Advertisement
football Edit

NC's top 25 recruits since 1991

Wake Forest's Dexter Lawrence was NC's top recruited player in 2015-16. He signed with Clemson.


For a state most closely associated with basketball, the North Carolina high school ranks have produced some extraordinary football talent the past 25 years.

College All-Americans, NCAA record setters and first-round NFL draft picks have developed from the metro areas of Charlotte and Greensboro to the small towns of Bailey and Tarboro.

So when asked to put together a list of the 25 best players I’ve seen over the last quarter century covering prep football and college recruiting in our state, I viewed it as a daunting task.

There were, of course, some obvious choices like Julius Peppers, Todd Gurley and Mario Williams to name a few. But there are literally dozens of others who could have made the list.

In choosing the final 25, I considered their high school career, the intensity of their college recruitment, the uniqueness of their physical stature and potential, and my own personal evaluations conducted while producing an annual list of the state’s top 50 college prospects since 1994.

With that said, there are still some on the list whose careers never took off after high school for one reason or another. But their skill sets or physical attributes at the high school level were so unique it earned them a spot on the list anyway.

So here’s my personal trip down memory lane and a look at the best prep players in alphabetical order I’ve seen during the last 25 years.

E.J. ABRAMS-WARD, WR, Thomasville HS, Thomasville — Easily the most versatile athlete I’ve ever seen. Abrams-Ward played quarterback for Thomasville, but was a major-college prospect at no less than six other positions. Unfortunately, we never got to find out how good the 6-foot-5, 215-pounder could have been. He was dismissed from Tennessee’s team after one year and attempted a comeback more than four years later at Winston-Salem State with minimal results.

DWAYNE ALLEN, TE, Terry Sanford HS, Fayetteville — Before Eric Ebron, there was Dwayne Allen. Allen was the first tight end from our state with the speed to line up wide as a receiver and the strength to play attached to the line of scrimmage. He went on to win the John Mackey Award at Clemson and is entering his fifth NFL season with the Indianapolis Colts.

KEENAN ALLEN, WR, Northern Guilford HS, Greensboro — Allen is probably the best two-way player of the era. He was rated the nation’s top defensive back prospect by many analysts as senior, but wound up playing receiver at California and now in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers.

DAVID AMERSON, CB, Dudley HS, Greensboro — One of the first big, physical cornerback types to develop in our state, Amerson went on to set the ACC single-season record for interceptions at N.C. State (13) in 2011 and he’s now a member of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders.

STEPHONE ANTHONY, LB, Anson County HS, Wadesboro — “The 6-foot-3, 225-pounder who has the speed of a running back (4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash), the power of a lineman (330-pound bench press) and the grades of an honor student (3.64 GPA),’’ is how I described Anthony in 2010 when I ranked him the state’s No. 1 college prospect. Starred and Clemson and now a member of the NFL’s New Orleans Saints.

TONEY BAKER, RB, Jamestown-Ragsdale HS, Jamestown — “A man among boys’’ was how his prep coach Tommy Norwood described Baker back in August 2004. Indeed he was. Before he was robbed of some of his skills due to knee injuries at N.C. State, Baker played with a combination of speed, power and motivation rarely seen in our state.

TODD GURLEY, RB, Tarboro HS, Tarboro — The recruiting hype around Gurley had just started in the summer of 2011 when then Jack Britt coach Richard Bailey told me Gurley was something special. I took his word and ranked Gurley the state’s No. 1 college prospect. He’s vindicated that pick by earning All-SEC honors at Georgia and All-Pro status last season with the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams.

ELIJAH HOOD, RB, Catholic HS, Charlotte — When I first saw Hood in person, I thought I was looking at the incarnation of Herschel Walker. The comparison has started to appear legitimate as Hood, who wears Walker’s No. 34, has become one of the ACC’s and nation’s premier backs at North Carolina.

D.J. HUMPHRIES, OT, Mallard Creek HS, Charlotte — Humphries was one of the first big-time talents to emerge from the Mallard Creek program that’s now the premier producer of major-college talent in the state. His size (6-5, 265) and athleticism prompted more than 30 colleges to offer scholarships. Humphries wound up starting three seasons at Florida before entering the NFL draft. He’s now a member of the Arizona Cardinals.

