Ranking football players is hardly an exact science.
Recruiting services do it as their livelihood. College and pro coaches do it to lead their teams to victory. They sometimes get it wrong, misfiring on a top prospect who underperforms (like Ryan Leaf), or overlooking an underrated talent who becomes a big star (like Tom Brady).
And then there’s the fact that football is a sport where the position groups all have vastly different jobs. They work together as one unit on the field, but their responsibilities are often completely different.
Comparing players from different position groups can be like comparing apples to oranges, or apples to elephants. But it takes every position to produce a championship football team.
With that said, here is one person’s ranking of the top 25 high school players in Greater Cincinnati. This is a companion piece to the other rankings the Enquirer has done this summer.
Some of the lists have focused on recruiting rankings. This list factors those in, but also weighs the impact a player will have on his team and their chances of winning big this fall. The Enquirer also conducted reader polls.
As part of the process, no more than two players on any team made the list, and while a list of 25 quarterbacks would be a stellar collection, the Enquirer is including players from every position group. So, here is the most scientific top 25 we could compile. Be sure to weigh in with your opinion by voting in a poll at the bottom of the list.
More: Fall in love with the Enquirer’s 2024 high school sports preseason coverage
25. Garrett Lundy, Waynesville
Lundy was a versatile performer in the Spartans’ big playoff run last season as Waynesville went 11-3.
Lundy was a first-team all-district selection at defensive back, but he could’ve easily received that honor for his work in the Spartans backfield last season. Lundy led the Southwestern Buckeye League in rushing touchdowns (25) and was second in rushing yards with 1,257.
Another big-game performer, Lundy ran for 291 yards and nine touchdowns in Waynesville’s three playoff wins en route to a regional championship game appearance. Out of the backfield, he added 48 catches for 460 yards and six additional touchdowns.
24. Noah Knigga, Lawrenceburg
Entering his fourth season as a starting linebacker for the Tigers, Knigga is ranked by 247Sports as a three-star recruit and the No. 32 player in Indiana for the Class of 2025. The 6-foot-2, 208-pound linebacker committed to Eastern Michigan in June.
Knigga was named to the Indiana Football Coaches Association Class 3A Junior All-State team last season.
23. Dylan Stewart, Conner
Stewart is the No. 25 player in Kentucky for the Class of 2025, according to 247Sports.
Tabbed as a three-star recruit, the 6-foot-4, 280-pound offensive lineman has a lengthy offer sheet that includes Army, Eastern Michigan, Navy, Western Michigan, Western Kentucky and Air Force, among others.
22. Jayel Harris, Withrow
The 6-foot, 180-pound running back is a three-star recruit who committed to Central Michigan University April 25.
As a junior at Purcell Marian, Harris was the Miami Valley Conference’s leading rusher, racking up 2,109 yards and 29 touchdowns. He was a first-team All-Ohio selection and will be a key to the Tigers building on their 12-win season from 2023.
21. Jess Hauer, Wyoming
Hauer was a first-team All-Ohio selection in Division IV last season after helping pave the way for a Wyoming offense that ran for 2,500 total yards and 31 touchdowns last season.
Hauer was a two-way contributor for a Wyoming squad that won 12 games and reached the regional championship game. On the defensive line, Hauer had 77 tackles, 3.5 sacks and an interception.
He will look to help the Cowboys reclaim the Cincinnati Hills League title from Indian Hill after winning it for seven years in a row.
20. Jamison Kitna, Lakota East
Kitna is a top 50 recruit in Ohio for the Class of 2025 with a large offer sheet that includes Indiana, UAB, Houston, Baylor, Duke, Kansas State, Syracuse and Texas Tech, among several others.
Kitna was a second-team all-district selection last season in his first season with the Thunderhawks. He threw for nearly 1,500 yards and nine touchdowns and added 227 yards and six scores on the ground.
Kitna’s father, former Bengals quarterback Jon Kitna, is the Thunderhawks’ head coach entering his second season. Year one was as rough as can be as Lakota East went 1-9. The Kitnas will hope to lead a more experienced roster to better things in the rugged GMC.
19. Gordy Sulfsted, St. Xavier
The 6-foot-5, 240-pound defensive lineman is a three-star recruit and a top 20 prospect in Ohio for the Class of 2025. Playing on the same line with Michigan commit Ted Hammond from the Class of 2024, Sulfsted was a first-team all-district and third-team All-Ohio selection for the Bombers last season. He tallied 41 tackles, 3.5 sacks and six tackles for loss, and could be asked to do more with Hammond’s graduation.
Sulfsted has two dozen scholarship offers, including from Wisconsin, Harvard, Washington, Cincinnati, Illinois, Iowa, Miami, Minnesota, Purdue and Stanford.
