High school football talent is so deep in Southwest Florida that we felt as if The Big 15 didn’t do it justice when it came to showcasing our area’s top prospects with aspirations of playing at the college level.
With that, we’ve made The Next 15, who are 15 football players who were in consideration and discussions of making The Big 15. The requirements for this list are virtually the same as The Big 15 when it comes to projectability and ability at the college level.
Tough decisions had to be made, but here are some of those prospects that just missed the cut but should make college coaches happy if they were to sign.
VOTE: Who’s your pick as No. 1 on The Big 15 list of top 2024 college football recruits
Jordan Bergeron
School: Naples
Year: Senior
Breakdown: The Western Kentucky commit is prepared to have even more of a role in the secondary following Kensley Faustin’s graduation to Auburn. As a junior, Bergeron picked off a pair of passes last season, adding seven pass breakups as well as a fumble recovery. The 6-foot-2 defensive back gives the Golden Eagles a lot of length in the back end, which will be tough for opposing quarterbacks to test.
J.J. Bolz
School: Bishop Verot
Year: Junior
Breakdown: Bolz is new to Southwest Florida, having transferred in from Andrean (Ind.). His sophomore season with the Fighting 59ers was a good one, posting 65 tackles and five tackles for loss, adding two sacks, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound linebacker reports offers from Central Michigan, Miami (OH), and Toledo.
Niko Boyce
School: Barron Collier
Year: Junior
Breakdown: Boyce continues to get college looks, most recently taking a visit to New Hampshire in late July. The Barron Collier signal-caller threw for 1,908 yards last season, passing for 20 touchdowns against 8 interceptions. On the ground, Boyce led the Cougars with 629 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, making him the best dual-threat quarterback in Collier County.
10 Years of The Big 15: A Look Back
Micah Fils-Aime
School: First Baptist
Year: Junior
Breakdown: Fils-Aime will start right away on First Baptist’s defensive line, following a sophomore season in which he had 90 tackles (30 for loss), 12 sacks, 15 quarterback hurries, and a pair of fumble recoveries. Fils-Aime reports offers from Arkansas State, Bethune-Cookman, Boston College, Louisville, Toledo, UMass, and Wake Forest.
Jyden German
School: Fort Myers
Year: Sophomore
Breakdown: The speedster and legacy of Fort Myers legend Jammi German continues to make waves heading into his sophomore season. After an impressive freshman year on the track, German received committable offers from Syracuse, USF, and West Virginia. German had an interception and a fumble recovery on defense last season for the Green Wave, adding 17 tackles and a touchdown on offense.
Sean Kabangele
School: Naples
Year: Senior
Highlights: Recently committed to Cornell, Kabangele appears poised for a huge senior campaign on the defensive line. At 6-foot-1 and 305 pounds, Kabangele finished with 44 tackles and 10 tackles for loss, adding 12 quarterback hurries and 3 sacks. Don’t expect any difficulties for the senior when it comes to taking on more of an enhanced role on the defensive line this season.
Tommy Halgrim
School: Fort Myers
Year: Senior
Breakdown: At 6-foot-8, Halgrim will be the tallest Green Wave player on the field this season. Halgrim committed to Air Force in July following a junior year in which he finished with 59 tackles (9 for loss), adding a sack, a fumble recovery, and three passes defended on the defensive line.
Kalonji Hamilton
School: Dunbar
Year: Senior
Breakdown: A recent transfer to Dunbar, Hamilton should have no problems making waves in the Dunbar offense. At Cape Coral for his junior year, Hamilton led the Seahawks with 412 receiving yards on 30 receptions, adding 4 touchdowns. He also posted 231 rushing yards on 21 attempts with a score, making him a perfect fit for Sammy Brown and company. Hamilton’s recruiting has been hot, receiving offers from Ole Miss, Oregon, and Tennessee among others.
Deshon Jenkins
School: Bishop Verot
Year: Junior
Breakdown: The thumper in Bishop Verot’s ground game continues to progress like many expected he would. Jenkins posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, going for 1,260 yards and 12 touchdowns as a sophomore, adding five 100-plus yard efforts for the Vikings. With Florida A&M and West Virginia being his lone offers to date, don’t be surprised if the offers roll in with another productive season on the ground this year.
Vaughn Lennon
School: Fort Myers
Year: Senior
Breakdown: The area’s top punter has his share of college offers, and it will only be a matter of when, not if, Lennon commits to a Power Four program. As a junior, Lennon received News-Press All-Area First Team honors after averaging 64 yards per kickoff (47 touchbacks), and 45 yards per punt with a long of 64 yards.
James Little IV
School: Bishop Verot
Year: Senior
Breakdown: Rated as a 3-star recruit by 247Sports, Little’s speed and ability to lock down makes him an intriguing college prospect. Little impressed in their spring jamboree against Columbus and Riverview, and reports offers from Akron, Eastern Michigan, Florida A&M, Illinois, Miami (OH), Toledo, and USF among others.
Carter Quinn
School: Lely
Year: Junior
Breakdown: Quinn will take the reins as Lely’s full-time starter after backing up Jack Melton at Naples. As a sophomore, Quinn completed 6 of 13 passes for 104 yards with two passing touchdowns, adding 286 yards on 45 rushes with 5 scores on the ground. Currently, Quinn holds offers from Ball State, Marshall, West Virginia, and Western Kentucky.
Emrhe Pray
School: Community School
Year: Senior
Breakdown: The Army commit was impactful in a variety of ways for CSN last season, finishing his junior season with 35 tackles, 2 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries, and 4 blocked punts. That led to a commitment to Army, as Pray’s length at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds was appealing to the Black Knights.
Sam Sparacio
School: First Baptist
Year: Junior
Breakdown: Sparacio feels like the Christian McCaffrey of Southwest Florida when it comes to his frame, shiftiness, and ability to create opportunities to gain extra yardage. Posting a 4.52 40-yard dash this summer at Eastern Michigan’s camp, Sparacio received his first Division I offer from Lehigh two weeks later. As a sophomore, Sparacio led First Baptist in rushing yards (573), rushing touchdowns (8), and added 264 receiving yards on 22 receptions with a pair of scores last season.
Jayvian Tanelus
School: Community School of Naples
Year: Junior
Breakdown: The 5-foot-9, 180-pound running back was injured for part of last season with Lely, but made the most of his time, rushing for 454 yards and 6 touchdowns. Tanelus made the switch to CSN, where he’s expected to see time right away in Mike Stannard’s offense. Shortly after transferring to the Seahawks, Tanelus received his highest profile offer yet, coming from Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss.
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on Twitter: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: SW FL football high school recruits college coaches need to target in 2024
