On the newly installed turf field at Atlantic Coast High School, Desmond Malpress is going through all the steps.
The precise stance. The explosion off the line. Lining up the angle for the potential sack. Again and again.
Now, imagine doing all that while learning from coaches with more than a dozen combined years doing the exact same thing in the NFL.
Learning from proven professionals is the reality today for Malpress, the Atlantic Coast defensive end who completes the Times-Union’s annual Super 11 list for the leading high school football senior recruits across Jacksonville and Northeast Florida.
Malpress is the fourth Stingray to make the Super 11, following Step Durham, current Denver Bronco Pat Bryant and Camden Hardy, and his coaches bring a resume not often found in the high school game.
Newly installed as Atlantic Coast head coach over the spring is Tony Gilbert, whose NFL career at linebacker spanned seven seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons. After his playing days ended, he turned to coaching, including a stint as a linebackers coach with the Jags under Doug Marrone, Urban Meyer and Doug Pederson.
Then, guiding the position group more specifically, there’s Reggie Hayward, who played nine years in the NFL with the Denver Broncos and the Jaguars and finished with 39 1/2 career sacks at defensive end.
Gilbert and Hayward are two of the four former Jaguars active around the program, including former quarterback Cleo Lemon and former defensive tackle Larry Smith. With each practice on the east side of R.G. Skinner Parkway, they’re helping mold an already-effective defensive end into one of the top pass-rushing prospects in the Southeast.
“It’s just such a blessing to have both of them,” Malpress said. “Coach Reggie is probably one of my best coaches I’ve ever had. He’s helped me develop so much from sophomore year to where I’m at now.”
Where he is now, it turns out, is pretty impressive. ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports all rate Malpress as a four-star recruit, and all of them project him in the top 25 for edge rushers nationwide. He placed 29th in the USA TODAY Florida Network Top 100 for the class of 2027 at the conclusion of spring, the highest of all rising seniors in the Jacksonville area.
“For us, it’s a joy to coach him because he helps push the other guys,” Gilbert said. “The other guys are seeing how he works, how he won’t complain, actually makes us a better team.”
OLDER BROTHERS SHOWED THE WAY
For Malpress, the road to the Super 11 began at home.
“Seeing my brothers play and seeing where football took them, I decided I wanted to step up and play football, too,” he said.
He watched as older brother after older brother competed on the gridiron: Deangelo Malpress, then Dejuan, then Darnell, before Desmond’s emergence with the Stingrays. All of them saw significant varsity experience.
Dejuan, who excelled in both wide receiver in football and forward in basketball on his way to signing with Concord University in West Virginia, grew into an established starter at Baldwin while Desmond was coming up through the middle school grades at the same location. By Desmond’s sophomore year at Atlantic Coast, he got the chance to make some memories playing alongside Darnell, then a high school senior headed for college football at Middle Tennessee. They even combined on a sack in 2024 during a 42-0 Stingray romp over rival Sandalwood.
“Playing with my brothers, it was an amazing experience for me,” he said.
Desmond said he played mostly linebacker growing up, and dreamed of one day lining up as a wide receiver. Eventually, though, he found a position to call his own on the edge once he entered high school football. The transition, he said, wasn’t hard.
“It was pretty easy for me,” he said. “I’ve always had the athletic ability to play edge and linebacker at the same time.”
His numbers as a junior were solid enough — 10 tackles for loss and 6 1/2 sacks, plus two forced fumbles — but Malpress is aiming higher, a lot higher, in 2025. With his athletic gifts and his drive, recruiters believe his ceiling is promising. So do his coaches.
“You don’t even have to coach him that hard, because he wants to be the best,” Gilbert said. “He’s actually pushing himself, asking us to coach him even harder.”
TAKING THE NEXT STEP
There are fun decisions, and there are not-so-fun decisions. Offenses facing Atlantic Coast must confront the latter.
If linemen try to double-team Malpress, what happens then? The matchup usually turns favorable on the opposite side for fellow edge rusher Israel Hayward, an athletic pass rusher committed to Army. Now that they’ve had a full year together, Malpress expects the Stingrays’ one-two pass rush punch to overwhelm many foes.
“We’re going to combine for big sacks this season,” Malpress said.
Just how big? Malpress said he’s aiming for double figures this year in sacks, maybe as many as 20. While not all records are complete, that would potentially set a school record for Atlantic Coast, following the 13 sacks achieved by future Alcorn State linebacker Trae’Varis Ferrell in 2014.
As Gilbert also notes, Malpress has worked hard to build his strength, affecting the game with more than just his pass rush.
“The first year when I came in, a lot of the coaches that came in were saying he was real athletic and could run,” Gilbert said. “Now he’s more of a complete pass rusher, a complete football player.”
Malpress is getting ready to wear some orange in a different shade, from the Stingrays’ burnt orange to the distinctive bold hue of ACC power Clemson. He announced his commitment to the Tigers on June 1.
“The culture and the family-oriented school they have, it just blew me out of my mind,” Malpress said. “I decided I wanted to be there.”
Ten sacks? Twenty sacks? With one more year to learn from NFL veterans on the sidelines in Jacksonville, preparing the move from Atlantic Coast High School to the Atlantic Coast Conference, Malpress is eager to tackle whatever challenge next awaits.
“It’s about that relentless motor,” he said. “Getting to attack everybody I see is pretty fun.”
TIMES-UNION SUPER 11
DE Desmond Malpress
School: Atlantic Coast
Height/weight: 6-4, 215
Recruiting status: Committed to Clemson.
Catch Northeast Florida’s high school sports season with NFHS Network
The USA TODAY Network is kicking off the high school sports rush with an opportunity for Florida Times-Union readers to get a discount on a yearly subscription to the NFHS Network.
All year, fans will be able to stream their favorite teams live on the platform, while also having a chance to rewatch games on demand—including 2026 high school football.
And now, because you’re part of the USA TODAY Network, you’ll be able to get 15% off the subscriptions.
How to sign up for NFHS Network
First, head to NFHS Network and hit the Subscribe button located on the top-right corner of the main page. From there, select the yearly plan that works best for you and your family.
Once you have registered, go to the redeem section here, and use this USA TODAY Network promo code: USAT15
How long is USA TODAY Network running this promotion?
The registration period for the NFHS Network PROMO CODE is from August 1 to September 7.
Once you’ve signed up, you’ll have access to the NFHS Network for the entire year — ending in August of 2027.
How to stream games on NFHS Network
Once you have registered, you’ll be able to search from the thousands of high school games available on the NFHS Network, from must-see local showdowns to Super 25 matchups and more.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Desmond Malpress builds Super 11 resume with Atlantic Coast’s NFL pros
Reporting by Clayton Freeman, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Clayton Freeman, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union | USA TODAY Network
