Texas has a strong tradition of producing top high school athletes across a variety of sports.
Many of the state's best have gone on to professional careers or shined on the Olympic stage.
MaxPreps is looking back at the best the state has produced this century, beginning with the graduating class of 2001. Selections were based primarily off high school resumes.
1. Patrick Mahomes, Whitehouse 2014
Sports: Football, basketball, baseball
Resume: A three-sport star for the Wildcats, Mahomes was named MaxPreps National Athlete of the Year in 2013-14. At quarterback, he threw for 8,458 yards and 96 touchdowns in his final two years on the gridiron. On the basketball court Mahomes averaged 19 points and eight rebounds as a senior, including a 49-point postseason game. On the diamond he threw a no-hitter and was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the 2014 MLB Draft.
2. Kyler Murray, Allen
Class: 2015
Sports: Football, baseball
Resume: Never lost a game at quarterback for Allen while winning three state championships, a national title and two MaxPreps National Player of the Year awards. On the baseball field he hit .432 as a junior with eight home runs and was considered to be a projected first round pick before withdrawing from the 2015 MLB Draft out of high school. He eventually was selected No. 9 overall by the Athletics in the 2018 MLB Draft out of Oklahoma. He is the only athlete to be ever be a top 10 pick in both the NFL and MLB drafts.
3. Brittney Griner, Nimitz (Houston)
Class: 2009
Sport: Basketball
Resume: Set national records in 2008-09 with 318 blocks in a season and 25 in a single-game. Also set a national record with seven dunks in one game. As a senior she helped the Cougars reach the state championship game before heading to Baylor and becoming a WNBA superstar.
4. Adrian Peterson, Palestine
Class: 2004
Sports: Football, basketball, track
Resume: Ran for over 5,000 yards in two years of high school before becoming one of the greatest running backs in NFL history. Also a basketball and track star, Peterson was a veteran of the UIL state meet and finished second in the 100-meter.
5. Clayton Kershaw, Highland Park (Dallas)
Class: 2006
Sport: Baseball
Resume: Went 13-0 with a 0.77 ERA as a senior before becoming the No. 7 overall pick in the 2006 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He won 38 career games in high school, including a five-inning perfect game in the playoffs where he struck out all 15 batters.
6. Nneka Ogwumike, Cy-Fair (Cypress)
Class: 2008
Sports: Basketball, volleyball
Resume: The 2008 MaxPreps National Player of the Year in basketball led the Bobcats to a state title in her senior season. Her success continued by leading Stanford to four straight Final Four berths before she was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2012 WNBA Draft.
7. Chiney Ogwumike, Cy-Fair (Cypress)
Class: 2010
Sports: Basketball, volleyball
Resume: Won state titles as a sophomore and a senior while taking home the 2010 MaxPreps National Player of the Year award. Played on three Final Four teams at Stanford including two with her older sister Nneka. Followed in her sister's footsteps by becoming the first overall pick of the 2014 WNBA Draft.
8. Vince Young, Madison (Houston, Texas)
Class: 2002
Sports: Football, basketball, track, baseball
Resume: The future Texas Longhorns star had nearly 13,000 yards in high school with a run to the state semifinals as a senior. The four-sport prep star was all-state in track and field, a 25 points per game scorer in basketball and a two-year member of the baseball team.
9. Scottie Scheffler, Highland Park (Dallas)
Class: 2014
Sports: Golf, basketball
Resume: Won three straight state championships at Highland Park and made his PGA Tour debut during his junior year of high school. The four-time major winner also played basketball as a senior, coming off the bench for a 23-5 Scots squad that reached the UIL playoffs.
10. Cat Osterman, Cypress Springs (Cypress)Class: 2001
Sports: Softball, basketball
Resume: As a senior Osterman did not allow an earned run in 184 innings of work, surrendering just 18 hits on the season. The future Olympic star threw 12 no-hitters and struck out 435 batters that season. In her final three years of high school she struck out 1,158 batters in 507 innings. Averaged a double-double on the hardwood and led Houston with 5.4 blocks per game as a senior.
