The Herald-Leader Hundred: 2025’s top Kentucky high school football players
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2025 Kentucky high school football preview
The 2025 high school football season kicks off Friday, Aug. 22. High school sports beat writer Jared Peck is preparing numerous stories in the Herald-Leader and on Kentucky.com previewing the season around the city, region and state and highlighting the top players, games and rankings. Click below to read all of his stories in case you’ve missed any of them, and watch for more in the lead-up to the season.
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Think about what springs to mind when someone asks, “Who are the top high school football players in the state?”
Did you think about the offensive linemen?
Probably not.
But Kentucky’s high school football coaches do, especially when answering that question for the Herald-Leader’s annual preseason survey.
Paducah Tilghman senior offensive tackle Jarvis Strickland is already ranked as the state’s top college football recruit. The four-star University of Louisville commit is No. 17 at his position in the nation, according to 247Sports.com.
This year’s Herald-Leader Hundred places Strickland at No. 1, too, after 80 of the state’s coaches weighed in on who they think are some of Kentucky’s best.
Only one offensive lineman has earned Mr. Football honors as the state’s top senior player in the award’s 38 years.
But others among the Herald-Leader’s top 10 players, such as Owensboro running back Evan Hampton and Cooper quarterback Cam O’Hara, might be more typical Mr. Footballs than Strickland.
Strickland tries to not think too much about star-ratings and rankings.
“I’m not a big rankings guy,” Strickland said while acknowledging the thought of being Mr. Football does cross his mind. “It definitely does. If I leave high school being Mr. Football, I’ll definitely be excited about that.”
In 2020, Frederick Douglass lineman Jager Burton shared Associated Press Mr. Football honors with Beechwood quarterback Cameron Hergott. Hergott won the coaches’ Mr. Football outright.
Burton ranked No. 1 in the Herald-Leader Hundred that year and made his much-celebrated commitment to Kentucky at KSBar & Grille just before the start of the season.
Strickland has the advantage of being part of a powerhouse Blue Tornado team that won Class 3A last year and threatens again this season. But the 6-foot-6, 294-pound senior definitely shook up Big Blue Nation when he decommited from UK this summer after recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow left the Cats for Louisville.
“When Vince left, I was like, ‘Nah.’ I was done over there,” Strickland said of UK. “I just took it day by day and tried to explore my options as best I could. I had to turn my phone off.”
Marrow soon got through, though, and Strickland became a Cardinals commit along with six other players on our list.
Whatever accolades come his way, Paducah Tilghman coach Sean Thompson, knows Strickland will stay grounded.
“As talented as he is and as nationally recognized, he comes out and works every day,” Thompson said. “That right there is leadership within our team. Just teaching them how it’s done. If you want to be recognized for what you do, you have to put the work in.”
The 2025 Herald-Leader Hundred
The following Herald-Leader Hundred is @HLpreps’ preseason list of some of the best players in the state as put forth by high school head coaches and also selected by sports writer Jared Peck.
The top 10 players are presented in order of votes received from the coaches, who were asked to rank the top 10 players in the state regardless of school classification. Their point totals from the survey are listed with No. 1 votes in parentheses.
The next 40 players in alphabetical order are among those most often named as part of that survey combined with Peck’s picks based on their career statistics, recruiting rankings and coaches’ comments. Then, 50 additional notable players from Kentucky’s various geographic regions are recognized as players to watch.
The online version of this story links to each player’s Hudl.com highlights from their names if available.
THE TOP 10
School: Paducah Tilghman.
Height/weight/position/class: 6-6/294/OL/Sr.
College choice: Louisville.
Total points received in survey: 298 (12).
2. EVAN HAMPTON
School: Owensboro.
Height/weight/position/class: 6-0/208/RB/ATH/Sr.
College choice: Vanderbilt.
Total points received in survey: 233 (5).
School: Boyle County.
Height/weight/position/class: 6-5/223/TE/Jr.
College choice: Undecided.
Total points received in survey: 216 (9).
4. CAM O’HARA
School: Cooper.
Height/weight/position/class: 6-2/190/QB/Sr.
College choice: Western Kentucky.
Total points received in survey: 181 (5).
School: St. Xavier.
Height/weight/position/class: 6-3/223/LB/Sr.
College choice: Louisville.
Total points received in survey: 168 (1).
6. JACOB SAVAGE
School: Ryle.