MARCUS JONES, DE, Southwest Onslow HS, Jacksonville — Jones is the guy who started the wave of tall (6-foot-6), mobile defensive linemen from Down East that continues today. He made all the prep All-American teams as a senior and went on to become a consensus All-American at North Carolina. Taken in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Bucs, Jones played seven seasons in the pros before embarking on a career in mixed martial arts.

DEXTER LAWRENCE, DT, Wake Forest HS, Wake Forest – Probably the most dominant, physical interior defensive lineman I've seen coming out of the North Carolina the last 25 years. But what really separated Lawrence from the others is along with his physical size (6-4, 327) he possessed great flexibility and burst that made it impossible for a mere high school blocker to handle him. Expecting great things from Lawrence as he gets his college career started this season at Clemson.

CHRIS LEAK, QB, Independence HS, Charlotte – Leak was such a prodigy at quarterback that then-Wake Forest head coach Jim Caldwell offered him a scholarship when he was just an eighth grader. He led Independence to three straight 4-A state titles before Florida won a national recruiting battle for his services. Leak then embarked on a record-setting career with the Gators that was highlighted by him earning most valuable player honors in the 2007 national championship game win against Ohio State.

GREG LITTLE, WR, Hillside HS, Durham – Little was a skill-position player in a linebacker's body. He starred at running back in high school and was one of the most highly recruited athletes of the past 25 years with the likes of Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame and Southern Cal all in hot pursuit. Little first committed to Notre Dame, but pulled one of the biggest signing day switcheroos ever by defecting from the Irish to North Carolina. His college career was cut short due to his role in the NCAA violations at UNC, but he's set to play a sixth season in the NFL this fall with the Buffalo Bills.

LEONARD LITTLE, LB, Asheville HS, Asheville – When it comes to the best high school linebackers I've seen the last 25 years in the state's prep ranks, Little is my clear winner. When he came out of Asheville High in 1993, Little was the biggest (6-31/2), fastest (4.48 40-yard dash) linebacker I'd ever evaluated at that point. Others like Brandon Spikes and Aaron Curry would emerge later, but Little was the prototype for those guys. He was an All-American as a senior at Tennessee and an All-Pro and Super Bowl champion in the NFL.

T.J. LOGAN, RB, Northern Guilford HS, Greensboro – Logan earned his spot on this list in large part by producing incredible performances on the biggest stage – the state championship game. He racked up 204 yards rushing and five touchdowns as a junior in leading Northern over Shelby Crest of the state 3-AA title. Logan then gave a legendary effort the following year against Elijah Hood's Charlotte Catholic team, piling up 510 yards rushing and eight touchdowns. North Carolina will have the benefit of both Hood and Logan's talents in 2016.

NICK MADDOX, RB, A.L. Brown HS, Kannapolis – The first true “super back'' from North Carolina during the era we're focusing on, Maddox was one of the most sought-after prospects in the nation as a senior in 1998. He racked up 6,624 rushing yards and scored 114 touchdowns – a state record at the time – during his brilliant prep career. Legendary Florida State coach Bobby Bowden won the recruiting battle for Maddox. Although he never quite lived up to the hype at FSU, Maddox did earn a national championship ring with the Seminoles in 1999.

DEREK MORRIS, OT, North Mecklenburg HS, Huntersville – Never before Morris had I heard of a 6-6, 342-pound man executing a 32-inch vertical jump. But after that feat at a Nike Camp in Atlanta in 2001, Morris became one of the most coveted offensive line recruits in the Class of 2002. Ohio State won the Morris lottery, but he never played a down for the Buckeyes, who released him from his letter of intent in September 2002. He eventually landed at N.C. State, where he played three up-and-down seasons before declaring early for the 2006 NFL draft. Morris went undrafted and never gained any traction after several tryouts with NFL teams.

