Rankings – Florida HS Football
The state of Florida will have a new division for the top 8 programs in the state. The rankings will pick 8 teams to break away from the rest of the pack which will play for a state title. We will break down the top teams in Florida and who will have the best chance of competing for one of the 8 spots. There is no question that Saint Thomas Aquinas will be in the first set of rankings after two impressive wins to start of the season. They blew out Western last week on the road. Who will follow them in the rankings?
- Saint Thomas Aquinas: The Raiders take our top spot after they destroyed State Champions Cardinal Mooney in their kick-off classic. The impressive win puts the Raiders in the top spot. They have one of the premier defenses in the County led by Wyatt Smith. The talented defensive end has committed to Ohio State. He is not the only star on this team as the offense is led by Julius Jones who’s committed to Notre Dame.
- IMG Academy: IMG is loaded once again. Since they can compete for one of the 8 spots it is hard to rank them above the Raiders. This is a team that has over 15-20 legit D1 stars. They along with Saint Thomas have one of the premier defensive lines in the country.
- West Boca: Back to Back state titles is enough for us to respect them as a legit top 8 program in Florida. Coach Dylan Potts has created a culture that is top notch in Boca Raton. They lost stud running back Javian Mallory and replaced him with Terriel Harmon. The class of 2028 running back is shooting up the rankings as we speak. Another reason why West Boca is so good is the interior of the defensive line.
- Chaminade-Maddona: Led by Quarterback Brady Quinn this offense is super explosive. He has put up as impressive of stats as anyone in the country through two weeks of football. Chaminade is once again loaded on both sides of the football. They back down from no challenges. They will play you anywhere at any time.
- Carol City: Talent matters and this is a team that is led by guys like Nick Lennear. They have talent at every level. The main question with Carol City is can their offensive line gel in time for them to make a serious run at a state title.
- Miami Central: Coach Derrick Gibson has one of the most loaded football squads in the country. He and his rockets went across the country and won a game in California. Not an easy task for a team in high school to travel that far to play in a football game. James Perrone is going to have his chance to win that elusive state title he almost got last year.
- Lakeland: The dreadnaughts have been in the finals the last two seasons and lost to Saint Thomas Aquinas. You could argue this team knows how to get there. The big thing now is winning it all. This is a tough road for them to go down but I would not count this team out.
- The First Academy: New on the scene, The First Academy has upwards of 25-30 D1 prospects on their football team. They are loaded on the offensive and defensive lines and that is where state title are won.
- Miami Palmetto: Through two weeks no team has shown to be more physical along the offensive and defensive lines. Palmetto is going to maul you. Jamison Larsen the transfer from Wisconsin has brought a toughness to this offense they so desperately needed. Here is a QB who stands around 6’4 and weighs close to 230 pounds. He leads a run game that is going to be tough to slow down. Palmetto ate up almost 10 minutes of the clock running the football to start the game. They are going to be a tough out for pretty much any team they face.
- Deland: Rick Darlington was part of an Apopka program which was one of the best in Florida year in and year out. Well he has once again done the same thing at Deland. This could be a surprise team when it comes to picking 8 teams to play each other. This team is going to pound the ball on you. This is a true title contention team.
Just outside the cut: Cardinal Mooney, American Heritage, Jacksonville Raines, Cardinal Newman, Vero Beach, Orlando Jones, Buchholz, Jackosnville Mandarin, Columbus and Venice