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…
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