Much like NFL rookies and NCAA freshmen are becoming difference-makers in their first season, high school freshmen and sophomores are having an increasingly dramatic impact on the varsity football season.
MaxPreps identifies 10 of the country's most promising future stars in Young Guns presented by Champs Sports.
De'Andre Johnson, QB, First Coast (Jacksonville, Fla.)
De'Andre Johnson still has three years to lead First Coast to a state title.
Photo by Gray Quetti
Stepping into the starting quarterback role as a freshman anywhere is challenging, let alone calling the shots for a Class 7A team in the state of Florida.
That's exactly what Johnson did in 2011, and at times, he made it look easy. Johnson threw for 2,895 yards and 24 touchdowns, carrying First Coast into the Class 7A state finals.
Following his superb freshman campaign in which he earned U.S. Air Force All-American honors, Johnson gave a verbal pledge to Florida State.
