The 2022 season is over and anticipation is already building for the 2023 campaign. With that thought in mind, let’s take an early look and rank the top eight high school football players nationwide ahead of the 2023 season.
8. DL Eddrick Houston (Buford, GA)
Four players from Georgia are featured on this list of top high school football players in 2023, the first of whom is Houston. A five-star prospect at Buford High School, Houston is one of the top defensive linemen in the 2024 class.
7. LB Sammy Brown (Jefferson, GA)
The No. 7 spot on this list goes to another Georgia product, Brown, who attends Jefferson High School. A five-star, Brown is arguably the top linebacker in the 2024 class and is coming off a truly stellar season in which he played both ways, rushing for 1,459 yards and 21 touchdowns, and compiling 113 tackles.
6. EDGE Colin Simmons (Duncanville, TX)
Arguably the top edge rusher in the 2024 class is Simmons, who will return next fall for one of the nation’s top teams, Duncanville High School. Simmons is rated as a five-star prospect and has offers from upwards of 40 collegiate programs.
5. DL David Stone (IMG Academy, FL)
The top five on our list of best high school football players in 2023 begins with Stone, who will return for his senior season next fall at IMG Academy in Florida. A five-star prospect, Stone is arguably the No. 1 defensive lineman in the 2024 class.
4. ATH Mike Matthews (Parkview, GA)
Matthews, a five-star prospect at Georgia’s Parkview High, is possibly the top overall athlete in the 2024 class. In 12 games as a junior last fall, Matthews played both ways for the Panthers, compiling 1,030 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns on 48 receptions, along with 20 tackles defensively.
3. S KJ Bolden (Buford, GA)
Georgia had the nation’s top safety in the 2023 class in Mill Creek’s Caleb Downs, and the same can be said for 2024 in Bolden, a five-star at Buford High School. The versatile Bolden played both ways for the Wolves last season; as a receiver he recorded 422 yards and 2 touchdowns on 23 catches.
2. WR Jeremiah Smith (Chaminade-Madonna, FL)
Chaminade-Madonna Preparatory School in Florida could easily have another wide receiver on this list, five-star Joshisa Trader, but the Lions will have to settle for one in Smith. A five-star Ohio State commit, Smith is likely the top wide receiver in the 2024 class and is coming off a junior season in which he had 58 receptions for 1,073 yards and 20 touchdowns.
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QB Dylan Raiola (Chandler, AZ)
Raiola, who recently de-committed from Ohio State, not only is the top quarterback in the 2024 class, he also is the top player regardless of position in 2023. A five-star prospect at Chandler High School in Arizona, Raiola completed 64% of his passes in 12 games last season, translating to 2,435 yards and a 22:5 TD:INT ratio.
