Top 25 Players in New York
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This is a fun one; regardless of their graduating class, who are the top 25 players in New York? Well, I put together a list of the top players and just a little acknowledgment that this is my list is…
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Continue ReadingThis is a fun one; regardless of their graduating class, who are the top 25 players in New York? Well, I put together a list of the top players and just a little acknowledgment that this is my list is important. This is my opinion on the top 25, and anyone is more than welcome to debate it or release their own. However, there has not been a time when there is this much talent in New York, and I think it is fair to showcase how well the state is doing in terms of building its reputation for having quality recruits, which takes years to do.
What are there criteria? Well, its equal parts film evaluation and recruiting offers and interest with a little bit of natural advantage to the 2024s, who have more film and more opportunity to get recruited with their age.
I do not want this to drag on so only some players will get their own analysis and others will be grouped.
#1 is probably the most difficult spot for some to judge. In my opinion it is not hard at all. There have been only 6 247sports 5-Star player to come out of New York since 2000 (list below). Preston Carey Preston Carey 6’5″ | 280 lbs | DL St. Anthony’s | 2026 FL is next to be in line, and while I have no insight where 247 will land on Carey he has the tape, he has the measurables, and he has offers. Carey may be a 2026, but he is in my opinion easily a top 3 players in the state and because I expect a very high 4-star or 5-star by his name when 247 drops their class of 2026 rankings he gets the #1 spot. A list of Carey’s offers are also below.
5-stars from New York since 2000 (247Sports)
2001 – Leon Williams – Canarsie – #1 ILB #11 Overall – Miami
2005 – Jason Gwaltney – North Babylon – #5 RB – #25 Overall – West Virginia
2006 – Maurice Evans – Christ The King – #1 SDE – #30 Overall – Penn State
2010 – Dominique Easley – Curtis – #1 DT – #4 Overall – Florida
2011 – Ishaq Williams – Abraham Lincoln – #3 OLB – #26 Overall – Notre Dame
2017 – Isaiah Wilson – Poly Prep – #5 OT – #16 Overall – Georgia
Preston Carey Preston Carey 6’5″ | 280 lbs | DL St. Anthony’s | 2026 FL ‘s 24 Division One Offers (in order they were received)
LSU, Western Illinois, Temple, Georgia, Michigan, Rutgers, Penn State, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Auburn, Texas, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Nebraska, Colorado, Boston College, Michigan State, UConn, West Virginia, Oklahoma, and North Carolina
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1-5 Analysis
You already heard why
Preston Carey
Preston
Carey
6'5" | 280 lbs | DL
St. Anthony's | 2026
FL
is my #1, I think after that, although I did not love that it was back to back the same team
Korey Duff Jr
Korey
Duff Jr
6'6" | 205 lbs | WR
St. Anthony’s | 2024
State
NY
the obvious #1 player in NY in 2024, had to be next. Not many names got hotter over the summer and he went from a local P5 recruit to one of the hottest names amongst ACC schools.
After Duff Jr it had to be
Caden Brown
Caden
Brown
6'4" | 215 lbs | LB
Erasmus Hall | 2024
State
NY
, who realistically is the only player who could challenge
Korey Duff Jr
Korey
Duff Jr
6'6" | 205 lbs | WR
St. Anthony’s | 2024
State
NY
for that number 1 spot this fall. I think those rankings are set in stone, but
Caden Brown
Caden
Brown
6'4" | 215 lbs | LB
Erasmus Hall | 2024
State
NY
has shown on the field he is a nightmare for offense and offensive coaches.
2024 theme continued, but we have back-to-back top OL in the next two classes. Recent Georgia commit Marcus Harrison Marcus Harrison 6'8" | 335 lbs | OL St. Francis | 2024 State NY who is filthy good and up until recently was very underrecruited while Rowan Byrne Rowan Byrne 6'5" | 290 lbs | OL Iona Prep | 2025 State NY still has two full seasons of high school to play and already has some big-time P5 offers and is our #1 in 2025.
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The other top OL from the 2024 class, I am throwing some words in here for Colin Cubberly Colin Cubberly 6’6″ | 310 lbs | OL Arlington | 2024 State NY because unlike most these prospects he comes from a small school that does not have the sort of firepower we see from the Top CHSFL, PSAL. Arlington plays in AA in Section 1 but there is not a ton of history of having top recruits in from that area outside of the occasional FBS/G5 player. Cubberly is almost an anomaly to the section because he ended up getting some very national love from top FBS programs. Cubberly had some big offers including from Texas and Wisconsin and has yet to narrow down to a top 7/5/3 publicly.
