ESPN names nation’s top 5 college football players. 3 played high school in North Carolina

On Monday, a panel of ESPN college football analysts named the top 50 players in America.

Three of the top five are from North Carolina.

West Virginia quarterback Will Grier, Clemson defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and Stanford running back Bryce Love all played high school football in the state.

Those three were joined by Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver and Clemson defensive lineman Christian Wilkins.

Lawrence, a 6-foot-4, 340-pound junior, played high school football at Wake Forest High School near Raleigh. He and Love were high school teammates.

In 2014, the two led Wake Forest to the N.C. 4AA state championship game, where Charlotte’s Mallard Creek High beat Wake Forest 25-14.

Lawrence and Love have gone onto have outstanding college careers.

▪ Last season, Lawrence was named a first team All-ACC selection and a second-team All-American. He had 39 tackles and 2.5 sacks. Love was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy last season. The 5-foot-10, 202-pound senior rushed for 2,118 yards and 19 touchdowns.

▪ And after being named a high school national player of the year at Davidson Day School near Charlotte, Grier has become a star at West Virginia.

Last season, the 6-foot-2, 223-pound quarterback was named Big 12 conference newcomer of the year. He threw for 3,490 yards and 34 touchdowns.

This story was originally published August 6, 2018 at 4:28 PM.