Even though the 2027 graduation year is a long way away, the following high school football players have already had improbable success, most playing football against legal adults as 14- or 15-year-olds.
Some have garnered major college offers from Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee and others. Most are champing at the bit get out on the field and show even further that they belong at the next level.
High school football in Ohio kicks off soon, with the regular season starting around Aug. 22. Here are the top 25 football recruits in Greater Cincinnati for the class of 2026.
25. Sean Hurry, DL, Newport
Hurry finished first among freshmen and fifth overall in Kentucky last season with 8.5 sacks. At 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, he's well on his way to Division I size going into his sophomore year.
24. Ryan Massie-Cable, OL/DL, Taylor
Listed at 6-4, 232 pounds, Massie-Cable will get Division I looks based on his size alone. He uses brute strength and surprising athleticism to create pressure from the interior of the defensive line, and with some technical refinement, it's fun to think of the things he could do at Taylor.
23. Ulysses Porter, RB/DB, Holy Cross
Porter exploded onto the scene for Holy Cross during his freshman season in 2023. He recorded nearly 1,000 rushing yards and 137 receiving yards and forced and recovered two fumbles on defense. He totaled 18 touchdowns in 2023.
22. Andrew Lyman, WR, Kings
Lyman is listed as 6-2 and has already received an offer from the University of Massachusetts. His brother, who will be a senior at Kings this season, committed to Eastern Michigan University over offers from Army, Navy and seven of eight Ivy League schools.
21. Lucas Cannady, QB, St. Bernard
Cannady threw five interceptions in his first two games starting for St. Bernard last season, but he quickly settled in and threw for 13 touchdowns to just five interceptions for the rest of the season.
20. Crue Gilmour, DB, Lawrenceburg
Gilmour recorded 39 tackles, forced a fumble and had two interceptions during his freshman season at Lawrenceburg. With some development over the next three seasons, he could be Division I caliber in track as well. His personal best for a sanctioned high jump is 5 feet, 11 inches.
19. Reilly Newman, LB/TE, Lakota West
At 6-5, 200 pounds, Newman is already approaching Division I size. It's no surprise that he dominated on Lakota West's freshmen team last season but look for a breakout campaign for Newman. He and the three other Lakota West sophomores-to-be could make for an enviable offensive attack for the next three seasons.
18. Noah Brown, OL, East Central
As a freshman in 2023, Brown started all 15 games for the Indiana class 4A state champion East Central Trojans. Currently listed at 6-foot, 245 pounds. He'll probably need to grow a couple of inches in the next few years to be a bona-fide Division I prospect, but the potential is obvious. On tape, he uses impressive lower-body strength to move larger defensive linemen.
17. Camden Telinda, athlete, Goshen
Telinda was a two-way star for Goshen as a freshman in 2023, recording 776 rushing yards, 233 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. He also forced three fumbles on defense and had two pass break-ups. Listed at 6 feet, Telinda should eventually have enough size to go wherever his skills take him.
16. Kenyon Norman, RB, Lakota West
Kenyon Norman spent most of 2023 on Lakota West's freshman and JV teams, but when he got called up to varsity, he rushed for 93 yards on eight tries. He also helped Lakota West win its first-ever state track championship in the 4x100-meter relay in 2023.
15. Tink Sellers, DB/WR, Deer Park
Sellers had an impressive freshman campaign, totaling 11 receptions for 290 yards and one touchdown catch. He also had three interceptions. Deer Park coaches expect Sellers to put himself on the map with a breakout campaign in 2023.
14. Tysin Weaver, WR, Simon Kenton
Weaver is already 6 feet and 174 pounds, and he recorded 607 receiving yards on 27 receptions (22.3 yards per reception) in 2023. No play is dead when the ball is in Weaver's hands. He consistently finds ways to accelerate around defenders and make big plays out of shorter completions.
13. Isiah Johnson, OT/DE, New Miami
As a freshman, Johnson totaled 56 tackles, three-and-a-half sacks, a forced fumble and 14 tackles for loss. He should be a candidate for numerous accolades over the next three seasons.
12. Xavier Ratica, TE, Lakota West
Ratica is already 6-6, 227 pounds. He's received one Division I offer so far, from Toledo. He didn't catch a pass on varsity last season but he unsurprisingly dominated at the lower level. He was so much bigger than everyone else that little can be gleaned from watching the tape. Still, he has fluid movements and strong athleticism, especially for someone so young and large.
