Ranking Tennessee high school football 1-25 best seniors for 2024 TSSAA season

The Tennessee high school football season is only a few weeks away. And for the second straight year, The USA Today Sports Network has put together its preseason ranking of the state's top high school football players entering the 2024 TSSAA season.

We are releasing the top seniors, juniors, sophomores and freshmen over the next few weeks. The players included in these rankings are decided on what we call an athlete's playability and recruitabilty, meaning his accomplishments on the field and his ability to draw college recruiting interest.

The players have been selected by high school sports writers from The Tennessean, The Commercial Appeal (Memphis), Knoxville News Sentinel, The Daily News Journal (Murfreesboro) and The Leaf-Chronicle (Clarksville) and includes input from high school football coaches from around the state.

Our player rankings will start with the top 100 seniors and move on to the top 50 juniors, 25 sophomores and a top 10 list of the state's best freshmen.

Here are the USA Today Sports Network's top Tennessee high school football seniors, ranked 1-25, in the state.

We will add to this list in sets of 25 over the next four days until we've reached 100.

1. George MacIntyre, Brentwood Academy, 6-foot-6, 182 pounds, QB

The Eagles star is the No. 1-ranked prospect in Tennessee per the 247Sports Composite. The Tennessee commit threw for 3,229 yards with 25 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions and had more than 35 offers. His top-10 list included Alabama, Auburn, Florida International, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Oregon and UCLA.

2 Ethan Utley, Ensworth, 6-4, 265, DL

Utley committed to Tennessee in March and is the No. 2 prospect in Tennessee and the 18th-ranked defensive lineman in the nation. He's a four-star athlete who had 35.5 tackles, seven for a loss, four forced fumbles, and a sack. He picked the Vols over Michigan, Oklahoma, Syracuse and Texas and also held offers from schools like Georgia, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Michigan and LSU.

3. Cameron Sparks, Baylor, 6-3, 215, LB/WR

Sparks is ranked as the No. 3 prospect in Tennessee and the fifth-ranked athlete in the nation. He has more than a dozen offers that include Tennessee, Georgia, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, Colorado, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State and Miami. He finished with 38 receptions for 711 yards and seven touchdowns.

4. Radarious Jackson, Sheffield, 6-3, 180, Athlete

The Class 3A Mr. Football winner , and Tennessee commit had 30 catches for 696 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also finished with 782 rushing yards, nine TDs with 340 yards passing and seven TDs. As a defensive back, Sheffield contributed with 63 tackles and eight interceptions, returning three back for TDs.

5. Jamarion Morrow, Melrose, 5-9, 180, Athlete

Morrow transferred to Melrose after playing last season at Germantown. A four-star recruit and Missouri commit , Morrow is the No. 5 player in Tennessee (and ninth-ranked athlete in the country) with offers that included Alabama, Tennessee and Ole Miss. He helped the Red Devils to a 12-1 record that included a Region 8-6A title with 573 yards rushing, six TDs and 639 yards receiving with six more TDs. Defensively had had 24 tackles and four interceptions.

6. Jay’len Mosley, Jackson Christian, 6-1, 190, Safety

Mosley is four-star athlete ranked the No. 13 prospect in Tennessee. He narrowed his choices to Alabama, Louisville, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Purdue and Tennessee. He caught 74 passes for 1,482 yards and 26 touchdowns, averaging 148 receiving yards a game while being named Mr. Football in Division II-A.

7. Daune Morris, Oakland, 5-10, 185, Athlete

Morris is the No. 17 recruit in Tennessee and No. 30 athlete nationally committed to USC in April. Morris ran for 2,012 yards with 568 receiving yards and scored 36 total touchdowns in leading the Patriots to the Class 6A state championship game for the fourth consecutive season.

8. Jaylan Morgan, Rockvale, 6-0, 180, DB

Morgan is ranked as the No. 6 player in Tennessee and No. 23 safety nationally. He committed to Georgia earlier this month . He also had offers from Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri and Vanderbilt, as well as Power Five schools Colorado, Oklahoma, USC and TCU. Tennessee was the first Power Five school to offer.

9. Kalen Edwards, Dyersburg, 6-4, 315, DL

He decommitted from Auburn in March and committed to Kentucky earlier this month. He also had offers from Tennessee, Florida, Arkansas, Georgia and Oregon. He's a four-star prospect ranked as the No. 9 player in Tennessee. Edwards had 47 tackles, including 12 for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles and three blocked kicks while leading Dyersburg to the TSSAA Class 3A state semifinals .

