JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The first batch of recruiting rankings for the Class of 2021 are out and a pair of players from the area are among the best, according to 247 Sports.
Camden County offensive tackle Micah Morris (6-4, 316 pounds) is listed as the No. 3 overall player in Georgia and the 46th-best player in the nation.
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Sandalwood linebacker Branden Jennings (6-3, 220 pounds) is listed as the eighth best player in Florida and the No. 66 overall recruit in America.
Both players are four-star prospects by 247 Sports.
On the surface, 2021 is a significantly down recruiting class, although that will certainly change after the summer camp circuit. How does it stack up to the Class of 2020, you ask?
It has a long, long way to go.
Trinity Christian corner Fred Davis is the highest-rated local recruit in the Class of 2020, ranking 33rd in the country in the 247 Sports Composite rankings.
Oakleaf defensive end Chantz Williams is the top area recruit in the 247 Sports rankings, coming in at 45th. The composite grades are a ranking that takes into account data from multiple outlets.
Davis is the area’s only five-star, claiming that designation from Rivals, where he’s rated the state’s No. 2 overall prospect.
There are six area players who are rated four-star prospects by 247 Sports in the 2020 class — Mandarin quarterback Carson Beck (Georgia), Suwannee offensive tackle Josh Braun, Oakleaf offensive tackle Jalen Rivers, Sandalwood quarterback Jeff Sims (Florida State) and Oakleaf’s Williams.
As stout as the Class of 2020 looks now in terms of its depth and star power (QBs Beck and Sims front the offensive stars), it still has ground to make up on recent classes. It currently has four players in the state among the top 25 prospects, according to 247 Sports.
The 2013 class included the likes of Ahmad Fulwood (Bishop Kenny), Derrick Henry (Yulee), Daniel McMillian (First Coast), DeMarcus Walker (Sandalwood), Laremy Tunsil (Columbia) and Nick Washington (Trinity), all of whom were in the state's top 25 prospects, according to Rivals.
The last truly blockbuster class followed in 2015, with five-stars Cece Jefferson (Baker County) and defensive back Kevin Toliver II (Trinity) leading four area players inside the top 25 Rivals prospects in the state. Jefferson, Toliver and Trinity linebacker Jeff Holland were inside the top 19 players in the state in 2015 by 247 Sports.
The Class of 2006, which included five-stars CJ Spiller (Union County) and Tim Tebow (Nease), was also a headliner.