

DB Marcelles Williams, St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)
Height: 5-11 | Weight: 170
With two older brothers already playing in the Pac-12, the youngest Williams could be the best of the three.

DB Zabien Brown, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
Height: 6-1 | Weight: 170
Got the opportunity to start against St. John Bosco last spring and showed why he's one of the top defensive back prospects in the Class of 2024.

DB Desmond Ricks, IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 180
With one of the most talented secondaries in the country, Ricks will make an impact in his second season.

Height: 5-11 | Weight: 165
A lot of talented defensive backs have come from Louisiana and Foster IV keeps that tradition going strong.



Height: 6-3 | Weight: 180
One of the most versatile players in the Class of 2024 made an impact on both sides of the ball.

Height: 6-1 | Weight: 175
Will play a key role in the secondary for the defending Class 6 state champions.