It's time for USA Today Florida Network's fourth annual all-state, all-recruit team.
The basic concept is to fill out a team with 25 senior players (11 offense, 11 defense, kicker, punter, athlete) who happen to be elite recruits.
Before we can start penciling in names, we have two rules that must be followed.
1. Only one player per school. (So, no loading up with guys from IMG, American Heritage, Mandarin, Tampa Bay Tech, etc.) This creates some obvious dilemmas: Jaime French, Hylton Stubbs or Tramell Jones Jr. from Mandarin? Which player from IMG's loaded class makes the cut?
2. Positions matter. You can't just put five left tackles on the offensive line. But, we will give a little wiggle in this area and say that a player who plays tackle in high school but is being recruited to be an interior lineman can be listed as a guard or center.
Pretty simple, right.
Here we go.
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Offense
QB Carter Smith (Bishop Verot)
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It's a solid 2025 quarterback class in Florida with IMG's Ty Hawkins (SMU commit), Mandarin's Tramell Jones Jr. (FSU), St. Augustine's Locklan Hewlett (USF), Bishop Moore's Bjorn Jurgensen (Virginia) and others, but Smith is the pick here. The Michigan commit is a legitimate dual threat who threw for 2,223 yards and 29 touchdowns and rushed for 715 yards and 19 scores in 2023.
RB Byron Louis (American Heritage)
Ranked No. 25 on the USA Today Florida Network top 100 , Louis rushed for 1,224 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2023 when Heritage reached the Class 2M state semifinal. Louis took official visits to Miami, Wisconsin, Georgia and Florida State this summer.
WR Dallas Wilson (Tampa Bay Tech)
At 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, Wilson is a nightmare for defensive backs because of his size and speed. Over the past two seasons, the Oregon commit has caught 89 passes for 1,746 yards (19.6 yards per catch) and scored 19 touchdowns.
WR Jaime Ffrench (Mandarin)
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Mandarin quarterback Tramell Jones Jr. says the best thing about Ffrench is that he's always open . Ffrench, who is scheduled to announce his commitment on Aug. 30, caught 62 passes for 1,247 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2023 to help the Mustangs reach the Class 4M championship game.
WR Vernell Brown III (Jones)
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The top-ranked player in Florida's 2025 class, Brown is a five-star receiver who can line up outside or in the slot. He led Jones with 70 catches for 1,363 yards (19.5 yards per catch) and scored 10 touchdowns to help the Tigers reach the Final Four in Class 3M.
TE Tae'Shaun Gelsey (Riverside)
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Gelsey, a Gators commit , is a tremendous athlete (he earned All-First Coast honors in football and basketball during the 2023-24 school year) and has the size to play wide receiver or tight end at the next level. The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder caught 48 passes for 859 yards and nine touchdowns in 2023.
OT Ziyare Addison (Carrollwood Day)
The 6-foot-5, 290-pound Addison, the state's top-ranked offensive tackle, committed to Oregon in June. The athletic lineman was Sumner's starting left tackle in 2023 and helped the team reach the Class 4M regional championship game.
OT Connor Howes (Osceola)
The 6-foot-6, 295-pound Howes saw his recruiting pick up after a strong junior season at St. Cloud. He picked up several Power 4 offers — including Miami, NC State, Ole Miss and Rutgers — and committed to Arkansas in June.
G Solomon Thomas (Raines)
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Ranked No. 2 on the top 100, the 6-foot-4, 315-pound Thomas plays tackle for Raines but will likely move inside in college. The Florida State commit also was the Class 2M state champion in the discus in 2023 and the state runner-up in 2024.
OT Michael Carroll (IMG)
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The Ascenders have a loaded roster but taking the 6-foot-6, 315-pounder Carroll for one of the guard spots gives the team a nearly impenetrable interior. Carroll, a five-star recruit, committed to Alabama in June.
C Max Buchanan (Seminole)
Another athletic lineman who plays tackle in high school but will move inside when he gets to college. The 6-foot-4, 275-pound Buchanan, a Miami commit, helped Seminole reach the Class 4M regional championship round in 2023.
