MaxPreps Preseason top 25

[badrouter]

42 minutes ago, HurricaneNick said:

That’s because STA and Miami Central are the same as MD & Bosco. & if you’re right about Lakeland getting 20 transfers this year, they’re a regional all star team too. 

Yep, those are regional all-star teams for sure. Lakeland and Central have gotten kids from other states over the last several years as much as anyone. The days of "neighborhood" teams are over, which is a bit sad IMO.

[On2whls]

1 hour ago, badrouter said:

The days of "neighborhood" teams are over, which is a bit sad IMO.

The days of neighborhood teams isn't over.  They just have little title hopes. 

[Omaha Vol]

3 hours ago, HurricaneNick said:

That’s because STA and Miami Central are the same as MD & Bosco. & if you’re right about Lakeland getting 20 transfers this year, they’re a regional all star team too. 

Only difference being L.A.’s metro is 12.5 million while Miami’s is 6.3. That’s twice the amount to pick from. 
 

Lakeland has Tampa and St. Pete. 

[badrouter]

1 hour ago, Omaha Vol said:

Only difference being L.A.’s metro is 12.5 million while Miami’s is 6.3. That’s twice the amount to pick from. 
 

Lakeland has Tampa and St. Pete. 

We're literally reaching a point where elite programs' prospects depend on things like the local job market, attractiveness of a community as a place to live and cost of living. The more job opportunities and appeal of a community, the more likely families will move into the area (or already live there) for football. Vegas has been booming for a while, hence the rise of  BG. LA/OC and Dade/Broward go without saying. I'm inclined to think this is bad for Lakeland, but it is in a very fast growing area so maybe it'll work out fine. Just such wild conditions for HS football! 

[badrouter]

* the factors I mentioned have always mattered, but families are more willing and able to move around for sports than ever before.

[HurricaneNick]

2 hours ago, Omaha Vol said:

Only difference being L.A.’s metro is 12.5 million while Miami’s is 6.3. That’s twice the amount to pick from. 
 

Lakeland has Tampa and St. Pete. 

Texas has 60,000 more HS football players than California despite having 10 million less people. The number of people to pick from doesn’t matter if they aren’t football players.

[badrouter]

5 minutes ago, HurricaneNick said:

Texas has 60,000 more HS football players than California despite having 10 million less people. The number of people to pick from doesn’t matter if they aren’t football players.

But this reflects the added importance of football in Texas compared to California. That matters. Among the youth, futbol and maybe even baseball are more popular than football in California. Football doesn't mean as much in California as it does in the southeastern U.S. Of course, when you can attract talent from all over the country, like Chris Henry, it works out just fine 😆

[MD87]

46 minutes ago, HurricaneNick said:

Texas has 60,000 more HS football players than California despite having 10 million less people. The number of people to pick from doesn’t matter if they aren’t football players.

Exactly.  So many people in SoCal from places around the world that couldn’t care less about football.  SoCal population numbers are deceiving when it comes to the subject of our discussion. 

[timblacktv]

48 minutes ago, MD87 said:

Exactly.  So many people in SoCal from places around the world that couldn’t care less about football.  SoCal population numbers are deceiving when it comes to the subject of our discussion. 

There are more people in the  IMG home games than a Trinity League matchup between Bosco and Santa Magarita lol.

[HurricaneNick]

1 hour ago, timblacktv said:

There are more people in the  IMG home games than a Trinity League matchup between Bosco and Santa Magarita lol.

Not even you believe that. Find MD a week 2 game yet? 

[HurricaneNick]

2 hours ago, badrouter said:

But this reflects the added importance of football in Texas compared to California. That matters. Among the youth, futbol and maybe even baseball are more popular than football in California. Football doesn't mean as much in California as it does in the southeastern U.S. Of course, when you can attract talent from all over the country, like Chris Henry, it works out just fine 😆

Baseball is without a doubt bigger than football in CA. Water polo and volleyball are also pretty big in So Cal. 

[timblacktv]

19 minutes ago, HurricaneNick said:

Not even you believe that. Find MD a week 2 game yet? 

I'm not talking about SJB versus Mater Dei or a loaded Servite team against Mater Dei. I'm talking about those random games like Servite vs JSerra nobody cares about it lol.

Just rename is Mater Bosco. It's a league that just happens to have Servite, JSerra, OLU, and SM lol

[timblacktv]

21 minutes ago, HurricaneNick said:

Not even you believe that. Find MD a week 2 game yet? 

Talking about GSB? Told you I'm not him

[timblacktv]

19 minutes ago, HurricaneNick said:

Baseball is without a doubt bigger than football in CA. Water polo and volleyball are also pretty big in So Cal. 

Heard Liberty from Arizona is loaded coming into this year. Think this might be the first year a potential Arizona state champ can beat Corona Centennial. They're 0-3 against them.

[Omaha Vol]

3 hours ago, HurricaneNick said:

Texas has 60,000 more HS football players than California despite having 10 million less people. The number of people to pick from doesn’t matter if they aren’t football players.

Um hello! If Dallas and Houston did what L.A. is doing with MD and SJB, you don’t think they wouldn’t have a national powerhouse all-star team? Seriously!? 

