2025 Class of the Commonwealth: Kentucky’s top high school football seniors
The Lexington Herald-Leader is proud to present its 34th edition of the Class of the Commonwealth, an annual selection of the state’s top high school senior football players.
All choices were made by Herald-Leader sports writer Jared Peck using criteria that included: career statistics and accomplishments, senior season stats and accomplishments, recruiting rankings, advancement in the postseason and any other notable accomplishments in athletics.
The list includes 24 players, with each of the 12 state finalist teams guaranteed at least one selection. There are 13 honorable mentions. Each group of players is listed in alphabetical order.
FROM THE STATE FINALISTS
Zakary Anderson, Pulaski County (6-4/210/QB/Undecided): Anderson had his season cut short by injury Oct. 17, but the Maroons carried their momentum to the 5A finals. A three-year starter, his career numbers totaled 5,354 yards and 57 TDs passing to go with 483 yards and 10 TDs rushing. In eight games this year, he had 1,282 yards and 13 TDs passing to go with 142 yards and four TDs rushing.
Delano Collins, Franklin County (5-10/180/WR/DB/Undecided): Collins, the reigning Class 2A indoor 55-meter dash champ with a time of 6.59 seconds, showed his speed on the gridiron with five punt-return TDs and three kickoff-return TDs in 2025. He broke three punt-return TDs as a junior. His senior season included 923 yards and 12 TDs receiving to go with 260 yards and four TDs rushing. On defense, he had at least one pick-six all four years among his 16 career interceptions.
Miles Edge, Owensboro Catholic (5-7/185/RB/LB/Undecided): A significant contributor on defense in the Aces’ run to three straight Class 2A finals, Edge had a breakout senior campaign at running back with 1,222 yards and 20 TDs rushing and 441 yards and four TDs receiving. On defense, he notched 101 tackles, including 20 tackles for a loss, in 2025.
Jahbarri Frost, Trinity (6-2/265/DL/Eastern Michigan): Part of the Shamrocks’ stifling defensive front that allowed just 9.8 points per game, Frost earned defensive MVP honors at the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl a week after Trinity’s state championship game win over South Warren.
Evan Hampton, Owensboro (6-0/208/RB/ATH/Vanderbilt): Hampton, who earned Kentucky Mr. Football honors to go with his Class 5A state championship game MVP and Kentucky Gatorade Player awards, rushed for 2,035 yards and 28 TDs to go with 288 yards and three TDs receiving in 2025. His career rushing marks of 5,259 yards and 82 touchdowns put him among the top 50 in those categories in KHSAA history.
Tyler King, Lexington Christian (5-9/155/WR/DB/Undecided): The Eagles’ top target this season, King earned first-team all-city honors for the Class 2A champions at wideout, where his breakout senior season included a team-high 1,049 yards and 12 TDs receiving to go with 21 tackles and two interceptions at defensive back.
Jacob Litteral, Raceland (6-2/265/OL/Undecided): Litteral played tackle, guard and center to plug holes for a makeshift offensive line that ranked second in Class A in scoring and third in rushing yardage despite injury issues. His versatility helped him earn district lineman of the year honors from the KFCA. His numerous NAIA and Division III offers include Georgetown College, UPike and Kentucky Christian.
Kris Mandy, Kentucky Country Day (6-3/260/OL/DL/Undecided): Mandy earned KFCA Class A lineman of the year honors and helped the Bearcats to their first state title as a two-way standout in the trenches. On defense, he recorded 35 tackles and two sacks as a senior. Six of those tackles came in KCD’s 20-16 win over Raceland in the state championship game.
Wyatt Robbins, Murray (6-1/190/QB/Murray State): Unfortunately injured in the Tigers’ state semifinal win over Lloyd Memorial, Robbins’ 3,199 yards and 35 TDs passing to go with 533 yards and four TDs rushing helped him earn a place as one of nine finalists for Kentucky’s Mr. Football. Career stats: 8,818 yards, 87 TDs passing; 939 yards, 15 TDs rushing.
