The top players in the country from A-to-Z were all selected and ready to go early in the week when the news came down — Christian LeMay is skipping his senior year.
Time to find another candidate for the letter L.
Fortunately Colt Lyerla, a state MVP as a junior in Oregon, fills in quite nicely. While not the No. 1 overall quarterback prospect like LeMay, the 6-5, 225-pound Lyerla definitely brings a lot of talent to the field as both a running back and a linebacker. Also one of Oregon's top basketball players, Lyerla has a 39-inch vertical leap.
The rest of the A-Z players can be found among the MaxPreps Top 100 or Top 25 players by position, including a strong group of defensive ends headed by Jadeveon Clowney, Ray Drew and Jeoffrey Pagan.
Here's a look at the top players in the country, from A to Z
:
A - Stephone Anthony, Anson (Wadesboro, N.C.), LB - The North Carolina standout, and No. 4 overall recruit in the country by MaxPreps, earned second-team MaxPreps Junior All-American honors while posting 120 tackles and four interceptions last year.
B - Malcolm Brown, Steele (Cibolo, Texas), RB - The recent Texas commit is ranked as the No. 10 recruit in the country by MaxPreps after rushing for 2,130 yards and 33 touchdowns last season.
C - Jadeveon Clowney, South Pointe (Rock Hill, S.C.), DE - Clowney earned MaxPreps All-American honors last year and ranks No. 2 in the nation among senior recruits. He racked up 26 sacks last year for South Pointe.
D - Ray Drew, Thomas County Central (Thomasville, Ga.), DE - Defensive ends from the south dominate the top spots in the MaxPreps 100 recruits list and Drew is no exception. The Georgia native earned regional Defensive Player of the Year honors as a junior.
E - Steve Edmond, Daingerfield (Texas), LB - A small school standout in Texas, Edmond had 180 tackles last year for the Tigers.
Shiloh Christian's Kiehl Frazier.
File Photo by Richey Miller
- The top prospect in Arkansas will have Shiloh Christian riding high this year in search of another state title. He threw for 2,614 yards and 34 touchdowns as a junior.
G - Aaron Green, Madison (San Antonio), RB - The No. 13 overall recruit by MaxPreps, Green has rushed for more than 2,700 yards in the past two seasons combined and is one of the quicker running backs in the country.
H - Kenny Hilliard, Patterson (La.), RB - The 3A MVP in Louisiana last year, Hilliard ran for 2,512 yards and 32 touchdowns on 278 carries as a junior.
I - Max Issaka, Woodbridge (N.J.), DE - The Pittsburgh commit had six sacks with 58 tackles last year for Woodbridge.
J - Anthony Johnson, Walker (New Orleans), DL - The 4A defensive player of the year in Louisiana, Johnson racked up 21 sacks and 79 tackles.
K - Cyrus Kouandjio, DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), T - The top tackle prospect in the country by MaxPreps, Kouandjio is 6-foot-7, 290 and earned MaxPreps Junior All-American honors last season.
L - Colt Lyerla, Hillsboro (Ore.), LB - With Butler's Christian LeMay deciding to skip his senior year, Lyerla earns the nod here. He was the 5A Offensive Player of the Year in Oregon and will be one of the top linebacker prospects in the country this year.
M - Braxton Miller, Wayne (Huber Heights, Ohio), QB - Possibly the top recruit in Ohio this year, Miller has already committed to Ohio State after throwing and running for nearly 2,000 yards last year.
N - Giorgio Newberry, Central (Fort Pierce, Fla.), OL - Newberry has emerged as one of the top linemen in Florida and ranks as the No. 66 overall prospect in the country by MaxPreps.
O - Tommy Olson, Mahtomedi (Minn.), G - The senior guard is headed to Minnesota next year and ranks as the No. 95 overall prospect in the country.
P - Jeoffrey Pagan, Asheville (N.C.), DE - The Florida Gators landed one of the top defensive players in the south when Pagan committed to play in Gainesville, Fla.
Q - Quinta Funderburk, Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, Va.), WR - It took the liberty of using a first name to fill this letter, but Funderburk is a good one, ranked among the top 25 wide receivers in the country for one of Virginia's top teams.
R - Jermauria Rasco, Evangel Christian Academy (Shreveport, La.), DE - Playing for one of the top small school programs in the country, Rasco has big-time talent. He's had 38 sacks the past two seasons, including 26 during his sophomore season.
S - Brandon Shell, Goose Creek (S.C.), T - The big man from South Carolina casts a huge shadow with his 6-7, 305-pound frame. He earned MaxPreps Junior All-American honors after going an entire season without allowing a sack and registering 94 pancake blocks. He is the No. 6 ranked recruit in the country by MaxPreps.
Crenshaw running back De'Anthony Thomas.
File photo by Dirk Dewachter
- The speedy Cougar earned all-city honors in Los Angeles and led Crenshaw to a berth in the CIF State Open Division championship game.
U -CJ Uzomah, North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.), QB - The dual threat can run or throw the ball and has already committed to play at LSU next season.
V - Ronny Vandyke, South County (Lorton, Va.), DB - One of the top players in Virginia, Vandyke will stay home and play for the Hokies of Virginia Tech.
W - James Wilder, Plant (Tampa, Fla.), RB/LB - Ranked the No. 1 recruit in the nation by MaxPreps, Wilder is the son of the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back of the same name. A threat on both sides of the ball, Wilder is seen as an All-American at linebacker. He recently committed to Florida State.
X - Xzavier Dickson, Griffin (Griffin, Ga.), DE - We'll take some liberties with this letter as well, but Dickson certainly warrants mention as he ranks as one of Georgia's top defenders.
Y - Andre Yruretagoyena, Chaparral (Scottsdale, Ariz.), OL - Among the top lineman prospects out of Arizona this year, Andre has committed to play at Oregon next season.
Z - Evan Zeger, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), S - Originally from
Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.), Zeger transferred to Bishop Gorman this year where he is expected to be among the top safety prospects in the country.
