Here are our 2021 preseason Florida high school football rankings for Class 7A. Will the rankings still look like this when all is said and done? Will other teams find their way in by season’s end? It should be fun to watch. Now, let’s dive into the rankings.
10. Bloomingdale
Coming in at No. 10 in our Class 7A preseason rankings are the Bloomingdale Bulls. The Bulls finished 2020 with a 12-1 overall record, with their only loss coming in the state championship to St. Thomas Aquinas.
Bloomingdale’s 12-win season came after a solid nine-win season in 2019. Additionally, in the last three years, the Bulls have had two double-digit win seasons.
Bloomingdale loses several talented playmakers from last season, including quarterback Tre Simmons, who threw for over 2,000 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2020.
The Bulls do, however, return one of their top running backs in senior Brycnn Bennett. He had 364 yards rushing and four touchdowns a season ago.
9. Manatee
The Manatee Hurricanes put together their third straight eight-win season in 2020. Manatee advanced to the Region 4-7A semifinals before falling to eventual state champion St. Thomas Aquinas.
As the Hurricanes head into 2021, they will be without some playmakers in key positions. Manatee’s leading rusher from last season, Kyree Jones, and leading wide receiver, Jayden Corbett, both graduated.
However, arguably the biggest piece on the offensive side of the ball returns in senior quarterback Jayce Berzowski. He had a little over 1,600 yards passing and 19 touchdowns in 2020.
Expect the Hurricanes, despite some losses, to be amongst the pack in Class 7A again in 2021.
8. Armwood
The Hawks of Armwood come in at No. 7 in our Class 7A Florida football preseason rankings. Armwood has been a consistent winner for the last several years, which has come mostly in Class 6A. The Hawks moved up a classification in 2019 and still put together a double-digit win season, finishing 12-2.
Last year marked the end of a run of seven straight double-digit win seasons that went back to 2013. Armwood finished at 5-4 and fell to Bloomingdale in the Region 3-7A semifinals.
The Hawks will be without multiple key players from last year’s team as they get ready for the 2021 season. Quarterback Cam’Ron Ransom and wide receiver Jamal Jones are a few of the players who graduated.
Armwood will rely on returning running back Desmond Moore to lead the offense most likely, as the senior had a team-leading 278 rushing yards last season.
We’ll see how the Hawks fair come the start of the season.
7. Buchholz
Buchholz finished the 2020 season with an 8-2 overall record and was able to advance to the Region 1-7A semifinals before falling to Niceville.
The Bobcats have perhaps been one of the more consistent teams in the Alachua County area over the last several years, as head coach Mark Whittemore has slowly made Buchholz a team to watch for every year in Class 7A.
It will be hard for the Bobcats to replace the production of All-State running back Quandarius Smith, who racked up almost 1,300 yards on the ground and 17 touchdowns last season.
But returning junior quarterback Creed Whittemore and senior wide receiver Quan Lee should still provide enough experience on the offensive side in 2021 for Buchholz. Additionally, returning leading tackler EJ Gadson should help provide some leadership on the defensive side as well.
Expect the Bobcats to be right there in the thick of it in Class 7A this season.
6. Lakeland
The Dreadnaughts are our No. 6 team in the Class 7A preseason rankings. Lakeland has found quite the success the last few seasons in 7A. The Dreadnaughts finished last year with an overall record of 6-4.
But in the years prior to last, the case could be made that Lakeland was one of the top teams in 7A at the time. From 2017 to 2019, the Dreadnaughts went on a run of three straight double-digit win seasons. Arguably the best season was 2018, when Lakeland ran the table on the way to a 15-0 record and its seventh state championship.
The Dreadnaughts will be looking for another solid season in 2021, as senior quarterback Mason Martin is one of the players coming back from last season. Martin threw for just under 900 yards and had eight passing touchdowns in 2020.
Should be intriguing to see where Lakeland ends up by the end of the year.