Jackson Settle, Christian Academy-Louisville (6-1/220/LB/Undecided): A three-star recruit with college offers including Appalachian State and Southern Miss, Settle had a team-high 14 tackles to go with an interception in CAL’s Class 3A title game win over Murray. The Centurions’ leading tackler as a junior, Settle had 120 tackles, 17 tackles for a loss and two sacks as a senior and was part of four state championship teams.
Ji’Dyn Smith-Hisel, Boyle County (5-7/160/RB/DB/Undecided): Smith-Hisel capped his senior year with 208 yards and two touchdowns in Boyle County’s 34-0 win over Franklin County in the Class 4A state championship as part of a breakout season that included 1,817 yards and 18 TDs rushing to go with 247 yards and one TD receiving. Those marks helped him earn Mr. Football finalist consideration.
Kayden York, South Warren (5-8/165, RB/SS/Undecided): The leading rusher for the Spartans each of the past two seasons, York tallied 1,056 yards and 21 TDs rushing to go with 287 yards and three TDs receiving in 2025. On defense, he recorded 32 tackles and four interceptions, including a pick-six. Career stats: 1,908 yards, 33 TDs rushing; 615 yards, four TDs receiving; 85 tackles.
AT-LARGE HONOREES
Trevy Barber, Bowling Green (5-9/165/ATH/Undecided): Barber missed five games due to injury his senior year, but can’t be overlooked as one of the best receivers in Purples’ and state history. Part of a team that won back-to-back Class 5A state titles during his 1,000-plus yard seasons as a sophomore and a junior, his 3,670 yards and 51 TDs receiving each rank second to Nacarius Fant in school history and in the top 10 in those categories in KHSAA history.
Karsten Busch, St. Xavier (6-3/223/LB/Miami): Busch, who ranks as one of the nation’s top college linebacker recruits, played offense and defense for the Tigers and earned Courier Journal first-team all-state honors as a junior for a season that included 59 tackles and a team-high seven sacks. As a senior, he led St. X with 110 tackles with 10 for a loss and one sack. He also recorded 274 yards and five TDs receiving.
Kace Eastridge, Campbellsville (6-1/190/QB/LB/Eastern Kentucky (baseball): A Mr. Football finalist and the KFCA Class A player of the year, Eastridge made a huge impact on both sides of the ball with 1,004 yards and 20 TDs rushing, 1,888 yards and 14 TDs passing to go with 68 tackles and six tackles for a loss as a senior. Career stats: 3,524 yards, 62 TDs rushing; 6,983 yards, 61 TDs passing; 128 tackles.
Marlon Harbin, St. Xavier (5-11/175/ATH/Louisville): A three-star recruit, Harbin was a threat from anywhere on the field. In addition to his 355 yards and 11 TDs rushing as a senior, he had 688 yards and 10 TDs receiving, two kickoff-return TDs and 47 tackles and three interceptions and fumble recovery touchdown on defense.
Markezz Hightower, Madisonville (5-10/190/RB/Undecided): The KFCA Class 5A player of the year and a Mr. Football finalist, Hightower rolled up 1,644 yards and 25 TDs rushing in 2025 to pad career numbers that totaled 5,440 yards and 71 TDs rushing to go with 713 yards and six TDs receiving. His career rushing total ranks him second in school history to University of Kentucky legend Sonny Collins (6,200 yards).
Josiah Hope, North Hardin (6-3/300/DL/Purdue): A four-star recruit and the top player in the state according to the 247sports.com Composite Index, Hope had offers including Kentucky, Louisville, Vanderbilt and Auburn. He earned CJ all-state honorable mention honors as a junior with 61 tackles, 19 for a loss and seven sacks and had 76 tackles, 18 for a loss, and 3.5 sacks in 2025.
