2026’s All Star Athletes

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Narrowing in on the "do it all" players coming out of New Jersey, the 2026 Watchlist has weapons that thrive in every position they are put into. Lining up on offense and defense, each of these athletes have the capacity to play on either side of the ball at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["402202"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"In my mind, Corey Davis is a top athlete in the state. Standing out on the defensive side of the ball, Corey is a twitchy cornerback that moves in all directions with fluidity. He's able to get out of his back peddle smoothly and whip his hips around to go stride for stride with the receiver as they head down field. Corey doesn't give the receiver a lot of room to be successful, so expect very few passes to be completed when thrown his direction next season.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65411b575a0be"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17822402/651a467902b1590610699800' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-656d2413bc470"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1005632"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"When you think of what an athlete truly stands for in football, look to [player_tooltip player_id='1005632' first='Mekai' last='Henderson']. A ruthless runner, Mekai went off last fall as the second string running back for his team. He was able to churn out an astonishing 886 yards and 11 touchdowns. Upgrading into the lead back in 2024, Mekai will let loose and continue to make big gains look easy. Mekai is a top RB in NJ's 2026 class.rnrnJust as impressive, Mekai also flourished on the defensive side of the ball as a linebacker. Racking up 32 tackles, 2 sacks and forcing 3 fumbles, Mekai made his presence known often as he consistently disrupted the flow of the opponent's play design. This is a name you need to get familiar with.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65411b575a169"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17932201/65518de8da50b80a305b8b65' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-656d2413bc520"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1110220"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Part of a young Iselin Kennedy program, Fiheem Howell gives the team hope for brighter days ahead. The lead back for the Mustangs, Fiheem displayed exceptional balance and poise as he carried the ball into enemy territory last fall. Rushing for 542 yards last fall, Fiheem ran all season long with a determined running style as he ripped through defenders. Running it right down their throats and proceeding to bounce it to the boundary, Fiheem is the total package and has the potential to elevate Iselin Kennedy's offense to new heights.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65411b575a1de"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17940355/6542f22619a55e0b38c2499c' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6573b8a818f84"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["402204"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='402204' first='David' last='Moore Jr.'] is currently ranked as the #21 Athlete in NJ's 2026 class, but I expect a radical bump in rank over these next few months. An absolute ball hawk, [player_tooltip player_id='402204' first='David' last='Moore Jr.']'s tape is some of my favorite out of all of the safeties I have evaluated in the class. Intercepting the ball twice last season and returning one of the those to the house, David roams the secondary and finds ways to get in the path of the throw and bat it down. David also lined up in nearly every position on offense, not only catching 2 touchdowns, but also rushing for one and throwing another two as well. He has an absolute cannon of an arm and throws it with more velocity than most QBs I've seen. There are very few ways to slow David down.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65411b575a24e"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/18030929/654264644df5f3069c9dc8e9' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65411b575a26c"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1105213"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Another talented athlete in the secondary, Morristown-Beard's [player_tooltip player_id='1105213' first='Darius' last='Payne'] has the potential to be a true shut down cornerback in the future. A smaller defender at the moment, Darius makes up for it with speed and quick reaction time. Darius is able to get out of his back peddle and head back up field to close in quickly on passes near the line. Darius did get beat off of the line a few times in 2023, but his quickness allowed him to recover and close the gap between he and the receiver. Two more years of growth and experience will set Darius up to be a major threat as a DB.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-660da3be5d35b"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/hudl {"name":"acf/hudl","data":{"embed_code":"u003ciframe src='https://www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/17782525/6577a14f3deaa116747f33e6' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreenu003eu003c/iframeu003e","_embed_code":"field_62daf7995fd8c"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-660da3be5d374"} /-->