After a fall season filled with thrilling finishes and surprises, it’s All-America time for high school football.
The HSS Sports staff collaborated to comb the country and assemble the best offense and defense among a deep pool of superstars.
From individual stats to team success to level of competition to overall legacy, a number of factors contributed to our picks.
Players selected for inclusive individual awards (such as MVPs Quentin Gibson of North Crowley and Keelon Russell of Duncanville, or Defensive POTY Bryce Davis of Grimsley) did not double on the All-America team.
High School On 2024 All-America Football Award Winners
Without further ado, meet your All-America team for 2024:
OFFENSE
QB: Julian Lewis, Carrollton (Georgia)
Lewis proved himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the country with the kind of senior season he had for the Trojans. The Colorado signee ended the 2024 season leading the state of Georgia in yards, touchdowns and completion percentage. Lewis completed 75 percent of his passes for 3,798 yards and 48 touchdowns.
QB: Kane Archer, Greenwood (Arkansas)
Archer was a model of efficiency this season. The junior quarterback was sensational for Greenwood, completing 81.5 percent (247-of-303) of his passes for 3,880 yards, 57 touchdowns to just two interceptions. Archer added 795 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.
QB: Brady Smigiel, Newbury Park (California)
Comparing the Florida State signee to the rest of the passers in California, Smigiel certainly played like one of the best quarterbacks in the land on a weekly basis. Smigiel in his junior high school season led Newbury Park to California’s CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship and finished completing 65 percent of his passes for 3,521 yards, 49 touchdowns and just three interceptions.
RB: Alvin Henderson, Elba (Alabama)
The kind of numbers the Auburn signee put up this past season were ridiculous. The senior tailback carried the rock an eye-popping 276 times for 3,620 yards and 61 touchdowns. He also plays basketball and baseball at Elba.
RB: Jaeden Hill, Tupelo (Mississippi)
It’s been a long time coming for the Tupelo Golden Wave when it pertains to winning a state championship. Over three decades and they finally pulled through behind a strong rushing season from Hill, who went for 2,262 yards and 34 scores.
RB: Julius Gillick, Edison (California)
Playing for one of the top teams in California, the senior was the feature back for Edison, who won a CIF Southern Section Division 3 title and CIF State Division 1-A crown. The Chargers’ running back finished the 2024 campaign rushing for 2,488 yards and 37 touchdowns. His yardage and touchdowns set new school records at Edison.
RB: Dierre Hill Jr., Althoff Catholic (Illinois)
The Oregon signee set an IHSA single-game rushing record with 438 yards on 32 carries and scored seven total touchdowns in leading Althoff Catholic to a dominating 57-14 victory over Lena-Winslow in the Class 1A state championship game. For the season, Hill ended with 2,588 yards on just 156 carries, which equates to a ridiculous 16.5 yards per carry. He scored 40 touchdowns and added 17 catches for 383 yards and six scores.
WR: Dakorien Moore, Duncanville (Texas)
If you just watched the Polynesian Bowl over in Hawaii, you would’ve caught a glimpse of why Dan Lanning’s Ducks want the Duncanville talent. The Oregon signee capped his high school career with a stellar senior season, hauling in 74 passes for 1,460 yards and 19 touchdowns. Moore was every bit of the 5-star rating evaluators gave him as a recruit.
WR: Brock Boyd, Southlake Carroll (Texas)
Another wide receiver from the Lone Star State had himself a pretty nice season as well. Boyd was a pass-catching machine for the Class 6A-Division 2 runner-ups as the 6-foot-2, 175-pound junior hauled in 111 passes for 1,868 yards and 19 touchdowns.
WR: CJ Wiley, Milton (Georgia)
Playing for the undefeated Class 5A state champion Eagles, Wiley (Georgia signee) was the go-to target for Luke Nickel. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound pass catcher ended his senior season with a bang, catching 62 passes for 1,122 yards and 15 touchdowns.
WR: Jayvan Boggs, Cocoa (Florida)
Boggs, a Florida State signee, had a record-breaking season and hauled in 99 passes for 2,133 yards and 21 touchdowns in helping Cocoa win the Class 2A state crown. In a 2A state semifinal win against Cardinal Mooney, Boggs set a state single-game record by catching 17 passes for 378 yards and three scores.
OL: Kodi Greene, Mater Dei (California)
As the top blocker for the best high school football team in the country, Greene paved the way for an offense that compiled over 4,300 yards and 55-plus touchdowns in 2024. The 6-foot-6, 290-pound Oregon signee was masterful every time he stepped onto the field for the Monarchs.