Kris Hughes, Somerset (6-0/200/RB/DB/Undecided): Hughes earned KFCA Class 2A player of the year honors and was a Mr. Football finalist. In 2025, he notched 2,081 yards and 37 TDs rushing to go with 1,092 yards and 11 TDs passing. On defense, he had 37 tackles and two interceptions. His career stats included 4,617 yards and 74 TDs rushing and 180 tackles and seven interceptions.
Max Merz, Highlands (6-4/310/OL/Louisville): This year’s KFCA Class 4A lineman of the year, Merz, a three-star recruit, earned CJ first-team all-state honors as a junior and third-team all-state honors as a sophomore as part of a balanced Highlands offense that averaged 33.6 points per game. Merz also contributed on defense with 40 tackles and a sack in 2025.
Cam O’Hara, Cooper (6-2/190/QB/Western Kentucky): Another Mr. Football finalist, O’Hara helped lead the Jags to back-to-back Class 5A finals as a sophomore and a junior and threw for 2,231 yards and 26 TDs as a senior. His 146 career passing TDs will rank third on the KHSAA’s all-time list once those records are updated. His 11,227 career passing yards place him firmly in the all-time top 10.
Cavalli Pittman, John Hardin (6-0/180/RB/LB/Undecided): Pittman earned CJ first-team all-state honors as a junior, rushing for 3,174 yards, the fourth most in a season in KHSAA history and eight more yards than Boone County’s Shaun Alexander, a future NFL MVP for the Seattle Seahawks. As a senior, Pittman rushed for 1,828 yards and 20 TDs, bringing his career totals to 6,238 yards and 70 TDs rushing.
Jacob Savage, Ryle (6-1/219/LB/Indiana): A rare two-way standout in Class 6A, Savage led Ryle in tackles all four years and was named the Louisville Quarterback Club’s Paul Hornung Award winner as the state’s top senior. He was also one of nine finalists for Mr. Football. At running back in 2025, he rushed for 1,222 yards and 24 TDs and had 204 yards and five TDs receiving. At linebacker, he recorded 112 tackles, including 15 for a loss.
Jarvis Strickland, Paducah Tilghman (6-6/294/OL/Louisville): A CJ first-team all-state lineman as a junior and the Herald-Leader’s 2025 preseason player of the year, Strickland ranks as a four-star recruit according to the 247sports.com Composite Index. He helped the Blue Tornado to a Class 4A state title in 2024 and was a key pass protector for Tilghman’s best-in-class passing offense, which averaged 244 passing yards and 42.4 points per game this year.
HONORABLE MENTION
- Blake Burnett, Bell County: Four-year starter at QB for two region title teams.
- Bryten Close, Taylor County: Three-star offensive lineman signed with Louisville.
- Sam Dawson, South Oldham: Three-star defensive lineman signed with Louisville.
- Cash Harney, Covington Catholic: Dual-threat QB and two-year starter who had 1,914 yards and 15 TDs passing and 1,002 yards and 12 TDs rushing in 2025.
- Isaiah Jackson, Rockcastle County: Louisville signee with 1,171 yards and 14 TDs receiving as a senior.
- Hank James, Paducah Tilghman: Troy signee with 85 tackles and four sacks as a senior and part of Tilghman’s 4A state title team in 2024.
- Ronald Lunz, North Hardin: Three-star wideout
- Isaiah “Zaye” Martin, Murray: Defensive back and wideout with 1,270 yards and 19 TDs receiving, 107 tackles, a pick-six and two special teams TDs as a senior.
- Devan Maynard, Martin County: Dual-threat QB who topped 1,000 yards rushing each of the last two years.
- Kaleb Miller, Bell County: Topped 2,000 yards rushing each of the last two seasons.
- John Luke Minner, Sayre: Three-star Brown commit with 20.5 sacks over last two seasons.
- David “Pancake” Pellman, Manual: Three-star Eastern Kentucky signee.
- Bo Wolford, Belfry: KFCA’s first Coach Philip Haywood Lineman of the Year.
