Brendon Harris, Baylor
1. Brendon Harris
Baylor
6-1, 195 / Free safety
He committed to Tennessee over scholarship offers from more than a dozen other programs.
Although he'll play in the secondary in college, Red Raiders coaches said they will play Harris also at running back and receiver this season, and he likely will return punts and kickoffs because of his athletic ability.
"He's our best athlete, so we have to find as many ways to get the ball in his hands as we can so he can make plays for us."
- Baylor coach Phil Massey
Jay Person, Bradley Central2. Jay Person
Bradley Central
6-3, 212 / Linebacker
He has offers from Mississippi State, Missouri, Middle Tennessee, Appalachian State, UMass and Texas-San Antonio.
His breakout game came as a sophomore, when he had 16 tackles against Science Hill, and he caught the eyes of numerous college scouts last summer with his combination of speed, strength and athletic ability.
"When college coaches see him in person, they're blown away with how fast he is for a guy his size. His best days on the field are still ahead of him."
- Bradley central coach Damon Floyd
Walker Culver, Baylor3. Walker Culver
Baylor
6-5, 280 / Offensive lineman
He committed to Colorado over several other offers.
He established himself as a sophomore when he helped the Red Raiders snap a losing streak to their archrival. This season he'll anchor both sides of the line and try to help the Red Raiders return to the state title game for the first time in six years. Away from the game, Culver likes to find ways to relax - listening to music by Mumford and Sons or watching "The Great British Baking Show".
"Football is intense, so I like things that are more laid back off the field."
- Walker Culver
Luke Johns, Southeast Whitfield4. Luke Johns
Southeast Whitfield
6-5, 242 / Defensive end
He has committed to Georgia Tech over offers from more than a dozen other programs.
As a sophomore, he finished third in the state track meet in the high jump - clearing 6 feet, 7 inches. Last season he made 81 tackles for the Raiders.
"A couple of pretty cool things that most people don't know about me is that I can juggle really well and ride a unicycle. That's just something random about me, but on the field I feel like I'm athletic enough to play running back if the coaches needed me on offense."
- Luke Johns
Luke Shiflett, Northwest Whitfield5. Luke Shiflett
Northwest Whitfield
6-2, 185 / Quarterback
He has committed to Middle Tennessee State University.
One of the area's best multi-sport athletes, Shiflett not surprisingly lists math as his favorite subject since he's so good at putting up big numbers. Last season he threw for more than 2,000 yards and helped the Bruins beat Oconee County to move past the first round of the playoffs.
"I'm a quarterback, but people are surprised when they see how fast I can run. Our 4x100 relay team beat Ridgeland, and they're really fast."
- Luke Shiflett
Jay Gibson, McCallie6. Jay Gibson
McCallie
6-5, 240 / Tight end
He's being recruited by both Air Force and Navy, as well as Georgia State, Mercer, Western Kentucky and UNC-Charlotte.
Coming from a large family - he has nine siblings - Gibson learned early to be aggressive. College scouts are intrigued by his size and the physical way he plays.
"Jay is just beginning to really scratch the surface of his talent and what he could become at the next level. He's a solid blocker for us and has good hands, and anybody who's watched him on our basketball team knows he's very athletic."
- Mccallie coach Ralph Potter
Markeith Montgomery, Ridgeland7. Markeith Montgomery
Ridgeland
5-10, 176 / Receiver/Cornerback
He has committed to Kennesaw State.
Although he's proven himself to be dangerous with the ball in his hands on offense - he scored the winning touchdown against St. Pius X last year - he'll likely continue his career at the collegiate level on the defensive side.
"If I could have any super power, it would be the ability to fly so I could see everything from above and nobody could catch me."
- Markeith Montgomery
Sam Stovall, Notre Dame8. Sam Stovall
Notre Dame
6-4, 280 / Offensive tackle
He has committed to Western Kentucky.
Besides being a dominant blocker, Sam proved how athletic he is - and caught the attention of scouts - as a sophomore when he ran downfield 40 yards to make a block on a touchdown run against Red Bank.
"The thing about Sam is that he's athletic enough to play just about anywhere on the line that he's needed. And once he gets his hands on people, he usually moves them out of the way. He's very strong."
- Notre dame coach Charles Fant
Jalyn Shelton, Ridgeland9. Jalyn Shelton
Ridgeland
5-11, 215 / Running back
He has committed to the Naval Academy.
Although he has other programs recruiting him heavily, Shelton didn't hesitate in choosing to continue his football and academic career at Navy, where he'll like play fullback in the option attack. He was one of the key reasons the Panthers knocked off St. Pius X in the playoffs last season.
"What I like most about football is how physical the game is. I feel like I get stronger as the game goes and I get more carries."
- Jalyn Shelton
Kohl Henke, Boyd-Buchanan10. Kohl Henke
Boyd-Buchanan
6-2, 195 / Strong safety
He committed to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga over offers from 11 other programs.
He has ranked among the area's interceptions leaders the past two seasons with 14 total. His breakout game came as a freshman, when he caused a fumble to preserve a win over South Pittsburg.
"If I could have any super power it would be speed, because people think that I'm slow. But I'm not."
- Kohl Henke
Lameric Tucker, Bradley Central11. Lameric Tucker
Bradley Central
5-11, 170 / Receiver
He has offers from UTC, East Tennessee State, Austin Peay and Western Kentucky and also is being recruited by Duke, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and Ohio University.
In last year's first-round playoff game against Cookeville, he had 15 catches for 230 yards to help the Bears win.
"There are several things people either don't know about me or are surprised to find out. Biology is my favorite subject. I'm really interested in nature and being out in the country, and I like to just chill and watch SpongeBob."
- Lameric Tucker
Jorden Starling, McCallie
12. Jorden Starling
McCallie
6-5, 230 / Defensive end
He's being recruited by UTC, Mercer, Eastern Kentucky, Middle Tennessee State and Tennessee State.
He has a basketball scholarship offer from Lee University but realized his future likely lies on the football field instead.
"There were several college coaches who were kind of waiting to see if he was going to really concentrate on football, and once he decided to do that, the interest has really picked up. He could have a really big future in this game."
- McCallie coach Ralph Potter