Recruiting is an inexact science. A player may not fit the puzzle at one school and thrive at another. Even trickier is compiling recruiting rankings. Even the best talent evaluators swing and miss at times when assessing high school players in any sport.
With the 2025 football season now behind us and the 2026 season quickly approaching, I thought it would be interesting to look back at the top-25 in-state recruits of the quarter century. Because the 2000 graduating class actually played high school football as a senior in the fall of 1999, I am starting with the graduating class of 2001 and moving forward.
To compile this list, I used a combination of recruiting services, including Rivals, 247sports, On3 and ESPN, using the final evaluation of these prospects at the end of their high school careers. How accurate were these recruiting rankings? Some were close. Others were not (we will dive into that more later). We previously counted down No. 25 to No. 11 and No. 10 to No. 6. Here is the top-5:
No. 5: Hunter Johnson, Brownsburg
Johnson was rated as the No. 1 high school quarterback in the country by ESPN in the 2017 graduating class and No. 2 by Rivals, which had him slotted as the No. 18 overall player in the country. He was voted Mr. Football after the season in 2016 after throwing for 2,233 yards and 25 touchdowns and leading Brownsburg to an 8-2 record. He also ran for 525 yards and three TDs. As a junior, Johnson passed for 2,542 yards and 31 TDs in 10 games. For his high school career, he finished with 6,657 passing yards and 69 TDs and 727 rushing yards. Johnson was also all-state in track, running on a 4×400-meter relay team that took fourth in state.
Johnson originally committed to Tennessee, then flipped to Clemson after his junior season. He enrolled early at Clemson in January of 2017, then appeared in seven games as a true freshman, going 21-for-27 passing for 234 yards and two TDs. Johnson transferred to Northwestern, sitting out in 2018 then playing in 12 games over the next three seasons, completing 52% of his passes for 856 yards and five TDs with eight interceptions. Johnson transferred back to Clemson for his final year of eligibility in 2022 and appeared in two games. For his college career, Johnson completed 57% of his passes for 1,100 yads and seven TDs with nine interceptions.
“My (college) career wasn’t what I pictured,” Johnson told Gregg Doyel in 2023 after a tryout with the Colts. “But I wouldn’t change a thing about it. I met my wife at Clemson. I had guys from Clemson and Northwestern in my wedding. From the football side it wasn’t as cookie cutter as I thought it would be – that’s just not how it always is, and that’s OK – but I loved my time at both places and I feel like I’ve got a lot more in me to go and be successful.”
No. 4: James Banks, Ben Davis
Banks was so electric as a senior in 2001 that he was named the overall Mr. Football and Mr. Football position winner at two spots – quarterback and defensive back. He led the Giants to two Class 5A state championships in three seasons, accounting for 2,374 yards and 34 touchdowns on offense (1,474 passing for 20 TDs) as a senior and 47 tackles, eight interceptions and three defensive TDs. For his career, leading Ben Davis to a 42-2 overall record, Banks passed for a school record 5,074 yards and 63 TDs and rushed for 2,335 yards and 31 TDs. After Banks won Mr. Football in 2021, then-Ben Davis coach Dick Dullaghan recalled Banks’ first days with the varsity team in 1999.
“Because of the quality of our program, everybody has to prove himself,” Dullaghan said. “For the first four or five days, he was third team. By about the end of the first week, he was first team and where he really earned his spot was in a scrimmage his sophomore year. When we put him in, it was obvious that James was the best player. We felt that that this might happen, but you really don’t know until you get into competition, and that is where James really shines. From the day he stepped on the field, his competitive spirit was unparalleled, as far as I’m concerned.”
After considering Michigan, Tennessee, Purdue, Virginia Tech, Clemson and others, Banks committed to Tennessee. He was ranked as the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback in the country by Rivals in the 2022 graduating class. Banks played quarterback as a true freshman, making a start against Georgia. He was 17-for-31 passing for 277 yards that season. Banks moved to receiver as a sophomore, catching 42 passes for 621 yards and six TDs. But after that promising season, off-the-field issues and injuries derailed his time at Tennessee. He later played at Carson-Newman, catching 22 passes for 370 yards and six touchdowns in 2007 and averaging 5.4 yards on punt returns.
No. 3: James Aldridge, Merrillville
Aldridge, a 2006 high school graduate, started his career at Hazelwood Central (Mo.), where he ran for 925 yards and 12 TDs as a sophomore on a team that was the state runner-up in Class 6A in Missouri. His family moved to Northwest Indiana before Aldridge’s junior year and he hit the ground running with Merrillville as a junior, rushing for 2,067 yards and 20 TDs in a 10-2 season, though he was injured on the opening kickoff of a 31-0 loss to Penn in the regional. Alridge, ranked as the No. 26 prospect in the country by Rivals, ran for 1,433 yards and 21 TDs as a senior after his knee injury the previous season and helped Merrillville reach the Class 5A semistate.