5. Palmetto
After spending the last two seasons in Class 6A, the Palmetto Tigers return Class 7A in 2021. Palmetto had a strong season in 2020, finishing 9-4 and advancing to the state semifinals where the Tigers lost to eventual champion Miami Central.
In the year prior, Palmetto was just as successful, putting together a 12-win season and another deep playoff run.
Heading into 2021, the Tigers will be without quarterback Josh Siplin, who graduated. Palmetto also loses a few wide receivers and a good portion of its running back room.
However, defensively, linebacker/safety Jaylen Wester, who led the Tigers in tackles with 126 last season, is back to anchor the defense.
We’ll have to see how Palmetto does in its return to Class 7A in 2021.
4. Niceville
The Niceville Eagles moved up from Class 6A to 7A in 2019, and the last couple of seasons have pretty successful for the Eagles. This is one of the reasons Niceville is in our No. 4 spot for the Class 7A Florida football preseason rankings.
The Eagles finished 2020 with an 11-1 record and suffered their only loss in the state semifinals to Edgewater. In the year prior to last, Niceville also won double-digit games, finishing 12-1 in 2019.
Coming into 2021, the Eagles will have to replace quarterback Trey Wainwright, who passed for over 2,000 yards and 34 touchdowns in 2020.
Niceville does return some playmakers from last year’s team, including junior running back Micah Turner, who was one of the Eagles’ top backs a year ago. Turner rushed for almost 500 yards and had 10 touchdowns on the ground last season.
Should be interesting to see if Niceville has the same success in 2021.
3. Edgewater
Coming in at No. 3 in our Class 6A preseason rankings are the Edgewater Eagles. Similar to Niceville, Edgewater has also been a consistent winner over the last four years or so. The Eagles have had two double-digit winning seasons in the last three years, with the best finish in that span coming in 2018, a year in which Edgewater had 13 wins.
Last season was also pretty successful for the Eagles, as they put together eight wins and advanced to the state championship before losing to St. Thomas Aquinas.
Edgewater will be replacing a lot of talent from that team a year ago, including quarterback Canaan Mobley.
While the Eagles lose some talented players to graduation, they also return quite a few playmakers as well. One of those guys is running back/safety Cedric Baxter. He had just over 400 yards rushing and two touchdowns last season. Additionally, Baxter also racked up 20 tackles.
We’ll see if Edgewater finds itself in this same spot by the end of the season.
2. Lake Gibson
Another team making the move up to Class 7A this season is the Lake Gibson Braves. The Braves were previously in Class 6A and come in at No. 2 in our 7A preseason rankings.
Lake Gibson finished 2020 with an 11-2 record and fell to Palmetto in the Region 3-6A final. Last season marked the second year in a row that the Braves finished with 11 wins.
Look for Lake Gibson to be right there near the end again in 2021, with plenty of talent returning from last season. Perhaps the biggest returner is senior quarterback Logan Hackett, who threw for over 2,000 yards and almost 30 touchdowns in 2020. Additionally, star running back Jaylon Glover is also back for his senior season after rushing for close to 1,600 yards and 31 touchdowns.
The Braves should be a team to keep an eye on in Class 7A this season.
1. St. Thomas Aquinas
Coming in at No. 1 in our Class 7A rankings are the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders. There’s no debate here. The defending 7A champions have been the team to beat in this class for several years. The Raiders finished 2020 with an 8-1 record and won the program’s 12th state title.
St. Thomas Aquinas lost quite a few playmakers from last year’s team to graduation, but they also return some playmakers in important roles. Senior quarterback Zion Turner is back after passing for over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns a year ago. Senior running back Anthony Hankerson also returns after putting up over 1,000 yards on the ground and 14 touchdowns in 2020.
St. Thomas Aquinas should be the team to beat again in Class 7A.
So, there you have our 2021 preseason Florida high school football rankings for Class 7A. Did any other teams deserve to make this list?
Written by: Nick Anschultz