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6-10 Analysis
At #6 there is speedster Josiah Brown Josiah Brown 5'11" | 175 lbs | WR Malverne | 2024 State NY who many sites have as a WR/ATH but I think could play S or CB as his position at the next level. He has offers from just about everyone and has a big fall this upcoming season where there will be a lot of pressure on him to “carry” this Holy Trinity team as they jump to CHSFL AAA from AA1, a jump that is much more difficult than your usual class jump anywhere else in the state.
There is a clear run on 2024s here, as a lot of these guys have been recruited for years and have years of very quality tape. Samuel Madu Samuel Madu 6'2" | 170 lbs | DB Archbishop Stepinac | 2024 State NY and Aaris Bethea Aaris Bethea 6'2" | 260 lbs | DL Erasmus Hall | 2024 State NY are just behind Brown in the 2024 rankings, and that trio is essentially interchangeable in any of their spots as top prospects. Bethea leads the line, with Caden Brown Caden Brown 6'4" | 215 lbs | LB Erasmus Hall | 2024 State NY contributing to the most horrified week PSAL OCs will face while Madu leads a talented Stepinac Defense into a season where they could be CHSFL favorites.
Cubberly got some good breakdown under his name while Jaylin Hicks Jaylin Hicks 6'4" | 250 lbs | DL Iona Prep | 2024 State NY rounds us out and has easily become one of my favorite players to watch on tape and has a really good ceiling as a prospect.
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Erasmus Hall WR Lyrick Samuel Lyrick Samuel 6’4″ | 175 lbs | WR Erasmus Hall | 2025 State NY is the top offensive recruit in his class and for good reason. Samuel has great size and he knows how to use that frame and showcases some stuff on tape you do not see from every wide receiver. I open up a challenge to New Yorkers to find a better blocking WR than Samuel. His size, his length, and his motor lead to a ton of success blocking in a run heavy offense. Samuel may play in a run heavy offense but he is a focal point for defenses because of his ability to make big plays down the field. Erasmus Hall is going over a big offensive makeover this offseason with the top RB, QB, entire OL graduating. Samuel is the name to know from the Erasmus Hall 2025 class and in New York overall. He just picked up his first offers from Syracuse and Penn State a good start for the 2025 receiver.
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11-15
A run on some of the younger players available for this as Freshman Phenom De’Mari Clemons De’Mari Clemons 5'10" | 160 lbs | DB Bennett | 2026 State NY from Bennett comes in at #11. Clemons has some legit offers and good interest from most P5 programs and could be another 2026 from New York with some stars next to his name when 247 drops their rankings. Some uncertainty about where Clemons will play his HS ball and the fact that his measurables till need to improve is why he was not pushed up to the single digits.
Blake Belin Blake Belin 6'2" | 270 lbs | DL Cardinal Hayes | 2025 State NY is the top DL in 2025 with several P5 offers, meaning that DL from the next three classes are all represented, showcasing New York’s talent in the trenches. There are some words about Lyrick Samuel Lyrick Samuel 6'4" | 175 lbs | WR Erasmus Hall | 2025 State NY , who I am VERY high on, whose recruitment just burst open. We finish out with Syair Torrence Syair Torrence 5'11" | 195 lbs | ATH CBA-Syracue | 2024 State NY , a silky smooth route runner from Syracuse who has all the northeast P5s except for PSU and is a name to watch. We finish with Freshman RB Tyshawn Bent Tyshawn Bent 5'10" | 175 lbs | RB Tottenville | 2026 State NY , who is legit and could be a budding superstar in a strong 2026 class.
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The first quarterback to hit this list is Rich Belin Rich Belin 5’11” | 180 lbs | QB Cardinal Hayes | 2025 State NY . New York is not know to be a QB state and of course there are some exceptions like Jack Coan from Sayville (Wisconsin, Notre Dame) , Jake Zembiec from Aquinas (Penn State) or more recently Cole Synder from Southwestern (Rutgers, Buffalo) or Rich’s brother Henry Belin from the Cardinal Hayes (Duke). You can see that this is only a few over the past several years and many of them end up transferring or in the case of Zembiec retired and Belin has not started yet.