OL: David Sanders, Providence Day (North Carolina)
Sanders makes his way back onto our All-America team after being named as a junior to the 2023 edition. North Carolina’s top offensive lineman was an unwanted sight to see for opposing defenders as Sanders led the way for a Chargers’ offense that compiled over 5,000 yards and scored 61 touchdowns.
OL: Jackson Cantwell, Nixa (Missouri)
The 6-foot-7, 300-pound junior anchored the offensive line for one of the top teams in Missouri. Cantwell is a dream to see if you’re a quarterback dropping back to pass or handing off the ball. For the Eagles, having Cantwell lead the way made offensive playcalling a little easier come Friday nights as they went 13-1 and rolled up over 5,000 yards of offense and 83 touchdowns.
OL: Jax Tanner, Rocky Mountain (Idaho)
Chosen as Idaho’s Gatorade Player of the Year, there’s a lot to like about the 6-foot-4, 275-pound lineman from Rocky Mountain. In his junior season, the bulldozer of a lineman paved the way for Rocky Mountain’s offense in a major way, compiling an astounding 115 pancake blocks. Don’t think because he plays in Idaho that he’s not getting any national attention, as Tanner already has offers from Boise State, Boston College, BYU and Michigan among them.
OL: Immanuel Iheanacho, Georgetown Prep (Maryland)
The Little Hoyas got plenty of help up front on the line of scrimmage offensively with the 6-foot-7, 350-pound offensive tackle leading the way. Iheanacho led the way for an offense that averaged over 24 points per game and didn’t yield a sack from his position in 2024. Just a junior, Iheanacho has Georgia, Maryland, Oregon and Penn State hot on his trail.
ATH: Malachi Toney, Plantation American Heritage (Florida)
What the Miami (FL) signee had to do in the playoffs in leading Plantation American Heritage to Florida’s Class 4A title was a pretty remarkable story. The wide receiver had to step in at quarterback for the injured Dia Bell (Texas commit) and the rest was history. Toney led the Patriots to playoff wins over Miami Norland and St. Augustine before defeating Jones down at FIU’s Pitbull Stadium. Toney in that very championship game ended up completing his first 15 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown, also rushing for another score. All in all, Toney compiled 1,931 all-purpose yards and 23 scores between passing, receiving and rushing.
DEFENSE
EDGE: Jared Smith, Thompson (Alabama)
Not many defensive edge rushers came off the ball like Thompson’s Smith did. The Auburn signee helped lead the Warriors to Alabama’s Class 7A state championship, with Smith totaling 89 tackles, 22 going for a loss, 10.5 sacks, four pass deflections and one interception.
DL: Prince Williams, Bishop Gorman (Nevada)
One of the nation’s top 2026 prospects showed folks why he’s become a top-flight defensive lineman. Playing for one of the country’s elite programs, the 6-foot-3, 255-pound defensive lineman finished this past season tallying 74 total tackles, 28 going for a loss, 11 sacks and forcing two fumbles.
DL: Tomuhini Topui, Mater Dei (California)
At 6-fooot-3, 320 pounds, Topui reminds you of a younger Vita Vea (current Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defensive tackle) up front. An Oregon commit, Topui plugged up the gaps for the Monarchs and compiled 42 tackles, 10.5 for loss and 6.5 sacks.
DL: Jaden Williams, Mission Viejo (California)
It was always going to be difficult for Williams to top the kind of season he had a year ago for the Diablos, but the defensive dynamo somehow did so. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive lineman compiled 105 total tackles, 44.5 for a loss, 23 sacks, five pass breakups, forced a fumble, recovered another and picked off a pass.
EDGE: Zion Elee, St. Frances Academy (Maryland)
The Maryland commitment is one of, if not the, top prospect coming out of the 2026 class, and Elee was a problem for any would-be offensive tackle or tight end trying to block him. Playing for one of the top football programs in all of the land, Elee truly stood out against teams from California all the way to Florida and back home to Maryland.
LB: Tyler Atkinson, Grayson (Georgia)
Hard to really argue the way Atkinson played in the Rams’ front seven in 2024 that didn’t validate him as one of the country’s best linebackers. On Georgia’s Class 6A state title-winning team, Atkinson led Grayson as a junior with an impressive 166 tackles, 32 going for a loss and 13 quarterback takedowns.
LB: Riley Pettijohn, McKinney (Texas)
The Ohio State signee was without a doubt one of the nation’s best linebackers and showed great ability going from sideline-to-sideline every play. Pettijohn capped a terrific senior campaign by totaling 136 tackles (72 solo), 13.5 for a loss, 5.5 sacks, three pass deflections, forced a fumble and recovered another.