Height/weight/position/class: 6-1/219/LB/Sr.
College choice: Indiana.
Total points received in survey: 150 (3).
School: St. Xavier.
Height/weight/position/class: 5-11/175/ATH/Sr.
College choice: Louisville.
Total points received in survey: 132 (2).
8. JOSIAH HOPE
School: North Hardin.
Height/weight/position/class: 6-4/300/DL/Sr.
College choice: Louisville.
Total points received in survey: 114 (1).
9. TREVY BARBER
School: Bowling Green.
Height/weight/position/class: 5-9/165/ATH/Sr.
College choice: Undecided.
Total points received in survey: 97 (5).
10. GARYON HOBBS
School: Atherton.
Height/weight/position/class: 6-0/215/LB/RB/Jr.
College choice: Undecided.
Total points received in survey: 73 (2).
THE NEXT 40
College choice if known in parentheses.
Luke Ballard, Great Crossing, 5-11/210/RB/LB/Sr.
Malachi Brown, Corbin, 6-4/265/DL/Jr.
Ja’Hyde Brown, Christian Academy-Louisville, 5-10/175/ATH/Jr.
Chayce Burton, Male, 5-10/195/RB/Sr.
Bryten Close, Taylor County, 6-6/285/OT/Sr. (Louisville).
Jay’Quan Crawford, Franklin County, 6-2/200/RB/LB/Sr.
A’Davion Dale, Collins, 5-11/165/ATH/Sr.
Sam Dawson, South Oldham, 6-4/290/DL/Sr. (Louisville).
Timmy Emongo, Scott County, 5-10/180/ATH/Jr.
Allen Evans, Trinity, 6-2/180/DB/Jr.
Jahbarri Frost, Trinity, 6-2/265/DL/Sr.
Tyler Fryman, Beechwood, 5-11/179/WR/Jr. (Louisville baseball).
Kade Goodin, Collins, 6-3/190/QB/Jr.
Maddox Hager, Boyle County, 6-6/210/TE/Jr.
Kellan Hall, Christian Academy-Louisville, 6-4/235/ATH/So.
Baron Hardesty, Bullitt East, 6-3/245/DL/Sr.
Jordan Haskins, Bryan Station, 6-0/180/DB/Jr.
Jordan Holman, Woodford County, 6-2/195/DB/Jr.
Brady Hull, Pulaski County, 6-3/280/OL/Jr.
Isaiah Jackson, Rockcastle County, 5-10/180/ATH/Sr.
Hank James, Paducah Tilghman, 6-0/170/CB/Sr.
Zane Johnson, Trinity, 6-2/210/QB/Jr.
Dylan Lee, Ryle, 6-1/170/ATH/Sr. (Colgate).
Ronald Lunz, North Hardin, 5-9/170/WR/Sr.
Chance McPike Jr., Paducah Tilghman, 6-1/175/WR/Jr. (Sacremento State).
Max Merz, Highlands, 6-4/310/OL/Sr. (Louisville).
John Luke Minner, Sayre, 6-2/225/Edge/Sr. (Brown).
David “Pancake” Pellman, Manual, 6-3/285/OL/Sr. (Eastern Kentucky).
Justyn Perez, Woodford County, 6-1/300/OL/Jr.
Eli Pietrowski, Corbin, 6-4/220/TE/Sr.
Cavalli Pittman, John Hardin, 6-0/180/RB/LB/Sr.
Emmett Queen, Beechwood, 6-4/215/QB/Jr.
Grayden Reid, Atherton, 6-3/185/DB/So.
Jackson Settle, Christian Academy-Louisville, 6-1/220/LB/Sr.
Nate Shields, Trinity, 6-3/270/OL/Sr.
Avery Thompson, Paducah Tilghman, 6-3/170/WR/So.
Cam Wade, Paducah Tilghman, 5-11/165/WR/Jr.
Corey “Deuce” Warner, Manual, 5-11/180/DB/Sr. (UMass).
Larron Westmoreland, Jeffersontown, 6-4/185/ATH/Jr.
Noah Winsley, Bryan Station, 6-6/261/OT/Sr.
AND 50 MORE PLAYERS TO WATCH FROM …
Central Kentucky: Christian Bryant, Boyle County, 6-2/275/OL/So.; Jermaine “Ju Ju” Harmon, Scott County, 6-3/195/ATH/Jr.; Josiah McKee, Woodford County, 6-4/235/DL/Jr.; Jacob Sutton, Montgomery County, 6-3/305/OL/Sr.; Darrian Tomlin, Woodford County, 6-1/192/ATH/Jr.