11. Hezikiah Kelly, athlete, Northwest
Kelly was the only freshman to be named first-team All-Southwest Ohio Conference in 2023. He recorded 34 tackles, a sack, an interception and three pass breakups last year. He also had eight catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns.
10. Timmy Emongo, athlete, Scott
Emongo already has five Division I offers, from Louisville, Kentucky, Miami University, Kent State and Eastern Kentucky. He rushed 20 times for 382 yards as a freshman and added 83 receiving yards.
9. Brady Young, QB, New Richmond
At 6-4, 185 pounds, Young is already closing in on Division I size. In his first four games as the starter for New Richmond in 2023, the freshman threw for 17 touchdown passes. He finished the season with 2,500 yards and 27 passing touchdowns.
8. Devlan Daniel, RB, Indian Hill
Daniel is a star on the gridiron, but his true calling might be on the diamond. Not many rising sophomores already throw 90 miles per hour off the mound and up to 95 mph from the outfield. He sprints to a 6.5-second 60-yard run, already good for a 70 (two standard deviations above Major League average) on baseball's 20-80 scale , and he's reached exit velocities of near 100 mph off his bat.
On the football field, Daniel rushed for nearly 1,500 yards as a freshman with over 10 yards per carry and struck pay dirt 18 times. Bo Jackson anyone?
7. Tyler Fryman, WR/DB, Beechwood
It was difficult to decide how to order Daniel and Fryman, the pair of two-sport stars from this class. Fryman gets the nod because of his two-way potential on the football field. In 2023, Fryman lit it up offensively with 1,052 receiving yards (22.4 yards per reception), 191 rushing (10.6 yards per carry) and 18 touchdowns. He also had three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. For baseball, he's already committed to playing at the University of Louisville. He ran a 6.39 60-yard dash at a Perfect Game event, even faster than Daniel.
6. Jackson Smith, QB, Lakota West
As a freshman, Smith had a 44.4% completion percentage and threw for one touchdown compared to six interceptions. His season got off to a bad start in the season's first two games, playing against two of the top teams in the area, St. Xavier and Princeton. Still, Smith already has three Division I offers, from Kentucky, Marshall and Miami University.
5. Eddie Holloway, WR, Taft
Holloway, a 5-11 receiver, already has an offer from Toledo. He averaged over 30 yards per catch on 13 receptions in 2023, showcasing his impressive big-play ability. He also added six rushes for 117 yards and recorded five total touchdowns.
4. Ace Alston, CB, Anderson
Anderson started at cornerback for Anderson in 2023 and finished with 11 pass breakups, an interception and 46 tackles. Since the end of last season, Alston has earned 14 Division I offers from schools including Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
3. Isaiah Garrett, RB, Winton Woods
Garrett averaged over 10 yards per carry and recorded six touchdowns in his first five games for Winton Woods as a freshman in 2023. An injury limited him for the rest of the season after that, but the showing was still enough for the 5-9 running back to receive offers from Michigan, Kentucky and West Virginia.
2. Antwoine Higgins Jr., LB, Anderson
Higgins and Alston will make for one of the most exciting combinations in Ohio high school football for the next three seasons. Higgins is already 6-3, 215 pounds, and he has received 18 Division I offers from the likes of Arkansas, UC, Michigan, Oregon and Tennessee. In 2023, he had 53 tackles, one-and-a-half sacks, six tackles for loss, four passes defended and an interception.
1. Jaylen Mercer, Edge, Winton Woods
The Eastern Cincinnati Conference is in good hands. For the next three years, Alston and Higgins of Anderson will battle it out with Garrett and Jaylen Mercer of Winton Woods for the best one-two punch in the ECC. Mercer didn't play much on varsity last year, but the 6-5, 230-pound edge rusher has already racked up offers from Penn State, Tennessee and USC. He and Alabama commit Justin Hill might make a few quarterbacks call in sick on the day they play Winton Woods this season.
On the radar
Nana Baffour - DL, Lakota East; Joseph Crooks - DB, Colerain; Josiah Gault - WR, Wyoming; T.J. Gray - WR, Dixie Heights; Deonte Jarmon - ATH, Colerain; Donte Jarmon - RB, Colerain; Ryan Minges - RB, East Central; Brad Roaden - ATH, Dixie Heights; Chris Seabrooks - OL, Lakota East; Riley Smith - LB, Colerain; Trey Smith - WR, Colerain
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati high school football's top 25 recruits in the class of 2027
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