XAVER NIXON, OT, Jack Britt HS, Fayetteville – All it took for me to comprehend Nixon's status in the recruiting world back in 2009 was a phone call from USA Today asking me to contribute a story on his signing day. That was the ultimate kind of ink in those days for any recruit, but rare for an offensive lineman. But then again, Nixon was a rare talent on the offensive line. He had the agility of a linebacker or a tight end, the quickness and speed of a receiver, and a big potential for growth. Nixon became a rare freshman starter on the offensive line at Florida, where he lettered from 2009-2012.

JULIUS PEPPERS, DE, Southern Nash HS, Bailey – If I had ranked these players in order, Peppers would have been No. 1 on the list. Watching him play running back in high school at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds was a sight to behold – he finished with 3,501 career rushing yards at Southern Nash. I had never seen before or in the years since an athlete with his combination of size, agility, speed and strength on the football field. He went on to become an All-American at North Carolina and is headed for the Football Hall of Fame whenever he decides to hang up his cleats.

TITCUS PETTIGREW, WR-DB, West Forsyth HS, Clemmons – A stellar athlete who excelled at basketball and football in high school, Pettigrew was the state's athlete of the year as a senior in 1995. But it was on the football field that he wowed me with his acrobatic exploits as a receiver. Pettigrew was the guy who regularly went up in a group of players and always came down with the ball. He became such a prominent recruit that he was named one of USA Today's “Super 25'' high school players as a senior. Although he never reached his potential as a receiver at Penn State, Pettigrew eventually became a secondary starter for the Nittany Lions.

DEMARIO PRESSLEY, DT, Dudley HS, Greensboro – The first defensive tackle to earn the No. 1 spot in my preseason rankings of the state's top 50 college prospects back in 2003. Pressley was part of a dynamic trio of Dudley players that season that also included running back Jamaal Edwards (Florida State) and defensive back Martel Thatch (North Carolina). But Pressley was the headliner, a big, quick, gap stopper who was an immovable force in the middle of Dudley's defense. Injuries hindered Pressley's college career at N.C. State, but he was a starter when healthy for much of his final three seasons.

HEATH SHULER, QB, Swain County HS, Bryson City – Shuler squeaks onto the list since he was signed in the recruiting Class of 1991. I had the honor of watching him perform in the state playoffs against St. Paul's High during his senior season in the picturesque setting at Memorial Stadium. Shuler was then and is still the best pro-style quarterback I've seen develop in our state. He led Swain County to two straight state titles before heading to Tennessee where he set nearly all the school passing marks before Peyton Manning came along.

BRANDON SPIKES, LB, Crest HS, Shelby – Cut from the same physical mold as Leonard Little, Spikes was the top-ranked college prospect in the state as a senior. His rangy physique and speed made him an intimidating force at Crest and later at Florida, where he helped the Gators win national titles in 2006 and 2008. Spikes spent five seasons playing in the NFL, but was released last June by the New England Patriots after an off-the-field incident.

MICHAEL WADDELL, CB, Richmond, Rockingham – Once upon a time Richmond was the premier prep program in North Carolina. Waddell was the dynamic playmaker of those teams in the late 1990s as a running back, receiver, kick returner and cornerback. Nicknamed “The Rabbit'' due to his tremendous speed, Waddell was a threat to score from anywhere on the field. In fact, he scored touchdowns rushing, receiving, returning kicks and interceptions during his prep career. He started three seasons at cornerback for North Carolina, then spent five years playing in the NFL.

MARIO WILLIAMS, DE, Richlands HS, Richlands – Williams is football's version of “The Natural.'' He's excelled at every level of play from high school to N.C. State and now as an NFL Pro Bowler. Playing for a small Eastern North Carolina school like Julius Peppers, Williams was an imposing, dominant force at Richlands and became the focus of an intense recruiting battle during his senior year in 2002. The Wolfpack won Williams over and he went on to become one of the best college defenders of the decade in Raleigh. He would become the first overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans and is scheduled to begin his 11th NFL season this fall with the Miami Dolphins.


Sammy Batten has been covering college football and recruiting for the Fayetteville Observer for the last 26 years. You can follow him on Twitter at @FO_SammyBatten.





Advertisement