As a preview to the 2025 football season, the high school sports staff of USA Today Network Ohio’s 21 newspapers and websites has compiled its annual Ohio’s Best list.
The staff determined a pool of Ohio High School Athletic Association athletes based on criteria including state and national recognition, team success with their leadership and more. Writers ranked that pool of athletes from 1 to 25. Each placement received points (first received 25, second received 24, etc.). The totaled points provided this final ranking.
This is the last of a four-part series that also included girls volleyball, boys soccer and girls soccer.
No. 1 ‒ Matt Ponatoski, Cincinnati Moeller
Ponatoski is the reigning Mr. Football and Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year (in football and baseball). The two-sport Kentucky commit led Moeller to the Division I state final last season while throwing for more than 4,000 yards and 55 touchdowns.
No. 2 (tie) ‒ Cincere Johnson, Cleveland Glenville
Johnson was the Division IV Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-Ohioan. The Ohio State commit registered 205 tackles, 31 for loss, 8½ sacks, forced three fumbles and two pass breakups for the Tarblooders.
No. 2 (tie) ‒ Victor Singleton, Toledo Central Catholic
Singleton was the Division III co-Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-Ohioan. The Texas A&M commit registered four interceptions and six pass breakups for the state runner-up Fighting Irish.
No. 4 ‒ Jamier Brown, Huber Heights Wayne
The junior is the nation’s top receiver and No. 8 player in the country for the 2027 class, according to 247Sports. Last season, Brown caught 63 passes for 1,035 yards and 13 touchdowns.
No. 5 ‒ Elbert Hill IV, Akron Hoban
Hill was a first-team Division II All-Ohioan. A cornerback, the four-star recruit and Southern California commit had 56 tackles, two sacks, five interceptions and two defensive touchdowns, and he broke up 26 passes. He also returned two kickoffs for touchdowns and had five TDs on offense (three receiving and two rushing).
No. 6 ‒ Sam Greer, Akron Hoban
Greer was a first-team Division II All-Ohioan. An offensive tackle, the four-star recruit and Ohio State commit helped Hoban rush for 3,545 yards and 45 TDs on 468 carries a year ago. The Knights gained 236.3 yards per game on the ground and 7.6 yards per carry.
No. 7 ‒ Brayden Fogle, Lexington
Last season, Fogle earned first-team all-state, first-team all-Northwest District and first-team all-Ohio Cardinal Conference honors as a wide receiver after making 59 catches for 792 yards and five touchdowns. The senior has committed to Georgia.
No. 8 ‒ Favour Akih, Delaware Hayes
A four-star recruit who did not take up football until his freshman year, Akih burst onto the scene last fall by rushing for 1,653 yards and amassing 21 total touchdowns. Ranked the No. 6 running back nationally by Rivals, the 6-foot, 190-pound Akih earned first-team all-district and all-state in Division I and committed to Ohio State in June. He chose the Buckeyes over Miami and USC.
No. 9 ‒ Ja’Kobe Clapper, Cincinnati St. Xavier
The senior is one of several Division I commits in St. Xavier’s linebacker group. Clapper committed to Notre Dame in May after a junior season that included 105 total tackles (54 solo), 11½ tackles for loss, 4½ sacks, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble.
No. 10 (tie) ‒ C.J. Sanna, Olentangy
A 6-3, 225-pound linebacker, Sanna amassed 97 tackles ‒ including 37 solo and nine for loss ‒ with seven sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in powering the Braves to eight wins last fall. The first-team all-district and third-team all-state honoree in Division I committed to Ohio State in April, and two months later won the state discus championship (194 feet, 11 inches). Sanna plans to graduate early and enroll at OSU in January.
No. 10 (tie) ‒ Maxwell Riley, Avon Lake
Riley was a first-team Division II All-Ohioan. The Ohio State commit and four-star recruit is ranked the No. 11 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 7 player in Ohio, according to the 247Sports composite.
Watch Ohio high school football on NFHS Network
No. 12 ‒ Shahn Alston, Painesville Harvey
Alston was second-team All-Ohio in Division II and is a USC commit. Alston finished his junior year with 131 carries for 1,104 yards and 16 touchdowns and 14 receptions for 184 yards. He missed the first two games last season while recovering from knee surgery.
No. 13 ‒ Ace Alston, Cincinnati Anderson
Alston is one of two Anderson players to be ranked in the state’s top four for the 2027 class by 247Sports. The 5-11 cornerback had three interceptions last year, including one in the Division II state championship game.
No. 14 ‒ Kaden Gebhardt, Olentangy
A 6-2, 200-pound safety and four-star recruit who committed to Clemson in March, Gebhardt had 94 tackles, including 32 solo and five for loss, along with five pass breakups, two interceptions and two touchdowns last fall as a junior. Gebhardt amassed more than 30 Division I offers, was named first-team all-district and all-state and is 247Sports’ top recruit in central Ohio regardless of position. Gebhardt also was on Olentangy’s state championship baseball team in the spring.
No. 15 ‒ Ben Congdon, Zoarville Tuscarawas Valley
Congdon is a 6-7, 285-pound offensive tackle committed to Miami. The four-star recruit was an honorable mention All-Ohioan last year and is ranked as the No. 13 recruit in the state.