The five-star running back committed to Notre Dame in May of 2005, prior to his senior season. “Getting James Aldridge is one of Notre Dame’s biggest running back catches in the last 15 years, the other being Julius Jones,” recruiting analyst Tom Lemming told the South Bend Tribune at the time. Aldridge picked Notre Dame over Purdue, Ohio State, Iowa, USC, Tennessee and Michigan, among others. In seven games as a true freshman in 2006 at Notre Dame, he ran for 142 yards in seven games. In 2007, Notre Dame struggled mightily to run the ball in a 3-9 season under Charlie Weis. Aldridge led the team with 463 rushing yards and caught five passes for 30 yards. In 2008, he was third on the team with 357 rushing yards and three TDs in a 7-6 season. Weis moved Aldridge to fullback as a senior in 2009, running for 17 yards on six carries in six games.
Aldridge, who ran for 979 yards and three TDs for his career at Notre Dame, went undrafted in 2010 in the NFL draft.
No. 2: Gunner Kiel, Columbus East
Kiel was rated as the No. 1 quarterback in the country by Rivals, 247sports and Scout in the 2012 graduating class. All of the recruiting services had him listed among the top-50 players overall, including No. 2 in the nation by Lemming. As a junior at Columbus East, the nephew of former Notre Dame quarterback Blair Kiel passed for 2,500 yards and 25 TDs and ran for 425 yards and six TDs in a 9-2 season. As a senior in 2011, Kiel led Columbus East to a 12-2 record and the Class 4A semistate, passing for 2,517 yards and 28 TDs and running for 482 yards and 11 TDs. He passed for 7,175 passing yards in his career. Kiel was voted Mr. Football after his senior season and Gatorade Player of the Year in the state.
Kiel originally committed to Indiana in high school, then backed off and picked LSU over Notre Dame and Vanderbilt. Before signing day, however, Kiel picked Notre Dame. “This recruitment process was a roller-coaster ride at times, but I know I have made the right decision for my family and me,” Kiel said at the time. “There were three critical elements I was looking for in my future school: the quality of education I would receive, the distance from home and the comfort level I would have with the players and coaches in the football program. Notre Dame was the perfect fit for me because it hit all three areas.”
Kiel enrolled early at Notre Dame in January of 2012 and redshirted that fall. He announced in the spring of 2013 that he would transfer and ended up committing to Cincinnati. Kiel sat out 2013 due to transfer rules at the time, then became a full-time starter in 2014. He had an outstanding season, finishing with 3,254 passing yards and 31 touchdowns (the latter number tying the American Athletic Conference and school records). Kiel was just 18 yards from the Cincinnati school record for passing yards in a 9-4 season. He started the 2015 season as the starting quarterback but struggled with injuries. In 10 games, he completed 65% of his passes for 2,777 yards and 19 TDs. In 2016, Kiel played in just five games. He completed 52% of his passes for 804 yards and six TDs, ending his college career with 6,835 passing yards and 56 TDs.
No. 1: Jaylon Smith, Fort Wayne Bishop Luers
Smith was highly-sought coming out of the 2013 graduating class at Luers, where he helped his team to four consecutive Class 2A state title as a running back and linebacker. Smith was ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the country by Rivals and Scout and the No. 1 outside linebacker. He was ranked No. 5 overall by 247sports and No. 7 by ESPN. Smith, at 6-3 and 220 pounds coming out of high school, was a three-time all-state selection. He ran for 1,319 yards and 25 TDs as a junior and made 51 tackles, including 18 tackles for loss, and eight sacks as a junior. As a senior, Smith ran for 1,265 yards and 18 TDs and finished with 72 tackles (43 solo), including 19 ½ for a loss, eight sacks and two forced fumbles. He was named the Butkus Award winner as the top high school linebacker in the country, among his many accolades. He also played basketball through his junior year.
Smith committed to Notre Dame over Ohio State and USC and did not disappoint in his time with the Irish. He became a full-time starter at outside linebacker right away, making 67 tackles (41 solo) with 6 ½ tackles for loss. Smith led Notre Dame with 112 tackles (65 solo) as a sophomore, finishing with nine TFLs and 3 ½ sacks. As a junior in 2015, Smith won the Butkus Award, finishing with 115 tackles, nine tackles for loss, one sack and two fumble recoveries. He tore his ACL in the Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State. He announced shortly after he would enter the 2016 NFL Draft.
The injury hurt his draft stock but the Dallas Cowboys took Smith in the second round (34th overall). He did not play in 2016 as he recovered from the injury but returned in 2017 to make 81 tackles (50 solo), two forced fumbles and one sack in 16 games, including six starts at middle linebacker. He was named the starter in 2018 and had a breakout season with 121 tackles, four sacks and two forced fumbles. Smith signed a five-year deal before the 2019 season and was named a team captain, finishing with 142 tackles, 2 ½ sacks and two forced fumbles. In 2021, Smith was released after undergoing wrist surgery. He finished with 516 tackles, nine sacks, two interceptions and six forced fumbles in 68 games with the Cowboys. Smith played briefly with the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants to close out 2021, then made 11 starts for the Giants in 2022, finishing with 74 tackles. He played in one game with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023. Smith was released from the Raiders prior to the 2025 season. He opened a restaurant in South Bend in 2025 called Jinya Ramen Bar.
“I’m proud to be an Indiana legend, and I am passionate about my presence being all through the state, to touch the kids, to inspire and to educate,” Smith told IndyStar earlier this year. “That’s really one of my goals. I never want to be the guy who made it out and never came back home. Indiana is home for me.”
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 Indiana high school football recruits of 25 years: The top five
Reporting by Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
