We counted down the top 25 high school football recruits of the first quarter century of the 2000s. There were the four- and five-star prospects that came out of high school with a lot of promise, pressure and expectations.
Some lived up to it the promise – some did not.
I thought it would be interesting to take that same block of time and figure out the top 25 players to come from Indiana high school football from the graduating class of 2001 through the graduating class of 2026.
This list, admittedly, is more difficult to nail down. We are considering the totality of a player’s career here, including college and the NFL, not just high school. Because of that, individuals whose careers are still ongoing are at a disadvantage because we can only go by the information we have so far.
I won’t give it away yet, but there is not a lot of crossover between the top 25 recruits list and the top 25 players list, though there were several on this list that we close to making the top 25 recruits. So we don’t make this too lengthy, I’m going to break this down with five players per story. We start with No. 25 to No. 21 on the list of top 25 players from the first quarter century of the 2000s:
No. 25: Randy Gregory, Hamilton Southeastern
High school: I still remember seeing Gregory on the practice field at HSE for the first time and thinking, “This guy looks different.” For a 6-foot-5 defensive end, Gregory certainly moved different, too. He had a big junior season for the Royals in 2009, putting up 92 tackles and 17 sacks after missing his sophomore year due to injury. Gregory, who had 101 tackles and six sacks as a senior, was also a standout on HSE’s basketball team, playing alongside future Indiana Mr. Basketball winners Gary Harris and Zak Irvin as a senior on the 2010-11 team that finished 20-4 and reached the regional championship.
College: Gregory, whose father Ken played football at Northwestern, committed to Purdue while he was in high school. But he did not meet the academic standards, which led him to junior college at Arizona Western. As a freshman there, he had 82 tackles and nine sacks and saw his recruitment explode, though he did miss all of the 2012 season due to a broken leg. Gregory committed to Nebraska, where he shined in 2013, making 66 tackles (40 solo) and 10½ sacks. In 11 games in 2014, he finished with 54 tackles and seven sacks to earn third-team All-American honors from the Associated Press. Gregory was all-Big Ten both seasons.
NFL: Gregory decided to forgo his senior year of college and was selected in the second round of the NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys (60th overall). After showing promise as a rookie, Gregory was suspended three times in 2016 for failed drug tests and was forced to miss all of the 2017 season. He went on to play in 2018, making 22 tackles and six sacks in 14 games. He was suspended again in 2019 after violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Gregory returned to the Cowboys in 2020, making 21 tackles, 3½ sacks and 12 quarterback hurries. He started 11 games in 2021, making 19 tackles and six sacks. After a disagreement on a contract extension with Dallas, Gregory signed with the Denver Broncos in 2022. He had 21 tackles and three sacks for the Broncos in 10 games over two seasons before he was traded to San Francisco in October of 2023 and finished with three tackles and one sack for the 49ers. He signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the spring of 2024 but was released before the season.
Final assessment: In 72 NFL games over seven seasons, Gregory has 117 tackles (85 solo) and 22 sacks. But there is definitely a feeling of “What might have been” with Gregory, who missed significant parts of his NFL career due to suspensions. The 33-year-old Gregory was an immensely talented pass rusher.
No. 24: Steve Weatherford, Terre Haute North
High school: Weatherford, a 2001 Terre Haute North graduate, was an outstanding athlete in high school, setting a school record in the 300 hurdles (he was all-state three times in track). He also played basketball and soccer. On the football field, Weatherford played safety and turned into an outstanding kicker and punter, setting school records for field goals in a career, best punting average and longest field goal (55 yards). He averaged 45.4 yards per punt and was twice named all-state kicker.
College: Weatherford redshirted his freshman season at Illinois before moving into a starting role during the Big Ten Conference season in 2002 as a redshirt freshman. He averaged 39.7 yards per punt that season and took sixth at the Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championships in the heptathlon. As a sophomore, Weatherford set a school record by averaging 44.5 yards per punt. He improved on that mark as a junior, averaging 45.4 yards to rank fourth in the country. Weatherford also took third in the Big Ten championships in the heptathlon, setting a school record for points in the event. He was again a standout as a senior, averaging 42.6 yards per punt and had 24 touchbacks on 35 kickoffs. Weatherford, a two-time all-Big Ten selection, left Illinois as the school’s leader in punting average for a career (43.5 yards).