No. 16 ‒ Brayton Feister, Akron Hoban
Feister was second-team Division II all-state. The four-star recruit rushed for 2,104 yards on 296 carries and scored 26 touchdowns. He’s also a standout linebacker, where he is being recruited by more than 20 Division I colleges.
No. 17 ‒ Adam Guthrie, Washington Court House Miami Trace
Guthrie is a 6-7, 285-pound three-star prospect at offensive tackle who is committed to Clemson.
No. 18 ‒ Storm Miller, Strongsville
Miller was a Division I first-team All-Ohioan. The Texas A&M recruit finished 2024 with 90 tackles, 20 for loss, 10 sacks and an interception from his linebacker position.
No. 19 ‒ Jakob Weatherspoon, Avon
Weatherspoon was a first-team Division III All-Ohioan. A safety, the North Carolina commit made 59 tackles last season. He also had two interceptions and seven pass breakups.
No. 20 ‒ Cam Thomas, West Chester Lakota West
A third-team all-state linebacker in Division I last season, the Illinois commit had 84 tackles (35 solo), 14½ tackles for loss, four sacks, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and an interception last season.
No. 21 ‒ Devlan Daniel, Cincinnati Indian Hill
As a sophomore last year, Daniel was the Cincinnati Hills League’s Offensive Player of the Year and a first-team all-state selection in Division IV. Expected to be Indian Hill’s quarterback in 2025, Daniel was a running back last year with 2,260 rushing yards and 34 touchdowns. He also had two interceptions and two sacks.
No. 22 ‒ Daniel Vollmer, Cincinnati St. Xavier
Vollmer is a multipurpose threat. In 2024, he led the Greater Catholic League-South with 834 rushing yards and 13 scores while also catching 18 passes for 211 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged 27.2 yards per kickoff return, including a 97-yard touchdown in the postseason. The third-team all-state running back has committed to Vanderbilt.
No. 23 ‒ Henry Ohlinger, Grandview Heights
The 6-1, 210-pound running back and four-star recruit did a little bit of everything for the Bobcats last fall as a junior, rushing for 1,788 yards and 28 touchdowns, catching six passes for 168 yards and amassing 32 all-purpose touchdowns. Ten of those came from 50 or more yards. The Indiana commit also had 63 tackles, including 14 for loss and nine sacks, at linebacker. Ohlinger earned first-team all-district and all-state on offense in Division VI.
No. 24 ‒ Pete Eglitis, Watterson
A three-year starter and linchpin of the defending Division III state champions’ effective offensive line, the 6-7, 290-pound Eglitis helped pave the way for a unit that averaged 39.9 points and 368.3 yards in 2024. Watterson’s offense was largely balanced between the run and pass. The three-star tackle committed to Iowa State in June.
No. 25 ‒ Rihyael Kelley, Cincinnati Winton Woods
The 6-3 senior safety committed to Alabama in June. He had two interceptions and provided stellar pass defense for the Warriors in 2024.
Others receiving votes
Lual Aleu, Cincinnati Winton Woods; Nathan Bernhard, Ashland; Landry Brede, Mentor; Ace Brown, Akron Hoban; Jonathan Brown, DeSales; Caden Carter, Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit; Demari Clemons, Massillon Washington; Luke Collins, Gahanna Lincoln; Payton Cook, Hoban; Parker Crim, Elida; Levi Davis, Olentangy Orange; Gabe Davis-Ray, Columbus Academy; Brayden DeVito, Shelby; Malachi Ervin, Pickerington North; Preston Fryzel, Toledo Central Catholic; Sam Hamilton, Cincinnati Moeller; Carson Harris, Batavia; Jance Henry, Hoban; Antwoine Higgins, Cincinnati Anderson; Allen Hill, Youngstown Chaney; Ryder Hooks, Liberty Township Lakota East; Marcus Hughbanks, Batavia; Kalel Johnson, Cincinnati Taft; Jordan Karhoff, DeSales; Grady Kinsey, Gnadenhutten Indian Valley; Nick Kinsey, Hoban; Joey Kopec, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy; Robert Lathon, Hartley; PJ MacFarlane, Lakota East; Cooper McCutchan, Moeller; Aaron McFarland, Cincinnati Oak Hills; Jaylen Mercer, Winton Woods; Landen Miree, Cincinnati Princeton; Jarin Mock, Pickerington North; Casey Myser, Medina Highland; Andre Parker, Princeton; Milan Parris, Walsh Jesuit; Phil Partin, Akron Manchester; Jamir Perez, Cleveland Glenville; Reinaldo Perez, Columbus Academy; Henry Perrymond, Cleveland Heights; Jermaine Polk, Toledo St. Francis; Aden Reeder, Cincinnati St. Xavier; Brayden Reilly, St. Xavier; Arthur Scott, Streetsboro; Devonte Taylor, Youngstown Ursuline; Brayden Thomas, Lakewood St. Edward; Lucas Tielsch, Copley; Derek Uran, Elder; Mike van der Oord, Cleveland St. Ignatius; D’Angelo White, Cleveland Villa Angela-St. Joseph; Jamarcus Whyce, Trotwood-Madison; Mason Wilhelm, St. Edward; Ja’Dyn Williams, Massillon
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Who are Ohio’s best high school football players? Top 25 rank entering 2025 OHSAA season
Reporting by USA Today Network Ohio / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
