St. Joseph’s Prep’s 2024 Class Reminiscent of its Recent Past.
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Training camp is right around the corner for many if not all programs in Pennsylvania, all with the hopes to blaze a path towards a 2022 State Title. Before we get into the future of Pennsylvania football, let’s pump the breaks and look back at the not-too-distant past. As a Philadelphia native, as well as someone who covers football in the city, the names of Kyle McCord, Marvin Harrison, Sahmir Hagans and Malik Cooper, make my eyes light up. My early career covering Pennsylvania football began in the middle of St. Joseph’s overwhelming reign of Class 6A. I had the luxury of traveling 20 minutes to see soon-to-be high school football legends leave their mark wherever they suited up. St. Joseph’s Prep has taken home four of the last six 6A titles, while acting as the runner-up in each of its two seasons not being named champions. St. Joseph’s Prep has had a stronghold on Pennsylvania’s largest class.
Let’s get the facts straight, the dominance this program has seen in the past half-decade isn’t solely on the backs of the flashy offense, or the names listed above. We all know just how loaded all three units on the field were. Despite this, I can’t help but think back to the 2019 and 2020 Prep teams that scorched defenses seemingly at will. I had a blast looking back at old Hudl tapes, refreshing my memory of just how absurd the McCord to Harrison/Cooper/Hagans connection was. The offense ran effortlessly at times, leading Prep to three State Titles dating back to 2018. On their way to “The Shoe”, McCord left behind ridiculous Philadelphia records, throwing for just under 7,000 career yards for 88 total career scores, while Harrison Jr. surmounted 2600+ receiving yards along with 37 career touchdowns. Enough can’t be said about just how prolific the SJP offense has been in years past, winning each of the three previous titles by 20 or more points.
— Marvin Harrison Jr. (@MarvHarrisonJr) May 14, 2022
Advance forward to last Fall, the 2021 class is long gone, yet the program reloaded, enough to make yet another state title appearance in 2021. This time, faces are fresh, young and somewhat inexperienced. Yet the program littered with future-collegiate prospects still found incredible success, thanks to a coaching staff that excels in developing young talent. The future of St. Joseph’s Prep now lies in the hands of quarterback Samaj Jones Samaj Jones 6'0" | 215 lbs | QB St. Joseph's Prep | 2024 State PA and an offense that is reminiscent of the one that led SJP to back-to-back-to-back titles. Yes, Jones and SJP fell short to Mt. Lebanon in their first title run of their young careers. An incredible feat as the better half of the offense were underclassmen.
McCord, Harrison Jr., Hagans and Cooper leave a giant shadow that casts over the program, one that hardly deters this young group that is ready to shatter their own records and become PA football legends just like the ones before them. We begin with the wideout group, one that you could argue will end up better than the ’18-’20 trio. Recruitment at the program tends to begin early, yet recruitment of these three wideouts out-matches its predecessors.
Four-star, top-ranked wideout David Washington Jr David Washington Jr 6'0" | 185 lbs | WR St. Joseph's Prep | 2024 State PA . will more than likely act as the offense’s primary target. The target with the most experience, Washington Jr. has offers from West Virginia, Temple, Penn State, Pitt, as well as two SEC schools in Tennessee and Kentucky. College coaches across the nation see the potential in this young man. Washington is one of the more “further-along” wideouts on the east coast. Looking back at his tape and seeing just how nuanced his game is, you’d have a hard time believing he was a sophomore. Washington Jr. works primarily from inside or outside slot, excelling at the line of scrimmage in two ways. The first being in the screen game, where he can show off his toughness and solid acceleration to take short screens at the LOS, 50+ yards for scores. Washington Jr.’s game doesn’t scream athleticism; it screams technically sound. The second way he wins at the LOS is with his release, one that might be the best in his class. He shows a great understanding of how to manipulate coverage and leverage to get himself open after the stem of his route. Washington Jr. can end up with prolific numbers, but I imagine the offense will utilize his game as one of the more trusted options in the system. True go-to receiver.
Next are Elijah Jones Elijah Jones 6'0" | 190 lbs | WR St. Joseph's Prep | 2024 State PA and Brandon Rehmann Brandon Rehmann 6'0" | 180 lbs | WR St. Joseph's Prep | 2024 State PA . The 2024 trio are all similarly built, as all three stand around 5’11-6’1, while all weighing somewhere between 180-190 pounds. Elijah Jones Elijah Jones 6'0" | 190 lbs | WR St. Joseph's Prep | 2024 State PA has all the potential in the world to breakout this Fall, statistically speaking. The young man has already broken out in recruiting, landing offers from Duke, Boston College, UConn and Pitt, all schools that were interested in Hagans and Cooper years ago. Again, all three wideouts carry similar measurables, yet Jones might carry his weight a little heavier. I love when he utilizes his strength either when blocking, when going up for 50/50 balls, or at the LOS. I also love Jones’ alignment versatility. Wherever the young man is asked to align, he aligns and produces. Jones has straight line speed that shouldn’t surprise those in the know. He can provide a double dose of speed and strength.
Not sure if there is a faster growing name in the class than Brandon Rehmann Brandon Rehmann 6'0" | 180 lbs | WR St. Joseph's Prep | 2024 State PA . I first saw the young man at a 7v7 where he absolutely made kids look silly, talented kids I might add. I was told by coaches at SJP that his name was a name to know. They weren’t wrong. Since this discussion, Rehmann has exploded onto the recruiting scene, securing SEC offers out of Kentucky, Tennessee, and South Carolina. Add BigTen offers out of Penn State, Michigan State and Maryland to boot. The list goes on and on, all for a kid with a relatively limited tape. That’s because Rehmann projects to be the splash of the offense. All three wideouts have play-making ability, yet Rehmann might act as the go-to vertical threat in this offense. Real boundary speed, real burner speed to beat corners outside the numbers. I can see Rehmann stretch the field at will, adding huge value to the offense. Yet again, Rehmann can still work inside, he isn’t a one trick pony. When comparing this group to the 18-20 trio, you see why I, as well as college coaches, are led to believe that this trio might be just as good if not better.
Next up is the man under center. You can argue that despite being loaded with talent top-to-bottom, SJP might go as far as Samaj Jones Samaj Jones 6'0" | 215 lbs | QB St. Joseph's Prep | 2024 State PA , our newly top-ranked quarterback regardless of class, takes them. There is no need to dive into how important the quarterback position is, we all have an understanding of that. We also know that comparing McCord to Jones doesn’t help anyone. The two quarterbacks have equally different styles, yet both are capable of delivering SJP to where they want to be, that’s atop the 6A in November. They both are coveted by collegiate programs across the country. McCord has cemented his legacy in Pennsylvania high school football, Samaj Jones Samaj Jones 6'0" | 215 lbs | QB St. Joseph's Prep | 2024 State PA is more than capable of cementing his as well. Let’s not forget what Jones was capable of as an underclassman at the helm. Jones accounted for 27 total touchdowns last Fall, 16 of them being on the ground, leading the team in rushing scores as well as yards with 900+. Throw in 1200+ passing yards and you have an underclassman capable of beating defenses with his arm or legs. The young man has also beefed up from what I can tell, making him one of the more formidable dual threats in the state. I think so highly of Jones that sometimes I have to remind myself that he still has two years of high school football left under his belt. The sky really is the limit for Jones. The signal-caller has seen a huge jump in recruitment this Spring/Summer, securing offers from Tennessee, Akron, Penn State and Bowling Green.
Sophomore season ended with 2,176 total yards with 27 touchdowns in 11 games. https://t.co/VQTdlhZGPK
— Maj Jones (@SamajJones2) December 17, 2021