2021 All-Great Lakes Region High School Football Team: Defense

Red Grange, Jim Brown, Dick Butkus, Dan Marino, Joe Montana and Charles Woodson. The Great Lakes region has cultivated a bumper crop of prep talent that's gone on to rank among the greatest players in football history. Here's a look at the next batch – the 2021 MaxPreps All-Great Lakes Region Football Team.

DL: Caden Curry, Center Grove (Greenwood, Ind.), 6-3, 250, sr.
College: Ohio State
Top 20 defensive line prospect nationally and state’s Mr. Football award winner at defensive line. Two-time IFCA Top 50 All-State selection. Holds 26 offers, including Alabama, Texas, Clemson, Michigan, Notre Dame, USC, Wisconsin and Penn State. Second team All-Great Lakes Region in 2020.

DL: Popeye Williams, Westfield (Ind.), 6-3, 230, sr.
College: Louisville
Under Armour All-American Bowl and two-time IFCA Top 50 All-State selection. Had 96 tackles, 22.5 TFL, 10.5 sacks and 27 QB hurries.

DL: Isaac Hamm, Sun Prairie (Wis.), 6-6, 270, sr.
College: Wisconsin
Four-star prospect is the state’s No. 4 overall recruit. Two-time Wisconsin AP All-State selection and this season’s WFCA Large School Defensive Player of the Year.

DL: Enai White, Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.), 6-5, 230, sr.
College: Texas A&M
Top 25 overall recruit nationally (regardless of position) and the No. 2 edge prospect. First team PFW Class 5A All-State. Holds 43 offers, including Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Oregon, Oklahoma, Miami (Fla.), USC and Penn State.

LB: CJ Hicks, Archbishop Alter (Kettering, Ohio), 6-3, 215, sr.
College: Ohio State
Five-star is the country’s No. 2 linebacker prospect and OPSWA D-III Ohio Defensive Player of the Year. Under Armour All-American and Polynesian bowls selection. Third team All-Great Lakes Region in 2020. Has 209 career tackles.

LB: Gabe Powers, Marysville (Ohio), 6-4, 230, sr.
College: Ohio State
Four-star prospect is the country’s No. 8 linebacker recruit. Two-time OPSWA D-I Ohio Defensive Player of the Year. Under Armour All-American Bowl selection. First team All-Great Lakes Region in 2020. Had 90 tackles, 17 TFL, six sacks and four forced fumbles. Also ran for 877 yards and had 17 total touchdowns (including two on punt returns).

LB: Joshua Burnham, Traverse City Central (Mich.), 6-3, 200, sr.
College: Notre Dame
Country’s No. 5 linebacker prospect (four-star) is a two-way player that also starred at quarterback. Had 72 tackles, 12 TFL and two interceptions. Offensviely ran for 1,515 yards and threw for 963. Second team All-Great Lakes Region in 2020.

LB: Drayk Bowen, Andrean (Merrillville, Ind.), 6-2, 215, jr.
College: Notre Dame
Four-star prospect is the country’s No. 3 ranked linebacker in his class and a Top 100 overall recruit. IFCA Top 50 All-State. Had 105 tackles, 12 TFL, three sacks, three interceptions, two caused fumbles, two blocked field goals and a blocked punt. Offensively ran for 965 yards and scored 20 total touchdowns. Career numbers are 235 tackles, 35 TFL, 11 sacks, six forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, five blocked kicks and four interceptions.
 
DB: Will Johnson, Grosse Pointe South (Mich.), 6-2, 195, sr.
College: Michigan
Five-star prospect is the country’s No. 4 cornerback recruit and a Top 20 recruit overall. Under Armour All-American Bowl selection. Had 44.5 tackles, 11 pass breakups and 1,302 all-purpose yards.

DB: Keenan Nelson Jr., St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.), 6-1, 200, sr.
College: South Carolina
All-American Bowl selection is one of the country’s Top 20 safety prospects. Two-time first team PFW Class 6A All-State.

DB: Toriano Pride, East St. Louis (Ill.), 5-11, 185, sr.
College: Clemson
Four-star prospect is one of the country’s Top 10 cornerbacks. IHSFCA Class 6A All-State.