More on Rich Belin Rich Belin 5’11” | 180 lbs | QB Cardinal Hayes | 2025 State NY who earned this spot on the list despite a rocky first year under center for Cardinal Hayes. Belin has the athleticism and arm talent to compete with those quarterbacks listed above and he even could be the quickest and fastest of the group. Belin has elite escapability and can make plays out of nothing. More consistency and working on his rhythm and timing will be important but Belin has some good offers and even more interest as a ton of eyes are on his development into a more refined passer to work alongside his big play ability.
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16-20 Analysis
Another 2026 leads us off as Messiah Hampton Messiah Hampton 6'1" | 170 lbs | WR Monroe | 2026 State NY continues to show why he is one of the best players in the state at every offseason 7v7 he participates in. A recent offer from West Virginia just opened up his P5 recruiting, and I imagine a couple of schools will follow suit.
Ja’Meer Thomas Ja’Meer Thomas 5'10" | 170 lbs | WR Bennett | 2024 State NY and Jahyden Clark Jahyden Clark 6'0" | 165 lbs | ATH Canisius | 2025 State NY are back-to-back ATHs out of Buffalo who have elite athleticism, and while they may lack the P5 offers of some of the other guys on this list, that comes more from their lack of exposure being in Buffalo and not their ability. Thomas could rival Josiah Brown Josiah Brown 5'11" | 175 lbs | WR Malverne | 2024 State NY as one of the fastest players in the state and consistently was a top performer for a AA Bennett State Championship team, where his best play came in the most crucial part of the season. Thomas has 3 FCS offers and an offer from Akron, while Clark has an offer from Buffalo but has been receiving interest from the top P5 programs in the northeast.
Belin is QB1 on this list and got some words under his name while we round out the top 20 with Matthias Lighten Matthias Lighten 6'0" | 180 lbs | ATH Moore Catholic | 2024 State NY , who is a stud on both sides of the ball for Moore Catholic and has stacked more FCS and G5 offers than nearly anyone in New York.
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For some OL/DL tape can be tough to watch a ton of because of how difficult it is to understand and diagnose the little nuances of the position over bad HS angles and graining film. However, every couple OL you come across a people mover who makes the whole thing fun and exciting. Tyrone Davis Tyrone Davis 6’4″ | 280 lbs | OL Corcoran | 2024 State NY is one of those people movers, he already has some good D1 attention but it baffles me how there is not more schools involved. He is that rare breed of size and athleticism and his power and finishing ability are filthy. Sure he does not play many D1 lineman but there are plenty of FCS level talents who he makes look like that could barely go DIII. One of the most intriguing players on this entire list for sure. Not to mention he jumped up over 100 spots in our last rankings update because of his updated film and DI schools finally taking notice.
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21-25 Analysis
Terron Johnson Terron Johnson 5'11" | 165 lbs | DB Iona Prep | 2025 State NY , the CB out of Iona Prep, kicks us off at 21 and has had a strong May with a few P5 offers, including his first from Syracuse. He is followed by Tyrell Simmons Tyrell Simmons 6'3" | 190 lbs | WR University Prep | 2024 State NY , who looks to be the best WR coming out of Rochester since Earnest Edwards (His WR coach) came out of Aquinas and dominated at Maine. Simmons has a bunch of FCS opportunities, but I think he could end up on the G5 level or even maybe with a couple of P5 looks as he pairs up with a new and very high-potential QB this season.
Roosevelt Mitchell Roosevelt Mitchell 6'3" | 315 lbs | OL Medina | 2024 State NY and Tyrone Davis Tyrone Davis 6'4" | 280 lbs | OL Corcoran | 2024 State NY continue the theme of very large, talented offensive linemen in New York that appear on your radar one day, only for DI schools to come calling a couple of weeks later. Some words on Davis specifically are above, but Mitchell is a stud who I actually came across thanks to a Twitter reply. He plays in Class C, which is very low, but nearly everywhere he visits gets offered because he has the body type and athleticism that translates to the D1 level.
Isaiah Vanterpool Isaiah Vanterpool 6'2" | 190 lbs | LB Moore Catholic | 2025 State NY finishes us out, and I have toyed with Vanterpool’s positioning a little bit. Formerly listed as a DB, he is one of those S/LB hybrids and does a lot of work around the LOS. Because colleges are so good at adding weight to kids, I think he is the 5th DB on the field for most teams where he plays in the box or even could play LB in a 3-3-5 or 3-4/4-3 base system if any college out there still runs it. Vanterpool has a nose for the ball and when I saw him play was one of the best players on the field amongst a talented group when Moore Catholic played Holy Trinity in the CHSFL AA1 Final this past fall.
