Oakland County always seems to have several contenders come the football playoffs. There are plenty of talented teams, filled with talented players. Here is a list of some of the best talent the county has to offer heading into 2016.
The Oakland Press’ Top 50 Players
1. Josh Ross (6-0, 220), Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Sr. LB – He has the numbers. He has the pedigree. He has made his college commitment. Oh, and he has two state championships to boot. Life is good for Ross, who is looking to lead his Eaglets to a third straight state championship this fall. He led the county with 173 tackles a year ago on his way to Associated Press Player of the Year honors in Division 3. A top-5 recruit in the state according to numerous scouting agencies, Ross has committed to play at the University of Michigan.
2. Ja’Raymond Hall (6-5, 255), Oak Park Sr. OL – Like Josh Ross, Hall, too, is committed to the University of Michigan. Both he and Ross are ranked in ESPN’s Top 300 national ranking – Hall being the second-highest Michigan player at No. 173 in the senior class. Both Scout and 247 have him ranked in the Top 10 in the state. Hall and teammate Marquan McCall form the most potent 1-2 offensive line pairing in the state – if not the country.
3. Marquan McCall (6-3, 330), Oak Park Jr. OL – The other half of Oak Park’s dominant duo on the offensive line, McCall is a force up front. Both Scout and 247 have him as the top-ranked junior in the state of Michigan. He has 11 Division I offers, including four from the Big Ten – including the University of Michigan. Tennessee, Penn State and Mississippi are among the others interested in his services.
4. Cody White (6-3, 190), Walled Lake Western Sr. WR – An all-county second team selection a year ago, White helped his Warriors to a perfect regular season and a trip to the Division 2 state finals. He caught 49 passes for 927 yards and finished with 11 total touchdowns. The senior is one of the state’s top-recruited wide receivers. He has committed to play his college ball at Michigan State.
5. Ovie Oghoufo (6-3, 205), Farmington Hills Harrison Jr. LB – More than 15 Division I offers – including six from Power Five conference teams – and Oghoufo ended up choosing Notre Dame a few weeks ago. Both 247 and Scout have him ranked No. 4 in his class. He’s coming off a sophomore season which saw him collect 66 total tackles, eight sacks and three forced fumbles.
6. Richard Bowens III (6-1, 175), Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Sr. DB – Bowens is one of four Division I commits who will start for coach George Porritt’s Eaglets this fall. He’s among the top three players in the state at his cornerback position – and the top 20 overall according to Rivals, 247 and Scout. He was offered by 14 schools before choosing Iowa State out of the Big 12.
7. Robert Hudson (6-9, 295), Walled Lake Western Sr. DT – A monster on the field, Hudson stands an imposing 6-foot-9 and weighs in at nearly 300 pounds. He totaled 100 tackles and nine sacks last year for the Warriors. He had 11 offers – five from BCS schools – before committing to Purdue earlier this month.
8. Larry Borom (6-5, 335), Brother Rice Sr. OL – Borom is a hulking figure out on the field who will look to help the Warriors rebound from a dismal 2-7 season in 2015. Several schools were interested in Borom, but it was Missouri who impressed him the most, as he committed to the Tigers back in late July.
9. Kolin Demens (6-1, 205), Detroit Country Day Jr. LB – One of just four players in Oakland County ranked in ESPN’s Top 300 (No. 246 in the Class of 2018), Demens is being pursued by a number of high-profile schools. Among them are both Michigan and Michigan State. Both 247 and Rivals have him ranked among the Top 10 players in the Class of 2018.
10. Kyle Sassack (6-7, 270), Notre Dame Prep Sr. OT – He was a big reason the Fighting Irish rushed for more than 2,700 yards last season. Already college sized, Sassack will have one more high school season to cement his legacy at Notre Dame Prep under head coach Pat Fox. A first-team all-state selection a year ago, Sassack has already committed to Western Michigan University.
11. Carter Dunaway (6-6, 230), Brother Rice Sr. TE – Longtime University of Michigan commit will need to be a big target for talented sophomore QB Mariano Valenti.
12. Lorenzo McCaskill (6-2, 200), Southfield A&T Sr. LB – First-team all-state selection from a year ago holds 11 college offers, including a pair from Purdue and Cincinnati.