Eastern Kentucky: Maverick Ashby, Ashland Blazer, 5-10/195/RB/Jr.; Jake Bartley, Somerset, 6-5/245/OT/DT/Sr.; Joseph Brigmon, Bell County, 6-7/215/WR/DB/Sr.; Cam Davis, Ashland Blazer, 6-0/175/ATH/Sr.; Cam Estep, Corbin, 5-11/170/WR/DB/Sr.; Kris Hughes, Somerset, 6-0/200/RB/DB/Sr.; Devan Maynard, Martin County, 6-3/210/QB/DB/Sr.; Kaleb Miller, Bell County, 5-9/205/RB/Sr.
Lexington: JT Cooper, Tates Creek, 6-3/170/WR/Sr.; Bryan “BJ” Evans Jr., Tates Creek, 5-10/200/RB/Sr.; Tacori Fields, Frederick Douglass, 6-0/193/LB/Jr.; Demond Green, Frederick Douglass, 5-11/170/ATH/Jr.; Thomas Sizemore, Lexington Christian, 6-0/185/RB/So.; Dakari Talbert, Frederick Douglass, 5-9/175/RB/Jr.; Elijah Ward, Frederick Douglass, 5-9/155/DB/Sr.
Louisville: Elijah Burns-Crump, Trinity, 6-2/165/DB/Jr.; Jalen Dantzler, Central, 6-1/180/DB/Jr.; CJ Hall, Manual, 6-5/245/Edge/Jr.; Zai’Vion Meads, Atherton, 6-3/265/DL/Jr.; Stone Perkins, Christian Academy-Louisville, 6-0/170/ATH/Sr.; Daelen Thompson, Ballard, 5-8/165/WR/Sr.; Gerian Traynor, Manual, 5-11/170/RB/Sr.
Northern Kentucky: Maximus Hunt, Covington Holy Cross, 6-6/195/TE/Jr.; Will Sandfoss, Newport Central Catholic, 6-5/280/OT/Sr.; Cash Harney, Covington Catholic, 5-10/180/QB/DB/Sr.; Tayden Lorenzen, Highlands, 6-2/255/QB/TE/Jr.; Owen Pitzer, Covington Catholic, 6-3/230/ATH/Jr.; Daulton Tarter, Bracken County, 5-9/193/RB/CB/Sr.; Jackson Whitten, Bracken County, 6-3/270/OL/DL/Sr.; Mario Litmer, Highlands, 6-0/180/QB/Sr.
South-Central Kentucky: Malik Coburn, Bowling Green, 6-3/240/Edge/Sr.; Kace Eastridge, Campbellsville, 6-1/190/QB/Sr.; Austin Sloan, Campbellsville, 6-3/250/OL/Jr.; Montez Trussell, Bowling Green, 6-2/215/LB/Sr.
Western Kentucky: Ty Ashley, Owensboro, 6-2/200/LB/Jr.; Brenden Brown, Paducah Tilghman, 6-0/170/ATH/Jr.; Dre’mail Carothers, Owensboro Catholic, 6-4/190/QB/Jr.; John Paul Carrico, Owensboro Catholic, 6-8/280/OL/So.; Markez Hightower, Madisonville, 5-10/190/RB/Sr.; Mac Hoover, Mayfield, 6-1/185/WR/CB/Sr.; Max Johnson, Apollo, 6-3/200/QB/Jr.; Malik Kirby, Mayfield, 6-0/175/WR/DB/Sr.; Isaiah “Zaye” Martin, Murray, 6-1/175/WR/DB/Sr.; Ben Myers, Paducah Tilghman, 6-4/285/OL/Sr. Ryan Walls, 6-3/325/OL/So.
Methodology: The Herald-Leader invited head coaches from all 219 teams eligible for postseason play to participate in our preseason survey with 80 responding to the top 10 player rankings question out of 173 preseason surveys returned. Players were assigned point values of 10 points for a coach’s top pick down to one point for the 10th player on their list. Players outside the top 10 were selected by Jared Peck based on input from the surveys, recruiting rankings, known college offers and career accomplishments.
This story was originally published August 14, 2025 at 10:00 AM.
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