[Omaha Vol]

12 minutes ago, timblacktv said:

Heard Liberty from Arizona is loaded coming into this year. Think this might be the first year a potential Arizona state champ can beat Corona Centennial. They're 0-3 against them.

Cen10 is a legit team (always has been). It’s not like they’ve been blowing the AZ champs out. 

[Omaha Vol]

33 minutes ago, HurricaneNick said:

Baseball is without a doubt bigger than football in CA. Water polo and volleyball are also pretty big in So Cal. 

Baseball is definitely a juggernaut in Cali. 

[MD87]

37 minutes ago, timblacktv said:

Heard Liberty from Arizona is loaded coming into this year. Think this might be the first year a potential Arizona state champ can beat Corona Centennial. They're 0-3 against them.

Supposedly Cen10's best team in a while.  If true, no way they lose to an AZ team at home.  But of course, that's why we play the game...

[Wooderson]

5 minutes ago, MD87 said:

Supposedly Cen10's best team in a while.  If true, no way they lose to an AZ team at home.  But of course, that's why we play the game...

Centennial plays Liberty in Arizona this year.

[HurricaneNick]

59 minutes ago, Omaha Vol said:

Um hello! If Dallas and Houston did what L.A. is doing with MD and SJB, you don’t think they wouldn’t have a national powerhouse all-star team? Seriously!? 

I’ll let you look at the differences in Duncanvilles roster talent now and before Samples took over. No coincidence that they're having the success they have. I have zero issue with it, but I am not going to pretend that they aren’t loading up on the best talent.

[MD87]

1 hour ago, Omaha Vol said:

Um hello! If Dallas and Houston did what L.A. is doing with MD and SJB, you don’t think they wouldn’t have a national powerhouse all-star team? Seriously!? 

Nobody's stopping TX private schools from doing that, but the narrative is that football is bigger at publics, so TX folk say it'll never happen. 

And yet the fact is that there already are a tiny subset of TX schools that have a disproportionate number of elite players, year in and year out.  Is there something special in the water in North Shore and Katy in Houston, or DVille, Allen and DeSoto in Dallas?  Of course not.  Or maybe it's the coaching?  (Umm, no, as MD, SJB, IMG and SFA have made abundantly clear! 😆)   I guess those handful of schools are just really damn lucky, year after year after year.   Please.  While MD and SJB kids don't have to live within a certain geography, a number of elite TX kids intentionally move to public powerhouses there, too; they just have to move to within the school's boundaries.  (But, but, but the UIL says no athletic-based transfers!  Then why the hell is it happening?) In other words, TX doesn't need to create new all-star teams.  They already have them. 

Yes, MD, SJB, SFA and IMG often (but not always) have more elite athletes than any one TX school - I'm not denying that - but not that many more; certainly not enough to excuse the blowouts that happen every. damn. time. the TX elites play these schools.  Where TX schools are disproportionately lacking is coaching and discipline.  Shore those things up, and the scores get closer.  When MD slaughtered DVille a couple years ago, DVille had something like 15 3-5 star players in just the junior and senior classes combined.  No way in hell that 45-3 on their home field (after 3 quarters, at that!) should have happened with that loaded roster.  The play calling was abysmal and the discipline was terrible.  That's how you get 45-3 after 3.

And let's put another myth to bed: MD and SJB get all the best CA players.  Yes, MD and SJB have the best collection of overall talent, but they usually don't have the best player in the state at each position.  Here's the '25 and '26 breakdown of the state's #1 rated player at each position and their school.  Of the 24 positions in '25 and '26, MD has the best player in the state at just 4 of those positions.   SJB has none.

I'll leave it at that.

2025
QB - Husan Longstreet (Cen10) 
RB - Jordon Davison (MD)
TE - Caleb Edwards (El Dorado Hills)
WR - Chris Lawson (Riordan)
OL - Jackson Lloyd (Carmel)
IOL - Champ Taulealea (Valley Christian)
EDGE - Marco Jones (San Ramon Valley)
DL - Matthew Johnson (DLS)
LB - Matai Tagoa'i (San Clemente)
CB - Dijon Lee (Mission Viejo)
S - Jadyn Hudson (Pittsburg)
ATH - Dylan Robinson (Bonita)

2026
QB - Ryder Lyons (Folsom)
RB - Deshonne Redeaux (Oaks Christian)
WR - Chris Henry (MD)
OL - Kodi Greene (MD)
IOL - Sam Utu (Orange Lutheran)
TE - Caleb Tafua (Lakewood)
EDGE - Samu Moala (Leuzinger)
DL - Tom Tom Topui (MD)
LB - Talanoa Ili (Orange Lutheran)
CB - RJ Sermons (Rancho Cucamonga)
S - Davon Benjamin (Oaks Christian)
ATH - Brandon Arrington (Mt Miguel)
 

[MD87]

58 minutes ago, Wooderson said:

Centennial plays Liberty in Arizona this year.