LB: Madden Faraimo, JSerra Catholic (California)
With the ideal size (6-foot-3, 230 pounds) any coach would love at the linebacker position, the Notre Dame signee just made life easier for JSerra Catholic’s defense. Roaming the front seven, Faraimo totaled 125 tackles along with a forced fumble, an interception and a pass deflection.
LB: Michael McClenton, Ocoee (Florida)
The Knights’ linebacker had himself another stellar season in his junior campaign. McClenton was an absolute tackling machine out of Central Florida and racked up 219 tackles, 46 for loss, 19 sacks and three forced fumbles. McClenton recently committed to UCF.
LB: Caden Davis, Carl Albert (Oklahoma)
Davis secured himself a spot in Carl Albert’s all-time record books as the school’s leading tackler, making 440 tackles during his four years. In 2024, Davis had his best season for the 19-time state champion Carl Albert, racking up 154 tackles (103 solo), 29 went for a loss, nine sacks, three forced fumbles and blocked three kicks on special teams. If that wasn’t enough, Davis also rushed for 388 yards and 13 touchdowns on offense.
DB: Madden Riordan, Sierra Canyon (California)
The Trailblazers knew on the back end of their defense that they had one of the nation’s best patrolling it in Riordan. The USC commitment can play either free or strong safety, as Riordan finished the 2024 season racking up 43 total tackles, intercepted three passes and deflected three others playing out of a tough Southern Section region.
DB: Devin Sanchez, North Shore (Texas)
Though the Mustangs fell just short of winning it all in Texas’ UIL Class 6A-Division 1, Sanchez proved himself once again as one of the country’s best cornerbacks. The Ohio State signee helped lead the secondary of a North Shore defense that yielded just 14.3 points per game.
DB: Faheem Delane, Our Lady of Good Counsel (Maryland)
Ohio State is another instituion that’s well represented on this list of players, and Delane out of the DMV is a player Ryan Day’s staff will be excited to have arrive in Columbus. Playing for one of Maryland’s top programs, Delane totaled 97 tackles and intercepted three passes for the Falcons.
DB: Ben Hanks Jr., Miami Booker T. Washington (Florida)
Whenever you’re able to make history, especially in a county like Miami-Dade, it’s hard to not name said player as the defensive player of the year. Hanks Jr., a Florida Gator signee, set a Dade County record for interceptions in a single season with 13 for Florida’s Class 2A state semifinalist Tornadoes. Hanks Jr. also added 40 tackles and on offense caught 11 passes for 255 yards and three scores.
DB: Jireh Edwards, St. Frances Academy (Maryland)
Add another dynamic St. Frances Academy Panther to the growing list of defensive studs from Baltimore. Edwards is a lockdown defender and the 2026 defensive back proved against some of the best programs like Mater Dei, Duncanville and Clearwater Central Catholic that he is someone quarterback re-think throwing towards.
ATH: Shane Rosenthal, Newbury Park (California)
California’s Player of the Year made plays all over the field for Newbury Park on the way to the CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship. Rosenthal, who is committed to Princeton, hauled in 84 passes for 1,576 yards and scored 24 times at wide receiver. Defensively, he flipped over to a role in the secondary, notching 57 tackles, seven interceptions and batted away three passes.
ATH: DJ Pickett, Zephyrhills (Florida)
Having the kind of range Pickett has from the safety position paired with his smarts on reading routes makes the LSU signee a player who was utilized all over the field for the Bulldogs. Pickett finished his senior season in his hometown notching 25 tackles along with picking off five passes and also added over 700 yards plus eight touchdowns receiving on offense.
SPECIAL TEAMS
P: Mason Crosby, Chaparral (Colorado)
No, not the Mason Crosby who played in the NFL. This Crosby, though, is pretty good at kicking himself. Punting that is, as Crosby on 40 attempts averaged 50.4 yards per punt, with seven landing inside of opponents 20-yard lines and a long of 82.
K: Dillon Curtis, Murray (Utah)
Curtis was awarded the Chris Sailer Award for the top kicker in the country, and the Utah signee proved all season long why. The senior capped a stellar 2024 season by knocking down all 39 extra point attempts and went 21-of-27 on field goals, with a long of 63 yards.
KR/PR: Winston Watkins, Venice (Florida)
The Ole Miss signee, better known down on Florida’s South Suncoast region as “Winnie,” was Venice’s two-way star all season long on the way to the Class 7A state championship. Watkins finished the season totaling 1,813 all-purpose yards and 26 touchdowns between receiver and Wildcat QB. On defense at safety or corner, Watkins made 24 tackles, batted away three passes and picked off two. Watkins, who was the Indians’ primary returners all season long, returned a punt for a touchdown in Venice’s Class 7A state title win over Lake Mary.
