As our preseason top players series begins to wind down, let’s take a look at the best safeties entering the 2023 Florida high school football season. (Recruiting rankings according to 247Sports Composite.)
10. Jarvis Boatwright (Clearwater)
We begin the list of top high school safeties in Florida with Boatwright, a three-star USC commit. A two-way player, Boatwright had 25 tackles last season, and he rushed for 187 yards and 3 touchdowns on 10 attempts.
9. Kensley Faustin (Naples)
Faustin, a senior Auburn commit, had 42 tackles, 3 TFL, and 4 INTs for the Golden Eagles a year ago.
8. Brandon Jacob (Evans)
Jacob, who is entering his senior season at Evans this fall, is a four-star Maryland commit, and he’s one of biggest returning names on the Trojans’ roster. He’s coming off a 2022 season in which he had 42 tackles and 3 INTs.
7. Amari Wallace (Miami Central)
Miami Central, the defending Class 2M state champions, landed multiple players in our other preseason Top-10 rankings, and Wallace gives them another one with his inclusion on this list. The four-star junior had 44 tackles, 2 TFL, and 2 INTs for the Rockets last year.
6. Brayshon Williams (Lakeland)
Coming in at No. 6 is Williams, who is among the top names returning this fall for defending Class 4S state champion Lakeland. A four-star prospect in the 2024 class, Williams is likely to play a key role for the Dreadnaughts, who allowed an average of only 7.9 PPG a year ago.
5. Jordon Johnson-Rubell (IMG Academy)
We begin the top five with this four-star Texas commit who enters his senior season as one of numerous returnees on a defense that allowed only 81 points overall last season.
4. Jordan Pride (Blountstown)
The lone selection from Class 1R on this list of top Florida high school safeties is Pride, who is entering his senior season at Blountstown. The four-star Texas A&M commit saw time both ways for the Tigers last season, amassing 20 tackles, 3 TFL, and 2 INT, and catching 27 passes for 667 yards and 6 touchdowns.
3. Jaylen Heyward (Rockledge)
Coming in at No. 3 is one of the state’s premier 2024 safeties. Heyward, who returns this fall at Class 3S’s Rockledge, is a four-star prospect who played both ways at times last season. He compiled 44 tackles and 2 INTs, and he rushed for 350 yards and 2 touchdowns on 42 attempts.
2. DJ Pickett (Zephyrhills)
Pickett is one of the nation’s top safeties in the 2025 class. The five-star prospect was a two-way standout for Class 3S’s Zephyrhills a year ago, compiling 39 tackles with 4 INTs, and catching 43 passes for 886 yards and 12 touchdowns.
1. Zaquan Patterson (Chaminade-Madonna)
By a slim margin over Pickett, Patterson holds the position of No. 1 among Florida high school safeties entering the 2023 season. One of the top players at the position nationally, Patterson, a four-star prospect in the 2024 class, returns for defending Class 1M state champion Chaminade-Madonna after a junior season in which he had 69 tackles, 1.5 TFL, and 2 INTs.
Honorable Mention
- Casey Etienne Jr. (Cardinal Gibbons)
- Andy Jaffe (Clearwater Central Catholic)
- Chalil Cummings (Bradford)
- Isaiah Thomas (Clearwater Academy International)
- Ivan Taylor (West Orange)
- Kyle Boylston (Trinity Christian)
