Welcome to the USA TODAY Network’s recruiting ladder, a statewide feature from reporter Joe Hughes highlighting 10 prospects on the rise each week of the 2024 high school football season.
Anyone is eligible for consideration, whether it be an unranked player who had a career game, a recruit with mid-level offers, or four- and five-star standouts adding to their personal highlight reel.
Have a player to recommend? Feel free to submit their name, position and graduation class, in addition to other relevant information, statistics or scholarship offers via email to jhughes@gastongazette.com or Twitter (@JoeLHughesII) by Tuesday morning each week.
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John Archer
Seventy-First | So., DL
The 6-foot-6, 325-pound defensive lineman was credited with nine total tackles and a sack Friday night in a 56-22 win over South View. He has 25 tackles and three sacks through four games, each of them Falcon wins. Archer’s stock has risen significantly in recent weeks, earning offers from Florida State, Georgia, NC State and West Virginia.
Bryce Baker
East Forsyth | Sr., QB
Baker was next to perfect last week at Reagan, completing 17 of 18 passes for 213 yards and four touchdowns in a 69-21 win. Through four games, he’s completed 79% of passes for 1,288 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also has three rushing TDs. A four-star prospect according to 247Sports, Baker is a North Carolina commit.
Jackson Byrd
Cleveland | Sr., QB
The 6-foot, 190-pound quarterback was 19-of-29 passing for 218 yards and four touchdowns, in addition to 97 yards on nine carries and a TD last Friday night in a 44-14 win over Corinth Holders. An East Tennessee State recruit, he’s completed 63% of passes for 986 yards and 13 touchdowns, along with 301 rushing yards and four TDs.
Sherrod Henderson
Heide Trask | Sr., DL
A 6-foot-3, 220-pound defensive lineman, Henderson is considered a three-star recruit by 247Sports. Last Friday against West Columbus, he finished with three tackles and two sacks. Committed to Virginia Tech, he has 23 tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery thus far in 2024.
Demon June
Jacksonville | Sr., RB
In his team’s 53-20 win over J.H. Rose, June rushed for 196 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries, in addition to a 27-yard TD reception. Through three games, June has rushed for 352 yards and five touchdowns on 39 carries. A UNC commitment, he chose the Tar Heels over offers from Appalachian State, Campbell, UConn, Dartmouth, East Carolina, Georgia Southern, James Madison and Old Dominion among others.
Caden Ingle
Erwin | So., QB
Ingle went wild in Week 5, helping his team to a 55-14 win over rival Enka. He finished 18-of-25 passing for 419 yards and five touchdowns, in addition to a team-high 86 rushing yards and two TDs. Through five games, he’s completed close to 62% of his passes for 1,436 yards and 17 touchdowns, along with 206 rushing yards and three more TDs.
Zaid Lott
Providence Day | Jr., QB
Lott completed 16-of-26 passes this past week for 298 yards and three touchdowns in a 55-7 rout of Christ School. He threw TD passes to three different receivers, two of them to junior Gordon Sellars who finished with six receptions for 117 yards. The UNC commit also rushed for 53 yards and another TD.
Samari Matthews
Hough | Jr., DB
Considered among North Carolina’s top defensive backs, Matthews made North Mecklenburg pay for throwing his way last week, intercepting a pass in Hough’s 56-0 win. It was his first interception of the season, to go with seven tackles and a fumble recovery. He has more than three dozen offers in hand, with Alabama, Appalachian State, Arkansas, Auburn, Clemson, Colorado, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, UNC, NC State, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Tennessee among the heavy hitters in pursuit.
Dominic Morin
Mooresville | Jr., WR
Morin caught four passes for 94 yards and a touchdown in last week’s 55-0 win over Cox Mill. Thus far, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound standout has 22 receptions for 392 yards and two touchdowns for a 3-1 Mooresville team.
William Vaughn
Kings Mountain | Jr., WR
Through four games, few players have been more of a matchup nightmare to opposing defensive backs than Vaughn. A 6-foot-4, 231-pound target, he has 23 receptions for 504 yards and six touchdowns this season, including five catches for 105 yards and a TD in a 39-13 win over Hunter Huss. Vaughn recently picked up his first offer from the University of North Carolina.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: NC high school football recruiting ladder: Seventy-First's John Archer gaining interest
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