BONUS 30 (Including the C/O 2023)
1 Preston Carey Preston Carey 6'5" | 280 lbs | DL St. Anthony's | 2026 FL , St. Anthony’s 2026
2 Korey Duff Jr Korey Duff Jr 6'6" | 205 lbs | WR St. Anthony’s | 2024 State NY , St. Anthony’s 2024
3 Caden Brown Caden Brown 6'4" | 215 lbs | LB Erasmus Hall | 2024 State NY , Erasmus Hall 2024
4 Marcus Harrison Marcus Harrison 6'8" | 335 lbs | OL St. Francis | 2024 State NY , St. Francis 2024
5 Rowan Byrne Rowan Byrne 6'5" | 290 lbs | OL Iona Prep | 2025 State NY , Iona Prep 2025
6 Dante Torres Dante Torres 6'3" | 190 lbs | QB St. Anthony's | 2023 State NY , St. Anthony’s 2023
7 Dillan Fontus Dillan Fontus 6'5" | 260 lbs | DL Canarsie | 2023 State NY , Canarsie 2023
8 Ajani Sheppard Ajani Sheppard 6'3" | 225 lbs | QB Iona Prep | 2023 State NY , Iona Prep 2023
9 Ian Strong Ian Strong 6'4" | 180 lbs | ATH St. Anthony's | 2023 State NY , St. Anthony’s 2023
10 Josiah Brown Josiah Brown 5'11" | 175 lbs | WR Malverne | 2024 State NY , Holy Trinity 2024
11 Tayvon Nelson Tayvon Nelson 6'2" | 190 lbs | DB Canarsie | 2023 State NY , Canarsie 2023
12 Samuel Madu Samuel Madu 6'2" | 170 lbs | DB Archbishop Stepinac | 2024 State NY , Archbishop Stepinac 2024
13 Aaris Bethea Aaris Bethea 6'2" | 260 lbs | DL Erasmus Hall | 2024 State NY , Erasmus Hall 2024
14 Colin Cubberly Colin Cubberly 6'6" | 310 lbs | OL Arlington | 2024 State NY , Arlington 2024
15 Zyian Moultrie-Goddard Zyian Moultrie-Goddard 6'2" | 240 lbs | LB Iona Prep | 2023 State NY , Iona Prep 2023
16 Jaylin Hicks Jaylin Hicks 6'4" | 250 lbs | DL Iona Prep | 2024 State NY , Iona Prep 2024
17 De’Mari Clemons De’Mari Clemons 5'10" | 160 lbs | DB Bennett | 2026 State NY , Bennett 2026
18 Rashard Perry Rashard Perry 6'3" | 245 lbs | DL Bennett | 2023 State NY , Bennett 2023
19 Blake Belin Blake Belin 6'2" | 270 lbs | DL Cardinal Hayes | 2025 State NY , Cardinal Hayes 2025
20 Lyrick Samuel Lyrick Samuel 6'4" | 175 lbs | WR Erasmus Hall | 2025 State NY , Erasmus Hall 2025
21 Syair Torrence Syair Torrence 5'11" | 195 lbs | ATH CBA-Syracue | 2024 State NY , CBA-Syracuse 2024
22 Ja’Meer Thomas Ja’Meer Thomas 5'10" | 170 lbs | WR Bennett | 2024 State NY , Bennett 2024
23 David Clement David Clement 6'5" | 270 lbs | TE CBA-Albany | 2023 State NY , CBA-Albany 2023
24 Deondre Johnson Deondre Johnson 6'8" | 200 lbs | WR Newburgh | 2023 State NY , Newburgh 2023
25 Tyshawn Bent Tyshawn Bent 5'10" | 175 lbs | RB Tottenville | 2026 State NY , Tottenville 2026
26 Messiah Hampton Messiah Hampton 6'1" | 170 lbs | WR Monroe | 2026 State NY , Monroe 2026
27 Jahyden Clark Jahyden Clark 6'0" | 165 lbs | ATH Canisius | 2025 State NY , Canisius 2025
28 Rich Belin Rich Belin 5'11" | 180 lbs | QB Cardinal Hayes | 2025 State NY , Cardinal Hayes 2025
29 Jayden Lewis Jayden Lewis 6'0" | 190 lbs | ATH Bennett | 2023 State NY , Bennett 2023
30 Jean Louis III Jean Louis III 5'11" | 170 lbs | WR Canarsie | 2023 State NY , Canarsie 2023