NFL: Weatherford went undrafted in 2006 but was picked up by the New Orleans Saints as a free agent and was named the starting punter, averaging 43.8 yards in 2006 and ’07. He was released during the 2008 season and picked up by the Kansas City Chiefs and then the Jacksonville Jaguars. Weatherford was the starter the next two seasons with the New York Jets, then signed with the New York Giants in 2011 and set career highs for punting average (45.7 yards) and net punting (39.2). He won a Super Bowl with the Giants, punting for the franchise through 2014. Weatherford punted in one game for the Jets in 2015. He averaged 44.5 yards per punt during his 10-year NFL career.
Final assessment: It might seem strange to have a punter on this list, but Weatherford had a reputation as one of the best athletes on the team while he was with the Giants, where he was known as the strongest player on the team, pound for pound. Weatherford was a consistent performer who carved out a lengthy NFL career and won a Super Bowl.
No. 23: Mike Neal, Merrillville
High school: The 6-4, 245-pound defensive end was considered a three-star prospect by Rivals coming out of Merrillville in the 2005 graduating class. He committed to Purdue the summer prior to his senior season over offers from Indiana, Washington State and several Mid-American Conference programs. As a junior, he had 49 tackles (35 solo) and 17 tackles for loss despite missing time due to injury. His senior year, Neal 24 TFLs and 12 sacks and was first team all-state. He was ranked as the No. 29 strongside defensive end in the country by Rivals.
College: After redshirting in 2005 at Purdue, he played as a reserve in 2006 and ’07, recording 31 tackles (18 solo) and two sacks. Neal had a big junior season in 2008 as he started 11 games and ranked second in the team with 5½ sacks and third with 10 TFLs as a defensive tackle. He was named co-captain as a senior and finished with 11½ TFLs and five sacks. In 46 games at Purdue, Neal finished with 99 tackles (56 solo), 26 TFLs and 13 sacks. He ranked 10th in the Big Ten in sacks as a junior and senior.
NFL: Neal was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft with the No. 56 overall pick. “He took it to another level his senior year, and that’s going to pay off for him now,” then-Purdue defensive line coach Mark Hagen told the Northwest Times of Indiana before the draft. “He’s going to be a great pick for somebody. His athleticism, strength and work ethic will set him apart.” Neal, who dropped weight and moved to outside linebacker, was selected higher than his projections. He played in just two games as a rookie due to injuries but was part of a Super Bowl-winning team. Neal played in seven games in 2011 and then 11 games in 2012. He had a breakout season in 2013 for the Packers as an outside linebacker, starting 10 games. Neal had 47 tackles (36 solo) with five sacks and seven TFLs. The next two years he had 69 tackles (44 solo) with 17 TFLs and 9½ sacks.
Final assessment: Neal’s NFL career came to an end after six seasons with the Packers. He was implicated, along with several other players, in a nationally televised report on potential PED violations. Neal was a major part of the Packers’ defense for three seasons, making 28 starts from 2013-15. One of his best games came in a wild-card win over Washington in 2015 when he had two sacks in the Packers’ 35-18 win.
No. 22: Tyler Eifert, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger
High school: Eifert, a 2009 Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger graduate, emerged as a junior tight end for Dwenger with 33 catches for 586 yards and four TDs and also had 40 tackles and three interceptions as a defensive back. Dwenger reached the Class 4A state title in Eifert’s senior year in 2008 as the 6-6 tight end caught 40 passes for 675 yards and nine TDs and made 97 tackles and five interceptions on the season.
