Best in the State: United Division's 2026 Weapons

On to the final divisional groups in the series; here we highlight the two top divisions in the state, United Red and United White. These programs are no secret to prominent colleges. Each of these players has already received a ton of exposure and recognition, and will increasingly see it coming their way through the offseason. Here are 6 of the players you will hear about not only in 2025 as seniors, but at the next level over the following four years.    Stepping right into the lead back position for the top team in the state, [player_tooltip player_id='284069' first='Najee' last='Calhoun'] did not skip a beat and continued his dominance on the ground against even stronger opponents. After transferring from Donovan Catholic, Najee made an immediate impact for Bergen Catholic and helped them earn their fourth straight state championship. Najee is a patient running back with surreal vision. He can put a defense in a bind just by taking his time through the hole, allowing the play to develop, and finding his way to the open space. Things get even more exciting once Najee gets into the open field. He can be crafty with his movement, with the quickness to make guys miss between the tackles but also has the acceleration to cut across the field and leave the defenders behind him. Najee did this plenty of times in 2024, as he ran for 1294 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Crusaders.   There is a lot of promise with [player_tooltip player_id='284069' first='Najee' last='Calhoun'], and a player like him gives Bergen Catholic hope to repeat for a fifth year in a row. Najee has already received a few offers over the past few months from prominent programs such as BC, Duke, Syracuse, and WVU, but there are plenty more heading his way if he continues playing like he has.      In my opinion, [player_tooltip player_id='212398' first='Nate' last='Bailey'] is the most dangerous athlete New Jersey has to offer. A player that can line up anywhere on the field and find success, Nate especially shined on offense as a run and receiving threat. Playing the role of Deebo Samuel for St. Joseph, Nate nearly split his offensive yardage right down the middle as he ran for 583 yards and compiled 600 receiving yards. With 15 offensive touchdowns as well, Nate was near unstoppable in his junior season.   As a receiver, Nate's quickness off of the line was the first key to his success in beating defenders. With Nate's route running skills he can bait the DB into breaking the wrong direction or cause them to stutter, giving himself the space needed to make it an easy pitch and catch. To go with his elusiveness, Nate's tracking skills and ability to contort his body makes every pass thrown his way catchable. As a runner, speed is Nate's greatest attribute. Whether it's north and south or lateral movement to cut across the field, Nate can find and get to daylight very easily. He has received offers from Rhode Island, Jacksonville State and Marshall so far, but I expect more to roll through over the offseason.      With well over 15 offers from D1 programs, [player_tooltip player_id='275127' first='Derek' last='Zammit'] is very well known at the national level at this point. Receiving offers from schools across the country, Derek has one more season left to garner even more. Having an extremely successful junior season as a passer, Derek was able to help lead DePaul to an 11-1 record and bring home a state championship. Throwing for an astonishing 35 touchdowns and 2576 yards, Derek put up some of the most impressive stats in the entire state this past fall.   Derek is elite in the truest sense. Ranked as the number 1 QB in the state, Derek has all of the attributes programs are looking for in a signal caller. Athletic in the pocket, Derek has a sixth sense for pass rushers closing in on him, having the ability to slide around the pocket without having to take his eyes away from down field. He is arguably the most accurate "on the run" thrower in the state, placing the ball just far away enough from the defender as he moves at a near full sprint. And with a hair trigger release and a powerful arm, Derek can get the ball where it needs to be anywhere on the field with great precision. Derek dominated on designed runs and scrambles in 2024 as well, as he ran for 531 yards and 6 touchdowns.      After transferring from Willingboro to St. Joseph, [player_tooltip player_id='402227' first='Lamar' last='Best'] impressed as one of the top duel threat quarterbacks in the state. Lamar has an absolute cannon of an arm. With minimal effort, Lamar can launch the ball easily 40+ yards to hit his receiver in stride. Not only can he outthrow any coverage and take advantage of man to man, but Lamar has shown great deep ball accuracy and ball placement by avoiding the defender in coverage and preventing the pass from being up for grabs.   What makes Lamar the most dangerous is his scramble ability. The play is never dead when the ball is in Lamar's hands, as he can dip in and out of the pocket and use agile movements to avoid the pass rushers and either square up for a downfield throw or take off with it. Either way, there's a strong chance Lamar is going to do some damage to the defense. There were countless examples last season where there was immediate pressure in the backfield and Lamar reacted to quickly make a huge gain with his legs. He was able to find the end zone 7 times on the ground last season due to situations like that. Lamar now has offers from Temple, Marshall and Delaware, but if he continues playing as he has, we should more come through not only this offseason but through the 2025 season too.      A new name on the list for me, [player_tooltip player_id='1572176' first='Dante' last='DeLuca'] stepped up as the lead back for an 8-4 Don Bosco in 2024 and did not disappoint. Dante may be the biggest, most intimidating running back in the state. A true old school, power back, nothing impressed more than seeing defenders bounce off of Dante as he made his way downfield unfazed. It takes a swarm of defenders to bring Dante to the ground, as arm tackles are broken through easily and attempted tackles up high always end in disaster.   Don't assume Dante is strictly a bruiser, however. He demonstrated throughout the 2024 season that he is still elusive enough to make guys miss and can quickly change directions to find the open space. Dante is a reliable back that is only going to get better his senior year. He rushed for 892 yards and 15 touchdowns this season, but I expect him to cross the 1000 yard mark next year. I think Dante is one of those RBs that's not being recognized enough and deserves way more credit for what he accomplished this past season.      The third ranked QB in the NJ 2026 class and the 3rd QB on this list, [player_tooltip player_id='212405' first='Tyler' last='Bell'] rose up in the rankings after the performances he put on this fall. Throwing for just under 2000 yards this season and 27 touchdowns, Tyler lit it up through the air as he led St. Peter's Prep to a 4 win season in his second year as the starter. What I am most impressed with out of Tyler is his ability to decipher the defense, see the full field and movement of the secondary, and hit his man in stride when he finds the hole in the coverage. Delivering the ball with the appropriate amount of touch, Tyler can get the ball over coverages or zip it in before the defenders can react.   To go with his passing skills is Tyler's athletic abilities. Tyler is sneaky fast, a nimble ball carrier, and can get skinny within the pocket to avoid the pass rush and keep the play alive. He has a way of avoiding the chaos and staying calm throughout the play, throwing an accurate, off platform throw. Tyler can hurt a defense through the air and on the ground, as he ran in 6 touchdowns and 409 yards last season.

On to the final divisional groups in the series; here we highlight the two top divisions in the state, United Red and United White. These programs are no secret to prominent colleges. Each of these players has already received a ton of exposure and recognition, and will increasingly see it coming their way through the offseason. Here are 6 of the players you will hear about not only in 2025 as seniors, but at the next level over the following four years.