13. Dwayne Chapman (6-1, 220), Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Sr. LB – The entire MAC wanted him, but Western Michigan ended up being his destination. Chapman had 113 tackles as a junior.
14. Vincent Gray (6-1, 170), Rochester Adams Jr. CB – His stock soared after a busy summer as he saw his offer count rise to nine offers, including Cincinnati and Syracuse.
15. Robert Daniel (5-10, 180), Oak Park Jr. CB – He already has a few college offers. Interest in the junior CB could rise as he fits in nicely on a very tough Eaglet defensive unit going for a 3rd-straight state title.
16. Andre Carter (6-4, 230), Southfield A&T Jr. DL – Relatively young – in football years (3) – his coach thinks he could have a breakout year. Collected 10 sacks last year and more than a dozen college offers this year.
17. Davion Johnson (5-11, 195), West Bloomfield Sr. RB – The scouts love him (nine offers), but opposing defenses do not. He found the end zone nine times in 2015.
18. Nick Novak (6-4, 260), Lake Orion Sr. OL – The biggest cog on the Dragons’ offensive line, Novak has committed to play his college ball at Navy.
19. Erick Eldridge (6-5, 315), Southfield A&T Sr. OL – An all-county first-team selection a year ago, Eldridge committed to Ball State over the summer.
20. Ernest Allen (5-10, 210), Birmingham Groves Sr. RB – Set to begin his third year as a starter for the Falcons, Allen had 821 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns last year.
21. Chris Bergin (5-11, 201), Detroit Country Day Sr. DB/WR – The total package (86 tackles, 3 INT and nine TDs last year), Bergin was named first-team all-state. Has offers from Navy and EMU in his pocket.
22. Blake Bueter (6-4, 275), Detroit Catholic Central Sr. OL/DL – Big, imposing force on the offensive line, Catholic Central will need Bueter to come up big if it wants to improve on its nine wins from a year ago. Offered by CMU.
23. Nick Stalworth (5-11, 215), Clarkston Sr. LB – Fourth year Wolves player had a big summer and a with a big senior season, could start to see the college offers roll in.
24. Keith Fields (5-6, 180), Waterford Mott Sr. RB – Transferred over from Lake Orion, where he finished 2015 with 1,181 yards rushing. Should thrive in Corsairs potent offense.
25. Ralph Holley (6-2, 270), Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Sr. DL – Had at least six college offers before choosing Western Michigan University back in June. Finished 2015 with 82 tackles.
25 others to watch (in alphabetical order)
Luke Adams (6-2, 210), Pontiac Notre Dame Prep Sr. LB; RaShawn Allen (5-9, 205), Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Jr. RB; Alec Bageris (6-3, 175), Novi Sr. QB; Daylen Baldwin (6-3, 175), Waterford Mott Sr. WR; Austin Brown (6-0, 175), Catholic Central So. QB; Brendann Brown (6-0, 210), Farmington Harrison Sr. LB; Ky’ren Cunningham (6-0, 205), Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Jr. LB; Shermond Dabney (6-0, 180), Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Sr. CB; Michael Fluegel (6-1, 180), Clarkston Jr. RB; Brandon Gray (6-5, 175), Southfield A&T Jr. WR; Sam Johnson (6-3, 165), Southfield A&T So. QB; Matthew Jordan (6-0, 170), Birmingham Brother Rice Sr. WR; Steve Mann (6-0, 195), Detroit Country Day Sr. QB/DB; Dwan Mathis (6-3, 175), Oak Park So. QB; Eric McArn (5-10, 210), Southfield A&T Jr. RB; Roy McCree (6-1, 190), Detroit Country Day Sr. LB/WR; Kenyon McElway Jr. (6-2, 175), West Bloomfield Sr. CB; Tyler Santangelo (6-0, 170), Cranbrook Sr. QB; Dylan Stackhouse (5-11, 215), Oak Park Sr. RB; Cameron Tucker (6-3, 300), Southfield A&T Sr. OL; Bryce Veasley (6-4, 220), West Bloomfield Jr. QB; Aaron Wiggins (5-8, 175), Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood Jr. RB; Garrett Winn (5-10, 160), West Bloomfield Sr. WR; Kyle Wood (6-0, 190), Rochester Adams Sr. QB; Robert Zanders (6-2, 180), Oak Park Sr. WR
8/21/2016
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