10. Eli Owens, Aloca, 6-1, 245, TE

Owens finished his junior season with 38 receptions for 485 yards and five touchdowns. He is a four-star recruit and the No. 15 prospect in Tennessee who committed to Michigan in January. He had offers from Alabama, Ohio State, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Michigan State, and helped Alcoa capture its ninth straight Class 3A state championship.

11. Chauncey Gooden, Lipscomb Academy, 6-4, 320, OL

The Mustangs offensive lineman is the No. 8 recruit in Tennessee and the No. 19 interior offensive lineman in the country. Gooden committed to Deion Sanders and Colorado June 24 . He had schools like Tennessee, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon and South Carolina among his final 10 choices.

12. Nic Moore, Jefferson County, 6-2, 300, OL

Moore is a Tennessee commit who is ranked No. 7 in the state and and the 14th interior offensive lineman in the nation. A four-star recruit, Moore led the way to Jefferson County's 3,200 rushing yards in 2023. He also held offers from Louisville, West Virginia, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. He was named all state and the Region 1-6A offensive lineman of the year.

13. Carson Lawrence, McCallie, 6-2, 194, Safety

Lawrence is a Vanderbilt commit who is ranked the No. 11 prospect in Tennessee and the 31st safety in the country. He held offers from Michigan, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Georgia Tech and Miami, among others. He had 37 tackles last season with four interceptions and eight passes defended.

14. Donovan Starr, Ravenwood, 6-0, 175, DB

Starr is the No. 14 ranked player in Tennessee. He committed to Auburn last month and was Auburn’s 12th commitment from the 2025 class. His offer list also included Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, North Carolina, California, Mississippi State, Northwestern, Louisville, Duke, UAB, Minnesota and Georgia Tech.

15. Stephon Shivers, Brentwood Academy, 6-3, 355, OL/DL

Shivers is ranked as the No. 19 prospect in Tennessee. The Humboldt High School transfer held 17 offers, including Tennessee, Michigan, Auburn, Florida, Oregon, Texas, Ole Miss and Arkansas but committed to Georgia in March. He had 90 tackles with 11 sacks, 10 forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries with Humboldt.

16. CJ Jimcoily, Lipscomb Academy, 6-3, 200, DB

Jimcoily is the No. 12 recruit in Tennessee and No. 33 safety in the country. The 6-3, 200-pound athlete, played corner and safety during his junior season for the Mustangs and had 51 tackles with 3.5 for loss and had an interception. The four-star defensive back listed Tennessee, Alabama, LSU and Stanford as his final four schools.

17. Joakim Dodson, Baylor, 6-2, 185, WR

A Tennessee commit, Dodson had several offers including Vanderbilt, Purdue, Missouri, Mississippi State, Houston and others. He had 52 receptions for 1,012 yards and 10 touchdowns at Collierville in 2023.

18. Shekai Mills-Knight, Baylor, 6-2, 220, RB

Mills-Knight ran for 1,113 yards with 15 touchdowns and helped Baylor advance to the DII-AAA state championship game with a 10-3 record. He holds offers from Tennessee, Ole Miss. Michigan and Alabama.

19. Austin Howard, Bartlett, 6-3, 225, LB

The Bartlett linebacker is the No. 712 player nationally by the 247Sports Composite and is a Mississippi State commitment. He had originally committed to Vanderbilt in April and was the third-highest ranked commit in the Commodores' 2025 class.

20. Kris Thompson, Lipscomb Academy, 6-1, 255, LB

Thompson (6-1, 225) had 84 tackles in 10 games last fall with 3.5 sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and a defensive touchdown for the Mustangs. He'll lead a linebacker group inherited from former Mustangs star and current Tennessee freshman Edwin Spillman. Thompson is ranked No. 30 in Tennessee who holds offers from Tennessee, Ole Miss, Florida, Michigan, Louisville, Oklahoma State, UAB and Colorado.

21. Geron Johnson, Bartlett, 6-0, 185, RB

Johnson, a Mississippi State commit, had 285 carries for 1,882 yards rushing with 10 touchdowns. He averaged 6.6 yards a carry and 171.1 yards per game. He's the No. 16-ranked prospect in Tennessee who held offers from Ole Miss, UNLV, Memphis and Tennessee State.

22. Isaiah Groves, East Robertson, 5-11, 185, RB

Groves is a three-star back who committed to Georgia Tech football last month. He's the 25th-ranked prospect in Tennessee who held offers from Kentucky, Missouri, N.C. State, Virginia, UAB, Indiana, Minnesota, and West Virginia. He helped guide East Robertson to the 2A state championship game last December, running for 112 yards and a touchdown in a 13-7 loss to Riverside. Groves captured the 2A Mr. Football award after running for a single-season school record 3,085 yards and 31 touchdowns.