Ah, I stand corrected on that.  Cen10 didn't travel well (to put it mildly!) last season, so maybe that's a factor, but Cen10 has FIFTEEN dudes 3-star or better in the jr and sr classes (inc, at the most important position, a 5-star who's the #4 QB in the nation), whereas Liberty only has FOUR.  I just don't see Liberty winning that.  

[CaliNorth]

2 hours ago, Omaha Vol said:

Um hello! If Dallas and Houston did what L.A. is doing with MD and SJB, you don’t think they wouldn’t have a national powerhouse all-star team? Seriously!? 

Don't they already do what MD and Bosco do? Those big publics have been doing it for a long time. The real difference is the coaching and maybe the money that goes with it. Teams like dv and north shore have had tremendous size and talent,  but their coaching sucks compared to the socal Teams 

[Omaha Vol]

1 hour ago, MD87 said:

Nobody's stopping TX private schools from doing that, but the narrative is that football is bigger at publics, so TX folk say it'll never happen. 

And yet the fact is that there already are a tiny subset of TX schools that have a disproportionate number of elite players, year in and year out.  Is there something special in the water in North Shore and Katy in Houston, or DVille, Allen and DeSoto in Dallas?  Of course not.  Or maybe it's the coaching?  (Umm, no, as MD, SJB, IMG and SFA have made abundantly clear! 😆)   I guess those handful of schools are just really damn lucky, year after year after year.   Please.  While MD and SJB kids don't have to live within a certain geography, a number of elite TX kids intentionally move to public powerhouses there, too; they just have to move to within the school's boundaries.  (But, but, but the UIL says no athletic-based transfers!  Then why the hell is it happening?) In other words, TX doesn't need to create new all-star teams.  They already have them. 

Yes, MD, SJB, SFA and IMG often (but not always) have more elite athletes than any one TX school - I'm not denying that - but not that many more; certainly not enough to excuse the blowouts that happen every. damn. time. the TX elites play these schools.  Where TX schools are disproportionately lacking is coaching and discipline.  Shore those things up, and the scores get closer.  When MD slaughtered DVille a couple years ago, DVille had something like 15 3-5 star players in just the junior and senior classes combined.  No way in hell that 45-3 on their home field (after 3 quarters, at that!) should have happened with that loaded roster.  The play calling was abysmal and the discipline was terrible.  That's how you get 45-3 after 3.

And let's put another myth to bed: MD and SJB get all the best CA players.  Yes, MD and SJB have the best collection of overall talent, but they usually don't have the best player in the state at each position.  Here's the '25 and '26 breakdown of the state's #1 rated player at each position and their school.  Of the 24 positions in '25 and '26, MD has the best player in the state at just 4 of those positions.   SJB has none.

I'll leave it at that.

2025
QB - Husan Longstreet (Cen10) 
RB - Jordon Davison (MD)
TE - Caleb Edwards (El Dorado Hills)
WR - Chris Lawson (Riordan)
OL - Jackson Lloyd (Carmel)
IOL - Champ Taulealea (Valley Christian)
EDGE - Marco Jones (San Ramon Valley)
DL - Matthew Johnson (DLS)
LB - Matai Tagoa'i (San Clemente)
CB - Dijon Lee (Mission Viejo)
S - Jadyn Hudson (Pittsburg)
ATH - Dylan Robinson (Bonita)

2026
QB - Ryder Lyons (Folsom)
RB - Deshonne Redeaux (Oaks Christian)
WR - Chris Henry (MD)
OL - Kodi Greene (MD)
IOL - Sam Utu (Orange Lutheran)
TE - Caleb Tafua (Lakewood)
EDGE - Samu Moala (Leuzinger)
DL - Tom Tom Topui (MD)
LB - Talanoa Ili (Orange Lutheran)
CB - RJ Sermons (Rancho Cucamonga)
S - Davon Benjamin (Oaks Christian)
ATH - Brandon Arrington (Mt Miguel)
 

Great post! Coaching is the main difference. I agree with you on that. What I still believe is that the majority of the best athletes, in the second largest metroplex in the country, want to go to those two schools. They might not have the BEST player at each position, but I would venture to say that every athlete on those teams (I’m guessing they have about 100 each) would ALL be ranked in the top 500 in the entire state of California. That’s a whopping 40% of the best players in the entire state on TWO teams. 
 

The coaching might be superior in Cali, but I’m quite sure if you combined DV, DeSoto, SLC, and Allen into two all-star teams that Dallas would come mighty close. Same for Houston with NS, Katy, Atascocita, and Summer Creek. The talent is too evenly distributed amongst those teams. 
 

Imagine if STA, MC, AHP and C-M combined into one team (or even two). They would throttle IMG, MD, SJB and BG. 

[HurricaneNick]

1 hour ago, Omaha Vol said:

Imagine if STA, MC, AHP and C-M combined into one team (or even two). They would throttle IMG, MD, SJB and BG. 

Those 4 are just the Florida equivalents of Mater Dei, Bishop Gorman etc. Combining those 4 into a single team would be like combining MD, SJB, & Cen10 into one team. I like our chances. Lol.
 

Mater Dei didn’t have a single player ranked in Californias top 25 recruits on 247 in 2023 and went 12-1 beating Gorman and splitting with Bosco. Make it make sense 🤷‍♂️