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Garcia Awards: Best of the high school season
Rivals national recruiting analyst John Garcia Jr. has been all over Florida this season, scouting top high school prospects from the 2025, 2026, 2027 and even 2028 classes. Here are his awards for the top performances he saw in person.
LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE: Eric McFarland
The youngest prospect in this feature as a class of 2028 freshman, you wouldn’t realize it watching IMG Academy’s offense work.
McFarland lines up all over the place, from outside to the slot and plenty at running back – where the senior-laden and talented team manufactures touches for the Las Vegas native. He has that instinctive ability to hit the home run with pure acceleration and speed in the open field, but what makes him special is how he works in between defenders. E-Mac can win with a route against a defensive back and he can equally create separation after the catch with his moves and lateral ability.
Already fairly stout for his age at about 5-foot-9, 180 pounds, it will be fascinating to see how he physically develops in the years to come. Colleges are already lining up for his future services. We even saw McFarland throw an 80-yard touchdown this fall.
HIDDEN GEM ON OFFENSE: Dylan Frechette
To kick off the season, Rivals was at a massive jamboree among programs loaded with prospects. Yet this two-way lineman continued to make plays both with his physicality and motor. It was Frechette, the FIU commitment, who flashed as an offensive tackle and defensive tackle on a very hot August afternoon in Miami.
At a legitimate 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds with the type of stamina to play both ways and flash against top-tier competition, this looks like quite the steal for FIU. Most two-way linemen who have the mentality of a defender make the permanent move to offense flawlessly and we could see the same with Frechette at guard or tackle in college.
HIDDEN GEM ON DEFENSE: Nimari Brantley
Size and measurables limit plenty of ascents in football and recruiting overall, and it feels like Brantley is a product of that to a degree. Listed generously at 6-foot-2, this interior talent is a game-wrecker and has been billed as such for some time. He is powerful, very quick and more advanced technically than others in the senior class – and it leads to explosive plays behind the line of scrimmage. From pad-popping hits to stops at the mesh point because of his sudden penetration, Brantley gets the job done with head-turning consistency on tape and in person.
His team was overmatched by Miami Northwestern when we saw him work, but he still found a way to make a considerable impact to keep his team in it. FAU has gone through some staff changes on defense, so we’ll see if there is a late flip chance elsewhere, but even before that point this was a gem of a get for Tom Herman‘s program.
WORTH THE WAIT: Joshua Moore
The Miami commitment on an impressive 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame was one we tried to see early in the season, but logistics slowed down the live evaluation until mid-October. Even though he was nursing an injury, Moore gave it a go and flashed from the very jump, collecting two of his three targets for long catch-and-run gains (even one without a cleat) in showcasing his speed and power in the open field.
Moore is built similarly to former No. 1 recruit Jeremiah Smith and he shares some of the raw traits there, too, so as he matures and works better with the intricacies of the game, he could become a prospect who outperforms his ranking sooner rather than later at the next level.
THE WORKHORSE: Samari Reed
The Ole Miss commitment has long been viewed as an under-the-radar get for Lane Kiffin and company, possibly because he hasn’t been seen as much as some, but all he does is work wherever his team needs him.
Rivals saw Reed on a muddy afternoon against a team that built up a huge lead against his own. The Coconut Creek (Fla.) Monarch staff made a quarterback change, moving Reed over from wide receiver, and the tone of the game completely flipped. Reed operated out of the Wildcat and manufactured 100 yards and several scores despite every eyeball in the stadium anticipating his every carry. Reed battled through cramps throughout the upset and even played defense as needed in the fourth quarter.
Blue-chip wide receiver skill has always been there for Reed, but he checked boxes on toughness and competitiveness on this day, too.
MR. CONSISTENT ON OFFENSE: Jasen Lopez
Chaminade-Madonna had one of the most prolific offenses in high school history over the last few years, led by Jeremiah Smith and a host of Power Four prospects at the skill positions as well as up front. The 2024 Lions squad is revamped, especially at wide receiver, and Lopez has transferred in and led the group from the moment he arrived despite pledges to Auburn, Penn State and Georgia State surrounding him in the wide receiver room.
Lopez has that combination of route-running ability, supreme ball skills and a toughness that moves the chains as much as it changes the game with a long score. Much more impressively, the junior has been the go-to guy on the loaded roster despite the Lions starting four different quarterbacks this season.
Also an elite basketball player, Lopez averaged more than 100 yards per game in the regular season against a national schedule.
MR. CONSISTENT ON DEFENSE: Jake Kreul
Of course Rivals took in multiple IMG Academy games in 2024, and in either outing it did not take long for Kruel to make his presence felt on defense.
The four-star prospect is a technician on the outside, dominating tackles in the pass-rush games all year-round — but he is becoming just as stout as an edge setter and general run defender. Some of the traits that make him an elite pass rusher, particularly the leverage and high motor, have helped his run defense blossom as a junior against plenty of offensive linemen destined for the Power Four just like he is.
Kreul also finds a way to allow his emotion to run high on the field, the type of rallying-the-troops game that every defensive coordinator covets.
FANTASTIC FIT: Noah Grubbs
When Notre Dame is humming on offense, it typically can of course run the football and balance that out with a big-time passer with a big-time arm. From Brady Quinn to 12-game winner Brandon Wimbush, this counter in style offers depth in the play-action passing game and cold weather alike. Grubbs offers some of those same qualities at a young age — big with a big arm and plenty of confidence. Should he physically fill out like the two players mentioned prior, he could become one of those to assume the position and handle the pressure that lies with being the QB at one of the most watched colleges on Earth.
The game in which we saw Grubbs live told this story some, too, as he was able to battle through some early adversity (an interception) and steady the ship to grind out a win against a talented team. The fit writes itself here and Grubbs is working to build the 2026 class in South Bend, too.
THE ENFORCER: Elijah Melendez
The Auburn commitment has long been considered a highlight machine as a two-way player, making explosive plays on routine. But the junior campaign in 2023 was cut short with a nagging knee injury that also zapped most of Melendez’s offseason work. Naturally, the question for his senior season has been based on availability as much as domination and the blue-chipper has been able to get through the regular season with minimal time missed.
Melendez lived up the billing with Rivals on-site, not only working downhill with head-turning power upon contact but also in the coverage game. When it comes to size, speed and play-making ability in a three-down projection, few linebackers have flashed better than the future Tiger has as a senior.
DON’T FORGET ABOUT ME: Winston Watkins
One of the most well-known recruits since he entered high school, Watkins has worked very well under pressure for the duration of his prep career — even through several high schools in the process.
In 2024, it came at state power Venice (Fla.) High School, where he became the focal point of the offense as both a pass-catcher and occasional rusher, using elite quickness and savvy with the ball in his hands to make plays against all competition.
Rivals saw Watkins at work against one of his former programs, IMG Academy, and he came up clutch throughout the evening as the Indians nearly pulled the upset. Watkins scored as a Wildcat QB and racked up receptions to move the sticks against a stacked secondary. We envision similar for him at the next level as ‘Winnie’ has excelled with various passers and within various schemes over the years.
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