23. Brendan Anes, Page, 6-2, 225, LB

Anes is a three-star outside linebacker who is the 18th-ranked prospect in Tennessee. He committed to Wisconsin in January , picking the Badgers over Tennessee, Duke and Indiana.. He helped lead Page to a 13-2 record and a third straight trip to the Class 5A state title game. He finished with 90 tackles, 18 for a loss, 5.5 sacks, three interceptions, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

24. Jhrevious Hall, Columbia, 6-2, 270, DT

The Indiana commit is a three-star athlete, ranked as the No. 24 prospect in Tennessee. Hall had offers from schools like Tennessee, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Missouri and Ole Miss among others. He led Columbia to a 7-4 season last fall and a spot in the Class 5A playoffs. Hall had 82 tackles, 13 sacks and four forced fumbles while being named Region 5-5A Lineman of the Year.

25. Ta'khyian Whitset, Antioch, 6-5, 275, OL/DL

Whitset committed to Purdue in May . He had 10 pancake blocks, didn't give up a QB pressure or a sack while helping Antioch capture its most wins (four) since 2013 and the program's first playoff appearance since 2016. He had offers from Vanderbilt, Purdue, UAB, Tennessee State and Arkansas State, among others.

26. Amir Leonard-Jean Charles, Lipscomb Academy, 6-4, 305, DL

Jean-Charles is three-star recruit ranked as the No. 24 prospect in the state who held offers from Tennessee, Michigan, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Kentucky, Texas, Florida among others. He committed to West Virginia last month. He had 23 tackles, three tackles for loss, and a sack for the Mustangs.

27. Tony Carter, Lipscomb Academy, 6-2, 265, DL

Carter had 23 tackles, eight sacks, including 12 for a loss for the 4-6 Mustangs last season. He's a three-star standout ranked as the No. 38 prospect in Tennessee. He has offers from North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Louisville and Illinois among others.

28. Kolbe Harmon, Brentwood Academy, 5-11, 175, S/WR

Harmon had 42 receptions for 682 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior despite Brentwood Academy's 2-10 season. The Duke commit is rated by 247Sports Composite as the No. 23 player in Tennessee and held offers from UT, Wisconsin, Michigan, Penn State, Indiana, Kentucky and Miami among others.

29. Tegan Avera, Sevier County, 5-10, 185, RB

Avera had 162 carries for 1,800 yards and 25 rushing touchdowns and had 11 catches for 249 yards and four receiving touchdowns for Gatlinburg-Pittman last season. He transferred to a Sevier County team that won 10 games in 2023 and advanced to the second round of the 5A playoffs.

30. Ladeadrick James, Houston, 5-11, 170, Athlete

James holds offers from Oregon, Arizona State, Florida, Louisville and UAB. He was named to The Commercial Appeal's All Metro team last season . He had 108 yards rushing, 169 yard receiving and three total TDs on offense. He had 37 tackles on defense as a DB with three interceptions and 11 pass break-ups as Houston captured the 6A title.

31. Sam Haley, Ensworth, 6-3, 220, LB

Haley recorded four sacks and five tackles for loss with Ensworth in 2023. He finished with 59.5 tackles (50 solo), plus two QB knockdowns and four QB hurries. The Tigers, 8-3 last fall. Haley released his top eight schools in April, which included South Carolina, West Virginia, Missouri and Michigan State but he committed to TCU in May .

32. Jimmy Bryson, Baylor, 6-3, 290, OL

Bryson is the No. 30-ranked prospect in Tennessee and committed to Georgia Tech in June. He can play offensive guard or tackle and helped Baylor reach the DII-AAA state championship game last year.

33. Kyler Garcia, Pearl-Cohn, 6-4, 285, DE

Garcia led Pearl-Cohn to the Class 4A state championship in 2023. He finished the year with 55 tackles, including 13 for a loss, and had four sacks.The Firebirds shut out eight opponents and allowed 58 points. The Indiana commit had offers from Georgia, Wisconsin, Louisville, Purdue, Vanderbilt and Memphis.

34. Aaron Mattingly, Green Hill, 6-5, 205, TE

Mattingly had 988 yards receiving with 18 touchdowns for a Hawks team that finished 7-4 last fall. The tight end holds offers from Vanderbilt, Indiana, Duke, Georgia Tech, Memphis and West Virginia.

35. Jon Adair, Lipscomb Academy, 6-5, 265, OL

Adair, who committed to Virginia football last December, is a three-star lineman ranked as the No. 27 player in Tennessee and the No. 54 interior lineman nationally. He held offers from Florida State, Kentucky, Missouri, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati and Duke among others.

