MaxPreps Picks the Nation's Top Players From A-Z

The best players in the country from Gideon Ajagbe to Zach Zwinak.

Thumbnail image of this articles writer: Kevin Askeland
By
Aug 4, 2009, 12:00am
The 2009 high school football season kicks off in less than five days and MaxPreps has all of the nation’s prep action covered from A to Z.

We start the coverage with the nation’s best players, one for each letter of the alphabet.

A – Gideon Ajagbe, Ransom Everglades (Coconut Grove, Fla.), LB, 6-2, 197 – Tom Lemming ranks Ajagbe at No. 43 among the Top 100. He made the Class 2B all-state second team as a utility player.

B – Blake Bell, Carroll (Wichita, Kan.), QB, 6-6, 215 – The Gatorade state player of the year in Kansas, Bell threw for 3,240 yards (255 for 401) and 37 touchdowns. He also ran for 12 scores and ranks No. 6 on Tom Lemming’s Top 100 list.

C – Robert Crisp, Cedar Ridge (Hillsborough, N.C.), T, 6-8, 305 – One of the top linemen in the South, Crisp has reportedly transferred from Chapel Hill to Hillsborough for his senior year. The North Carolina State recruit ranks No. 17 on Tom Lemming’s Top 100 list.

D – Mike Dyer, Little Rock Christian (Little Rock, Ark.), RB, 5-8, 201 – The top running back in Arkansas, Dyer is on the verge of becoming the state’s all-time leading rusher. Ranked No. 15 in the country by Tom Lemming, Dyer has 5,595 career yards at Little Rock Christian, including 1,984 last year with 19 touchdowns. He ran for 2,710 yards and 28 scores as a junior.

E – Matt Elam, Dwyer (West Palm Beach, Fla.), Ath, 6-0, 205 – Ranked No. 14 overall by Tom Lemming, Elam was the Palm Beach Post defensive player of the year with close to 100 tackles at linebacker. Committed to Florida, Elam also ran for 431 yards and 13 touchdown and had 776 receiving yards with eight scores.

F – C.J. Fiedorowicz, Johnsburg (Ill.), TE, 6-7, 240 – Tom Lemming ranks Fiedorowicz the top tight end in the country and the No. 13 player overall. He caught 49 passes for 809 yards and 11 touchdowns last year.

G – Devin Gardner, Inkster (Detroit, Mich.), QB, 6-4, 195 – An outstanding dual talent, Gardner threw for 1,886 yards and ran for 1,401 while making the all-state team. Tom Lemming ranks Gardner the No. 7 overall prospect in the country.

H – Seantrel Henderson, Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul, Minn.), OL, 6-8, 301 – Ranked No. 1 in the country by Tom Lemming, Henderson is an extremely athletic lineman who is agile enough to play for the basketball team at Cretin-Derham Hall.

I – Bronson Irwin, Mustang (Okla.), OL, 6-5, 300 – One of the top lineman recruits in Oklahoma, Irwin will stay in-state and play for the Sooners. He ranks No. 94 on Lemming’s Top 100 list.

J – Jackson Jeffcoat, Plano West (Plano, Texas), DE, 6-5, 230 – The son of former Dallas Cowboy Jim Jeffcoat, Jackson is ranked No. 4 in the country by Tom Lemming. He was an all-state player at Plano West last year, racking up 94 tackles with seven sacks and 20 quarterback pressures.

K – Gabe King, Page (Greensboro, N.C.), DE, 6-6, 253 – King racked up 75 tackles for Page last year and stands at No. 41 on Lemming’s Top 100 list.

L – Marcus Lattimore, Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.), RB, 5-11, 210 – Ranked the No. 3 overall prospect in the country by Tom Lemming, Lattimore ran 305 times for 2,314 yards and 30 touchdowns as a junior.

D.J. Morgan, Taft (Woodland Hills, Calif.)
D.J. Morgan, Taft (Woodland Hills, Calif.)
Photo by Anthony Watson
M – D.J. Morgan, Taft (Woodland Hills, Calif.), RB, 5-11, 175 – No. 44 on Lemming’s list of recruits, Morgan raced for 1,841 yards and 26 touchdowns while making the All-Los Angeles City Section team for the Toreadors. He has already committed to USC.

N – Andrew Norwell, Anderson (Cincinnati, Ohio), OL, 6-7, 275 – Norwell earned all-state Division II first team honors in Ohio and is headed to Ohio State. He ranks No. 37 overall by Tom Lemming.

O – Alec Ogletree, Newnan (Ga.), DB, 6-3, 210 – Ogletree will stay at home after committing to Georgia. The No. 29 overall recruit by Tom Lemming, Ogletree had 62 tackles and two interceptions for Newnan.

P – Ronald Powell, Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley, Calif.), DE, 6-4, 230 – Ranked No. 11 overall by Tom Lemming, Powell is versatile enough to play both ways. He caught 30 passes as a tight end as a freshman before moving to the other side of the ball and becoming a standout at defensive end where he had 13 sacks and 60 tackles as a junior.

Q – Kelcy Quarles, Greenwood (S.C.), DT, 6-4, 250 – An all-state second team selection last year, Quarles is headed to South Carolina and ranks No. 57 on Lemming’s Top 100.

R – Jeremy Richardson, Springville (Ala.), WR, 6-4, 220 – The Auburn recruit ranks No. 19 in the country according to Tom Lemming. A Class 5A all-state pick in Alabama, Richardson caught 61 passes for 1,228 yards as a junior.

S – Lache Seastrunk, Temple (Temple, Texas), RB, 5-11, 192 – The No. 2 ranked prospect in the country by Tom Lemming, Seastrunk is one of the fastest running backs in the country. He has gained 3,073 yards and scored 33 touchdowns the past two seasons combined.

T – Peter Thomas, Valhalla (El Cajon, Calif.), QB, 6-5, 215 – Headed to Arizona State, Thomas threw for 2,691 yards last year and ranks No. 85 on Tom Lemming’s Top 100.

U – George Uko, Don Lugo (Chino, Calif.), DT, 6-4, 280 – Uko had 89 tackles and five sacks as a junior and earned All-Inland Valley second team honors.

V – Ronnie Vinson, Isidore Newman (New Orleans, La.), Ath, 5-11, 185 – An all-state player at defensive back, Vinson also gained nearly 1,200 yards of offense.

W – Darius White, Dunbar (Fort Worth, Texas), WR, 6-2, 205 – Ranked No. 5 by Tom Lemming, White was all-Fort Worth first team and 4A all-state honorable mention. He caught 35 passes for 952 yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging 27.2 yards per catch.

X – Xavier Grimble, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), TE, 6-5, 250 – We cheated a little bit here and went with Grimble’s first name in order to place him on the list. He could be the X-Factor for the Gaels this year after catching passes for 308 yards as a junior. Grimble, who is headed to USC, is the No. 3 ranked tight end and the no. 26 overall prospect ranked by Tom Lemming.

Y – Louis Young, Good Counsel (Olney, Md.), CB, 6-0, 185 – The Stanford recruit had five interceptions last year for Good Counsel.

Z – Zach Zwinak, Linganore (Frederick, Md.), FB, 6-2, 230 – The No. 90 overall recruit on Lemming’s list, Zwinak ran for 1,442 yards and 20 touchdowns last year and was a first team all-state pick in Maryland.

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