Who are the best high school football players in NC? Here are the Observer’s top 25
In a state with more than 500 high schools, many of which play high school football, picking the 25 best senior football players is a daunting task.
That’s especially true this year with North Carolina having a wealth of talent at nearly every position.
That makes ranking this year especially hard, particularly at the top. In the end, we will give a slight nod to Myers Park’s Drake Maye, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound quarterback committed to North Carolina.
Maye is ranked No. 21 overall by 247 Sports and No. 2 nationally at his position. Recently named the Charlotte Observer male athlete of the year, Maye threw for 50 touchdowns against two interceptions last season while completing more than 70 percent of his passes.
New West Charlotte High coach Sam Greiner has called Maye the best high school quarterback he’s ever seen. This year, Maye headlines an extremely deep field of recruits.
| Rk. | Player | School | Pos. | Ht/Wt | College |
| 1 | Drake Maye | Myers Park | QB | 6-5, 210 | UNC |
| 2. | Will Shipley | Weddington | RB | 5-11, 200 | Clemson |
| 3. | Payton Page | Dudley | DT | 6-4, 315 | Undecided |
| 4. | Keeshawn Silver | Rocky Mount | DE | 6-5, 260 | UNC |
| 5. | Evan Pryor | Hough | RB | 5-10, 190 | Ohio State |
| 6. | Jahvaree Ritzie | Glenn | DE | 6-5, 275 | UNC |
| 7. | Jordan Poole | West Stanly | ATH | 6-0, 225 | Undecided |
| 8. | Kaemen Marley | Eastern Randolph | ATH | 6-3, 215 | Tennessee |
| 9. | Power Echols | Vance | LB | 6-1, 210 | UNC |
| 10. | Zaire Patterson | Winston-Salem Prep | DE | 6-6, 230 | Clemson |
| 11. | Deandre Boykins | Central Cabarrus | ATH | 5-11, 195 | UNC |
| 12. | Gavin Blackwell | Sun Valley | WR | 6-0, 155 | UNC |
| 13. | Micah Crowell | East Forsyth | WR | 6-2, 205 | NC State |
| 14. | Gabe Stephens | Mountain Island Charter | ATH | 6-3, 205 | UNC |
| 15. | Colby Smith | Rockingham County | OT | 6-7, 295 | Tennessee |
| 16. | Kamarro Edmonds | Havelock | RB | 5-11, 200 | UNC |
| 17. | Dontavius Nash | Hunter Huss | ATH | 6-1, 170 | UNC |
| 18. | Breon Pass | Reidsville | ATH | 6-0, 162 | Undecided |
| 19. | Raneiria Dilworth | Glenn | LB | 6-2, 185 | UNC |
| 20. | Yousef Mugharbil | Murphy | OG | 6-4, 305 | Undecided |
| 21. | Travali Price | North Lincoln | LB | 6-4, 260 | Undecided |
| 22. | Jabril McNeill | Sanderson | LB | 6-4, 225 | Undecided |
| 23. | Dameon Wilson | Kings Mountain | LB | 6-1, 210 | Undecided |
| 24. | Chase Hattley | Panther Creek | DB | 6-3, 205 | Undecided |
| 25. | Julian Gray | Hopewell | WR | 5-11, 175 | NC State |