Defense
EDGE Javion Hilson (Cocoa)
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The state's top-ranked edge rusher had a breakout season in 2023 when he recorded 94 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, 14 sacks and 44 quarterback hurries. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound Hilson flipped his commitment from Alabama to Florida State in January and shut down his recruiting during the summer.
EDGE LaJesse Harrold (Gaither)
The 6-foot-5, 215-pound Harrold is a long, athletic edge rusher who committed to LSU in June. A multi-sport athlete (he also plays basketball and was a regional qualifier in the high jump), Harroll had 42 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble at Robinson in 2023.
DL Jalen Wiggins (Rickards)
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Wiggins, who committed to the Gators in January, has been a dominant force for Rickards the past two seasons. The 6-foot-4 1/2, 255-pound lineman has racked up a combined 30 sacks and 50 tackles for loss. Wiggins took official visits to Florida State and Stanford but announced on July 1 that he was shutting down his recruiting.
DL Myron Charles (Port Charlotte)
Charles is an athletic big man with a lot of potential to be a force at the next level. The Florida State commit recorded 29 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and eight quarterback hurries in 2023 when the Pirates reached the regional semifinals in Class 3S.
LB TJ Alford (Vero Beach)
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Alford, is an active linebacker who can come downhill or drop into coverage. The Ohio State commit was named TCPalm's All-Area Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 when he recorded 114 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, four sacks, one interception and six passes defended.
LB Ty Jackson (Seminole Ridge)
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One of the state's top uncommitted players, Jackson has been a model of consistency the past three years. He has 378 career tackles — he's topped the 100-tackle mark every season, 15 tackles for loss, six sacks, four interceptions and five forced fumbles. Jackson's top 10 includes Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Penn State, Oklahoma, Syracuse, Tennessee and Texas A&M.
CB Graceson Littleton (Wiregrass Ranch)
Maybe no senior in Florida saw their recruitment take off the way Littleton's did in the winter and spring. The speedy 6-foot-1, 180-pound defensive back took official visits to Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma and Penn State and committed to the Tigers in June. Littleton recorded 30 tackles and an interception at Wharton in 2023.
CB Ben Hanks Jr. (Booker T. Washington)
The 6-foot-1, 170-pound Hanks recorded 19 tackles, three interceptions three passes defended, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick in 2023. He also scored four touchdowns, returning all three of his interceptions and his fumble recovery for scores. Hanks committed to Florida in August.
DB DJ Pickett (Zephyrhills)
Blessed with elite size (6-foot-4, 180 pounds) and ability, the top-ranked player in the state, Pickett could end up playing cornerback or safety at LSU. He finished 2023 with 39 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble to go along with 52 receptions for 1,033 yards and 15 touchdowns.
S Ivan Taylor (West Orange)
Taylor, the son of former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor, is a tremendous playmaker who also has all the intangibles coaches covet. The Michigan commit recorded 45 tackles, six tackles for loss, one interception and four forced fumbles in 2023.
Special teams
K Brunno Reus (Venice)
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Reus legitimately could hold handle both kicking and punting duties. He is the nation's No. 3 ranked kicker and No. 2 ranked punter according to Kohl's Kicking. The Under-Armour All-American had multiple offers from in-state programs, including Florida State, and committed to USF on June 26.
P Vaughn Lennon (Fort Myers)
Lennon was a first-team all-area selection in 2023 when he averaged 45 yards per punt on 26 kicks with a long of 63 yards. Ranked the No. 8 punter in the nation by Kohn's Kicking, Lennon has offers from FIU, Air Force, Army and Harvard.
ATH Dallas Golden (Berkeley Prep)
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Dallas Golden was a monster on both sides of the ball for Berkeley Prep in 2023, when the program won its first state championship. The Notre Dame commit rushed for 1,467 yards and 19 touchdowns — his second consecutive year with at least 1,400 rushing yards and 18 scores, caught32 passes for 394 yards and five touchdowns and recorded 23 tackles with five interceptions and four passes defended.
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This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Football recruiting: Florida high school 2024 preseason all-state, all-recruit team (with a twist)
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