18. Trey Verdon, Hamilton
He was a big part of the Big Blue’s turnaround season in 2023. After losing records in 2021 and 2022, Verdon’s 77 tackles, eight sacks and two forced fumbles guided Hamilton to its first-ever playoff win.
If Hamilton can continue to ascend the Greater Miami Conference standings, Verdon will certainly play an integral part. He was a member of the all-state DI second-team defense as a junior.
Verdon was a second-team all-district and first-team All-Ohio selection last season for the Big Blue. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound defensive lineman had 77 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, eight sacks and a pair of forced fumbles.
He committed to Iowa State in February.
17. Tucker Kattus, St. Xavier
The 6-foot-5, 285-pound offensive tackle is the third Kattus brother to land in Lexington. Kattus committed to Kentucky in March after a first-team All-Ohio season in 2023 for the Bombers.
Kattus is a three-star recruit and a top 40 player in Ohio for the Class of 2025 and had several other suitors outside the Wildcats, including Arkansas, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue and Wisconsin.
16. Luke Brand, Milford
The senior led the Eagles to a record-setting season, finishing 11-1 and winning the Eastern Cincinnati Conference. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound senior threw for 2,400 yards and 13 touchdowns, directing an offense that averaged 35 points per game. He set school records for completions in a game (32) and yards in a game (435) and has had a great offseason, according to head coach Tom Grippa.
15. Jacob Savage, Ryle
Savage, tabbed as the No. 14 player in Cincinnati for the Class of 2026, has offers from Louisville, Indiana, Miami Ohio, Ohio University and Eastern Kentucky.
An All-Northern Kentucky selection by the Northern Kentucky Football Coaches Association as a sophomore, Savage had 163 tackles last season for the Raiders. Another two-way standout, Savage ran for 380 yards and tied a team-high with seven rushing scores to help lead Ryle to a Class 6A regional championship game appearance.
14. Seaonta Stewart, Winton Woods
A 6-foot-2, 180-pound athlete, Stewart is a top 25 recruit in Ohio for the Class of 2025, per 247Sports. He recently committed to Indiana and also has offers from Oklahoma, Purdue, West Virginia, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Minnesota, Penn State, Tennessee and several others.
Stewart committed to Indiana as a defensive back but could be a boost to the Warriors’ offense, which struggled at times last season during their 8-4 campaign.
13. Caden Piening, Anderson
At 6-foot-4, Piening is the No. 31 tight end in the nation and a top 25 recruit in Ohio for the Class of 2025. Piening had over 20 Division I scholarship offers before committing to UCF in April.
Last season at Anderson, Piening had 35 catches for 624 yards and five touchdowns to help lead the Raptors to a regional championship. with their explosive offense that averaged 40 points per game. He and explosive receiver Trace Jallick form a powerful receiving tandem with top quarterback Justice Burnam.
12. Micah Rice, Moeller
The senior safety is one of the top defensive returners for the Crusaders, who have been to the Division I state semifinals for the past three seasons. The Louisville commit tallied 55 tackles, a fumble recovery and three interceptions.
A three-star recruit and a top-40 player in Ohio for the Class of 2025, Rice has over 20 Division I offers, including from Minnesota, Stanford and Arizona.
11. Drayden Pavey, Taft
Pavey was a first-team All-Ohio selection last season after a big year on the Senators’ defensive line. Pavey had 53 total tackles, 7.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss for a Senators team that went 9-3 and allowed only 14 points per game.
The three-star recruit is a top 50 player in Ohio for the Class of 2025 and committed to Purdue. He will look to help the Senators reclaim the CMAC-Red championship after losing to Withrow last season.
10. Jahmeir Spain, Mount Healthy
The 6-foot-4, 190-pound senior threw for 2,749 yards and 28 touchdowns last year after posting 2,001 and 19 as a sophomore. He led the Owls to an 8-3 record last season. Spain has offers from at least eight Division I programs and has a series of visits to high-major programs, including Ohio State.
9. Cam O’Hara, Cooper
O’Hara led the Jaguars to a 12-3 record and the Kentucky 5A state finals, where they lost 28-14 to Bowling Green. He threw for 3,361 yards and 47 touchdowns and returns his top two targets in mega-talented Isaiah Johnson and Austin Alexander, who combined for 143 catches, over 2,500 yards and 40 TDs.
The junior has several Division I offers including the University of Kentucky and Miami (Ohio).
8. Jaimier Scott, Mount Healthy
Scott did a little bit of everything for the Owls last season as they finished 8-3. He had 752 yards from scrimmage with most of his damage through the air, recording 34 catches for 611 yards and seven touchdowns. At corner, Scott had 56 tackles and a pair of interceptions, including a pick-six. He was named second-team All-Ohio.
