Video: Darnay Holmes Ultimate Highlights
Top 10 national recruit electrified the gridiron in 2015.
Hawaii kicked things off officially last weekend but much of the nation begins the high school football season Aug. 19 – 10 days away. In anticipation, we are rolling out our High School Football Countdown by highlighting five of the fastest players in the country.
MaxPreps High School Football Countdown:
Today — Nation's fastest players
Aug. 10 — Future Heisman Trophy candidates
Aug. 11 — Best stadiums to see a high school game
Aug. 12 — Coaches to follow on Twitter
Aug. 13 — Teams logging frequent flyer miles this season
Aug. 14 — Players to follow on Twitter
Aug. 15 — Coaches nearing landmark wins
Aug. 16 — Best highlight tapes
Aug. 17 — Big time players flying under the recruiting radar
Aug. 18 — High-octane offenses
There's one predominant feature that all elite high school football teams feature: speed.
Breakaway offensive threats or those who can prevent them are essential commodities among the nation's best prep teams. Sustained drives aren't the formula for winning football any more.
Besides leading to successful results, there are few things fans of football — or any athletic endeavor — enjoy gawking at more than blinding speed.
With that in mind, here are five of the nation's most fleet on the gridiron. In alphabetical order:
Deakidd Anderson, Georgetown (S.C.)The rising junior wide receiver ran the second fastest wind-legal 100-meter track time in the spring for the Bulldogs, blazing to a time of 10.21 seconds.
The 5-foot-9, 170-pounder figures to put up big numbers this season for first-year Georgetown coach Ken Cribb.
Jordan Byrd, Manzano (Albuquerque, N.M.)Another junior wide receiver and running back, Manzano won his second straight state 100-meter title and recorded the ninth fastest time in the country, going 10.32 at the District 2-6A championships.
Pegged as the fastest 12-year-old in the country in his age group, Byrd ran 11.79 in the 100 and 23.64 in the 200 before he was a teen. As a sophomore, Byrd rushed 137 times for 628 yards and six scores and he had 16 catches for 288 yards.
Darnay Holmes, Calabasas (Calif.)The cornerback and wide receiver ran the fastest 40-yard time at The Opening last month, clocking in at 4.32 seconds. That was against 166 of the nation's top recruits.
The 5-foot-10, 190-pound senior is considered the 10th top recruit overall in the country, according to 247Sports, and the No. 2 cornerback. Last season he had 55 catches for 886 yards and 10 touchdowns and averaged 42.6 yards on five kickoff returns and 28.6 yards on 12 punt returns. He also had two interceptions and 31 tackles on defense.
Anthony Schwartz (81), American Heritage
File photo by Ivan Sebborn
The starting wide receiver and defensive back for the nation's No. 11 team ran the third fastest 100 in the nation in May with a 10.26 time. He also clocked the sixth-fastest 200 (20.76) and won four titles at the state track meet — including legs on winning 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams.
Eric Stokes, Eastside (Covington, Ga.)The 6-foot, 180-pound running back and cornerback won the Georgia 4A state 100 meter title in 10.40 seconds, winning by almost a half-second.
On the football field, the incoming senior accounted for more than 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns last fall for the Eagles. In eight games, he rushed 83 times for 662 yards and six touchdowns while catching 21 passes for 305 yards and two more scores.
The three-star athlete has received at least 16 college offers to play football, including LSU, Florida, Louisville and Georgia State.