College: Eifert’s father, Greg, played basketball at Purdue and Tyler considered Purdue, along with Vanderbilt and Wake Forest before picking Notre Dame the summer prior to his senior year. A back injury limited Eifert to just one game as a freshman in 2009. He came back in 2010 to have a breakout season after an injury to starter Kyle Rudolph. Eifert caught 27 passes for 352 yards and two TDs in 2010, setting him on a trajectory that led to him becoming one of the top tight ends in the country in 2011. He was a finalist for the John Mackey Award as one of the nation’s top tight ends, catching 63 passes for 803 yards and five TDs. Eifert led the team in receptions (50) and receiving yards (685) in 2012, setting school records for career catches (140) and career receiving yards (1,840) by a tight end. He won the Mackey Award and was named second-team All-American.
NFL: Eifert could have played another year at Notre Dame but chose to enter the NFL Draft in 2013 and was selected in the first round by the Cincinnati Bengals with the No. 21 overall pick. Eifert earned rave reviews from the Bengals’ coaching staff going into his rookie year and started 15 games as a 23-year-old, making 39 catches for 445 yards and two TDs. A shoulder and elbow injury limited Eifert to one game in 2014, but he came back in 2015 to have a Pro Bowl season with 52 catches for 615 yards and 13 TDs. Though he never replicated those numbers, Eifert finished with 185 catches for 2,152 yards and 24 TDs in seven seasons with the Bengals. He went to Jacksonville in 2020 and had 36 catches for 349 yards and two TDs.
Final assessment: When he was healthy, Eifert proved to be one of the most productive tight ends in the NFL, finishing his eight-year career with 221 catches for 2,501 yards and 26 TDs. Unfortunately, Eifert was injured late in the fourth quarter of the Pro Bowl game after the 2015 season, which led to surgery and a late start to the next season. That was one of a few injuries that cost him some of his prime in a 74-game NFL career.
No. 21: Joe Reitz, Hamilton Southeastern
High school: The 6-foot-7 Reitz was a star in high school … in basketball and football. He was the first basketball player from Hamilton Southeastern named an Indiana All-Star in 2004 after averaging 17.5 points and 9.1 rebounds as a senior. He also averaged 17.2 points and 8.9 rebounds as a junior and finished with 946 career points and 511 rebounds. Reitz was an all-stater as a tight end as a senior in the fall of 2003.
College: Reitz chose to play basketball in college, going on to an outstanding career at Western Michigan. He started the most games in school history (126) and is the fifth-leading scorer in program history (1,713 points) and is third in rebounds (939). Reitz was named all-conference three times in the Mid-American Conference. He was a consistent performer throughout his career, averaging 13.4 points and 7.3 rebounds.
NFL: The Baltimore Ravens targeted Reitz despite his lack of college football experience, signing him as an undrafted free agent with the idea of moving him to offensive tackle. Reitz put on the necessary weight after his senior season of basketball at Western Michigan and was put on the Ravens’ practice squad in 2008 and ’09. He was released by the Ravens early in the 2010 season, was signed and cut by the Miami Dolphins and then signed with the hometown Indianapolis Colts. The following season, Reitz was named the starter at left guard and made nine starts. A knee injury limited him to nine games in 2012 (eight starts). Reitz remained a key part of the Colts’ offensive line over the next four seasons, ending his six-year active NFL career with 44 starts in 73 games. He played right tackle his final two seasons in 2015 and ’16.
Final assessment: Reitz is one of the more remarkable stories as a college basketball standout who turned into a multi-year NFL starter without ever playing college football. “As a native Hoosier, I look forward to staying in this community the rest of my life, getting a chance to interact with everybody, serve the great people of Indianapolis and Indiana, and look forward to being a Colts fan and sharing your passion for life,” Reitz said when he retired in 2017.
Read more: Top-25 Indiana high school football recruits of 25 years: The top five
Read more: How Indiana’s top 25 high school football recruits of last 25 years fared Nos. 6-10
Read more: How Indiana’s top 25 high school football recruits of last 25 years fared Nos. 11-25
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. Get IndyStar’s high school coverage sent directly to your inbox with the High School Sports newsletter. And be sure to subscribe to our new IndyStarTV: Preps YouTube channel.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Top 25 players from a quarter century of Indiana high school football: No. 25 to 21
Reporting by Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