Scott, a 6-foot-1, 177-pound athlete, committed to the Wisconsin Badgers in January. In 247Sports’ Composite Rankings, Scott is the No. 12 player in Ohio for the Class of 2025. He picked Wisconsin over several suitors, including Miami, Cincinnati, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Penn State, Purdue and Tennessee.
Scott’s versatility is key as the Owls pursue another spectacular season.
7. Luka Gilbert, Lakota West
The 6-foot-7, 233-pound tight end is the No. 10 player in Ohio for the Class of 2025 and a top 20 tight end in the country, per 247Sports. Gilbert, a four-star recruit, committed to the Miami Hurricanes in April.
Last season, Gilbert was an honorable mention All-Ohio selection, finishing with 15 catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns. He is the top returning receiver for the Firebirds, who were 11-3 last season. Their offense improved as the year went on under first-year starter Sam Wiles at quarterback.
6. Grant Beerman, Lakota West
Beerman was the leading tackler (79) for Lakota West last season, including 12 for loss, three sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. He was named honorable mention all-district for the Firebirds, helping their stout defense allow 8.6 points per game. LW went 11-3 last season, allowing one touchdown or fewer in nine of 14 games.
He will look to anchor a defense that lost some key playmakers to graduation.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound linebacker is a three-star recruit and the No. 14 player in Ohio for the Class of 2025, according to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings. Beerman committed to Purdue this summer, picking the Boilermakers over two dozen programs, including Michigan State, Rutgers, Purdue, Boston College, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota and Wake Forest.
5. Paul Nelson, Princeton
Nelson is the reigning Ohio Division I Defensive Player of the Year after registering 89 tackles and a Greater Miami Conference-best 12 sacks last season. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound linebacker had 23.5 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles and a pair of recoveries.
He led a defensive unit that allowed 11 points per game, helping the Vikings finish with a 12-1 record, their first outright GMC title since 1993 and first undefeated regular season since 1991.
Nelson committed to Indiana in July.
4. Matt Ponatoski, Moeller
Ponatoski put up an incredible sophomore season at Moeller, finishing with a school record 3,334 passing yards and 29 passing touchdowns to nine interceptions. He was third-team all-state. He led the Crusaders to a 10-5 record and the Division I state semifinals, and with a deep stable of receivers and tight ends returning this season, some with Division I recruiting interest, those numbers could only get better.
He’s received offers so far from Cincinnati, Purdue and Vanderbilt, and is also a top baseball prospect for the Crusaders.
3. Quintin Simmons Jr., Withrow
A four-star recruit and a top 10 player in Ohio for the Class of 2025, Simmons had nearly 20 scholarship offers before committing to Kentucky in February. He had 31 catches for 533 yards and eight touchdowns to help the Tigers to the regional final and a school-record 12 wins. Those numbers could improve as Simmons will be the top target following the departure of Chris Henry, Jr. to Mater Dei in California.
2. Austin Alexander, Cooper
The senior is a high-impact player on both sides of the ball for the Jaguars, who are projected to make another run at the 5A state title after finishing as runner-up last year. He has committed to play football for North Carolina as the 27th-best defensive line recruit in the country, according to 247Sports.
The senior is one of the top high school players in Kentucky, regardless of position. He is primarily an edge rusher but has the speed and agility to pressure the backfield from any position on the defensive line.
The University of North Carolina commit was second in the state with 19 sacks as a junior. He recorded 57 total tackles (eight for loss).
As a tight end, he ranked third in Class 5A and 10th in the state with 1,138 receiving yards. At 243 pounds, his size and speed make him a bulldozer with the ball in his hands and coming off the line of scrimmage.
The nephew of former NFL Most Valuable Player Shaun Alexander, who was a record-setting running back at Boone County High School, Austin Alexander’s playmaking on both sides of the ball put him near the top of our list.
1. Justin Hill, Winton Woods
A leader of one of Cincinnati’s best defenses and a commit to one of college football’s biggest bluebloods makes the senior linebacker our top player.
Hill, a top 20 edge rusher in the nation for the Class of 2025 and a four-star recruit, had offers from several big-name college programs before committing to Alabama in July.
The first-team All-Ohio selection and Division II district defensive player of the year, Hill had 36 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and an ECC-best 13 sacks for a Warriors defense that allowed less than nine points per game.
Hill is one of several top athletes on a defense that should be key again as the Warriors look to improve on an 8-4 season last year.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Who are the top 25 high school football players in Greater Cincinnati?