36. Yasir Muhammad, Germantown, 6-1, 175, DB

Muhammad was a huge part of Germantown's 12-1 season and state quarterfinal appearance. He was a part of defense that allowed only 11.1 points in 2023. The three-star UNLV commit is the No. 42 ranked player in Tennessee who also had offers from Arkansas, Arkansas State and UAB.

37. Eric Hazzard, Page, 6-3, 257, Edge

Hazzard was a Class 5A Mr. Football finalist in 2023 and is a three-star prospect ranked as the No. 37 player in Tennessee. The Louisville commit held offers from Wisconsin, Memphis, Western Kentucky, UAB among others. He had 70 tackles, 16 sacks, 30 QB pressures and was a Tennessean first-team All-Midstate selection as well as the Region 6-5A defensive player of the year.

38. DJ Taylor, Riverdale, 6-1, 195, LB

Taylor is also being recruited by schools as a safety. He picked offers from Vanderbilt, Indiana and Memphis following his sophomore season. As a running back he ran for 537 yards and seven touchdowns . He had 23 tackles at outside linebacker. He's a three-star prospect ranked No. 31 in Tennessee who also has offers from Auburn and Indiana.

39. Chase Sutton, Bartlett, 6-0, 160, Athlete

Sutton had offers from Vandy, West Virginia, Memphis and UNLV but committed to Eddie George and Tennessee State July 12. Bartlett finished 2023 with an 8-4 record and a second round appearance in the 6A playoffs.

40. Javion Kinnard, Pearl-Cohn, 5-10, 175, Athlete

Kinnard is a do-everything player for Pearl-Cohn on offense. He had 890 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns and added 19 receptions for 489 yards receiving and six TDs while helping Pearl-Cohn capture the 4A state title. He holds offers from Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Arkansas State.

41. Brady Smith, CPA, 6-2, 260, OL

One of the top offensive linemen in Middle Tennessee, Smith is ranked No. 42 in Tennessee and holds offers from Arkansas State, UNLV, Air Force, Army and Navy. He helped pave the way for the Lions offense as it captured the DII-AA state championship last year.

42. T.T. Hill, Brentwood Academy, 5-10, 170, WR

Hill rushed 57 times for 271 yards and three touchdowns and had 58 receptions for 568 yards and two TDs as one of quarterback George MacIntyre's best offensive weapons . Hill is rated as the No. 35 prospect in Tennessee who has offers from Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Memphis and West Virginia.

43. Eitson Pholo, McCallie, 6-2, 280, DE

Pholo transfered to McCallie after playing last season at Clearwater Academy International in Florida. The edge rusher adds speed to the defending DII-AAA state champs and has an offer from Chattanooga and generated interest from Florida.

44. Kemonte Williams, Haywood, 5-10, 205, RB

Williams rushed for 1,889 yards on 198 attempts and 29 touchdowns for the Tomcats last season. He averaged 145.3 yards per game and rushed for over 100 yards nine times in 2023.

45. Brooklen Davis, MBA, 5-10, 195, RB

Davis is ranked the No. 39 prospect in Tennessee who holds offers from Austin Peay and Eastern Kentucky and has had interest from Indiana. Davis had 1,049 yards rushing and seven touchdowns last season.

46. Ben Hubbard, Ravenwood, 5-10, 170, WR

Hubbard committed to MTSU and had 78 catches for 1,006 yards and eight touchdowns. He picked MTSU over several offers, including Arkansas State, Tennessee State, Army, Navy and Air Force.

47. Hunter Glasgow, McCallie, 6-4, 195, WR

Glasgow is a transfer from Deerfield High in Illinois and gives McCallie a huge scoring threat in the red zone with his 6-4 frame. In five games last year at Deerfield he had 14 receptions for 202 yards and two touchdowns.

48. Arnett Hayes, BGA, 6-2, 170, WR

Hayes' exploded at BGA last season with 940 yards receiving on 59 catches. He averaged 15.9 yards per catch and added 13 touchdowns as BGA finished 5-6.

49. Donovan Higgins, Pearl-Cohn, 5-10, 180, Athlete

Higgins was a dangerous outside threat in the passing game for the Firebirds. He had 390 yards receiving on 19 receptions with six touchdowns and holds offers from Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Marshall, Memphis and Indiana.

50. Montae Baldwin, Columbia Academy, 5-9, 170, RB

Baldwin's third straight 1,000 yard rushing season led to an 8-4 season for the Bulldogs. He ran for 1,952 yards and averaged 162.7 yards a game with 26 touchdowns.

Reach sports writer George Robinson at georgerobinsontheleafchronicle.com and on the X platform (formerly Twitter) @Cville_Sports.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Ranking Tennessee high school football 1-25 best seniors for 2024 TSSAA season