DB: Nolan Ziegler, Catholic Central (Grand Rapids, Mich.), 6-4, 210, sr.
College: Notre Dame
All-American Bowl selection is one of the state’s Top 10 prospects. Michigan AP Division 5-6 Player of the Year. Had 117 tackles, nine TFL, eight sacks and three forced fumbles. Offensively caught 67 passes for 1,398 yards and 25 touchdowns.

AP: Dasan McCullough, Bloomington South (Ind.), 6-5, 235, sr.
College: Indiana
Under Armour All-American Bowl selection is the country’s No. 9 edge prospect and Indiana’s No. 2 overall prospect. Four-star

P: Tyler Perkins, St. Paul (Norwalk, Ohio), 6-0, 184, sr.
College: Iowa State
Country’s No. 6 punting prospect. Two-time first team OPSWA D-VI All-Ohio.

@EFRANTZMP'S ALL-GREAT LAKES REGION SECOND TEAM DEFENSE

DL: Alex VanSumeren, Garber (Essexville, Mich.), 6-3, 300, sr.
College: Michigan State
State’s No. 4 overall prospect named first team AP Division 5-6 All-State.

DL: Anthony Smith, Shippensburg (Pa.), 6-5, 280, sr.
College: Minnesota
Four-star prospect is the state’s No. 6 overall recruit. Two-time first team PFW Class 5A All-State. Had 64 tackles, 12.5 TFL and 9.5 sacks. Scored 10 touchdowns on offense (seven rushing).

DL: Joe Strickland, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory (Indianapolis, Ind.), 6-4, 250, sr.
College: Purdue
Fur-star prospect is one of state’s Top 10 overall recruits. Two-time IFCA Top 50 All-State selection had 62 tackles, 15 TFL, 9.5 sacks and 27 QB hurries as a senior. Career numbers are 155 tackles, 36.5 TFL, 21 sacks and 46 QB hurries.

DL: Deone Walker, Cass Tech (Detroit, Mich.), 6-6, 350, sr.
College: Kentucky
State’s No. 3 overall prospect had 43 tackles, 15 TFL, six sacks and a forced fumble in seven games.

LB: James Kreutz, Loyola Academy (Wilmette, Ill.), 6-1, 210, sr.
College: Illinois
Polynesien Bowl selection and IHSFCA Class 8A All-State. Had 137 tackles, 19 TFL, six sacks, five pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one interception.

LB: Keon Wylie, Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.), 6-2, 210, sr.
College: Penn State
All-American Bowl selection. First team PFW Class 5A All-State.

LB: Sebastian Cheeks, Evanston (Ill.), 6-3, 210, sr.
College: North Carolina
Four-star prospect is the country’s No. 14 linebacker recruit. All-American Bowl selection.

LB: Domanick Moon, Fort Wayne Snider (Ind.), 6-2, 200, sr.
College: Purdue
Two-time IFCA Top 50 All-State and state’s Mr. Football award winner at linebacker. Had 86 tackles, 8 TFL and an interception.

DB: Dillon Tatum, West Bloomfield (Mich.), 5-11, 190, sr.
College: Michigan State
Four-star prospect is one of the state’s Top 10 overall recruits. Had 61 tackles and seven interceptions. Holds 34 offers, including Ohio State, Georgia, USC, Wisconsin, Michigan, Texas A&M, Miami (Fla.) and Mississippi.

DB: Alex Afari, Lakota West (West Chester, Ohio), 6-3, 205, sr.
College: Kentucky
Four-star prospect is one of the state’s Top 10 overall recruits. Two-time OPSWA D-I All-Ohio first team.

DB: Austin Brown, Johnston City (Ill.), 6-1, 195, sr.
College: Wisconsin
One of the country’s Top 20 safety prospects. IHSFCA Class 2A All-State. Also holds offers from Michigan, Cincinnati, Northwestern, Iowa, Purdue, Vanderbilt and Minnesota among others.

DB: Jyaire Brown, Lakota West (West Chester, Ohio), 6-0, 178, sr.
College: Ohio State
Four-star prospect is one of the country’s Top 20 cornerbacks. Two-time OPSWA D-I All-Ohio first team and All-American Bowl selection. Third team All-Great Lakes Region in 2020.

