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…
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