AP: Josiah Trotter, St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.), 6-2, 255, jr.
College: Undecided
Four-star is one of the country’s Top 25 linebacker prospects. First Team PFW Class 8A All-State. Holds 12 offers, including Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Oregon, Clemson and Penn State.

P: Ben Gomez, Cathedral (Indianapolis, Ind.), 5-10, 165, sr.
College: Undecided
Connected on 18-of-23 field goals, had 54 touchbacks, averaged 36.6 yards per punt and scored 114 points. IFCA Top 50 All-State. Made 29-of-36 career field goals.

@EFRANTZMP'S ALL-GREAT LAKES REGION THIRD TEAM DEFENSE

DL: Tyreese Fearbry, Perry Traditional Academy (Pittsburgh, Pa.), 6-5, 225, sr.
College: Kentucky
Four-star prospect is a Top 15 edge prospect nationally. Under Armour All-American Bowl selection.

DL: Ken Talley, Northeast (Philadelphia, Pa.), 6-3, 230, sr.
College: Penn State
Four-star prospect is one of the state’s Top 10 recruits. First Team PFW Class 6A All-State. Had 95 tackles, 20 TFL, 12 sacks and 11 QB hurries.

DL: Kenneth Grant, Merrillville (Ind.), 6-4, 335, sr.
College: Michigan
IFCA Top 50 All-State. Had 40 tackles, 6.5 sacks and four forced fumbles.

DL: Luke Montgomery, Findlay (Ohio), 6-5, 265, jr.
College: Undecided
Two-time OPSWA D-I All-Ohio. State’s top junior prospect plays both ways. Allowed zero sacks as first year OL. Holds 33 offers, including Ohio State, Michigan, Oklahoma, Alabama, Clemson, Oregon, LSU and Penn State.

LB: Abdul Carter, La Salle College (Wyndmoor, Pa.), 6-4, 235.
College: Penn State
Four-star prospect is a Top 40 linebacker nationally. First Team PFW Class 6A All-State.

LB: Moses Walker, Erasmus Hall (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 6-2, 220, sr.
College: Rutgers
Four-star prospect is a Top 25 linebacker nationally and New York’s No. 1 recruit.

LB: Jimmy Rolder, Marist (Chicago, Ill.), 6-2, 200, sr.
College: Michigan
Four-star prospect is a Top 30 linebacker nationally. IHSFCA Class 8A All-State.

LB: Anthony Johnson, Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.), 6-1, 230, sr.
College: Rutgers
Four-star prospect is a Top 25 linebacker nationally.

DB: Javon Tracy, Decatur Central (Indianapolis, Ind.), 6-1, 185, sr.
College: Miami (Ohio)
One of the state’s Top 25 overall prospects. Two-time IFCA Top 50 All-State. Finishes career with 69 tackles, seven interceptions and 42 total touchdowns.

DB: Myles Rowser, Belleville (Mich.), 6-0, 185, sr.
College: Arkansas
Four-star prospect is one of the state’s Top 10 overall recruits and an All-American Bowl selection. Also holds offers from Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State and Florida.

DB: Delian Bradley, Springfield (Ohio), 6-0, 185, sr.
College: Harvard
One of the state’s Top 30 prospects. Three-time OPSWA D-I All-Ohio. Holds 30 offers, including Michigan State, Nebraska, Kentucky, Pitt, Washington State, Cincinnati, Arizona State and Boston College. Finishes career with 263 tackles, 16 interceptions, nine forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries.

DB: Sonny Styles, Pickerington Central (Ohio), 6-4, 215, sr.
College: Ohio State
Five-star reclassified from 2023 to 2022 and is the country’s No. 2 safety prospect. OPSWA All-Ohio.

AP: JT Seagreaves, Monroe (Wis.), 6-6, 225, sr.
College: Wisconsin
First team Wisconsin AP All-State selection at DE/OLB doubles as one of the nation’s top tight end prospects.

P: Isaiah Wolf, Osceola Grace (Osceola, Ind.), 5-11, 176, sr.
College: Undecided
Averaged 49.3 yards per punt, had a long of 90 and dropped 11-of-29 attempts inside the 20. Also started at quarterback (1,708 total yards and 25 total touchdowns) and cornerback (nine interceptions). Accounted for 72 total touchdowns, had 20 interceptions and averaged 42.3 yards per punt over career.