Trent Seaborn isn't the only quarterback who played varsity football as an 8th-grader in 2022

Meet 5 other rising freshmen who enter high school this fall having already experienced the varsity vibe

Trent Seaborn started diagnosing double-teams and drawing double-takes early last season playing quarterback as an eighth-grader for Alabama powerhouse Thompson.

The buzz reached its peak when he led the Warriors to their fourth consecutive state championship, completing 12 of 14 pass attempts for 207 yards and five touchdowns in a 49-24 win over Auburn.

He's picked up coast-to-coast Division I offers, from Ole Miss and Alabama to Oregon.

But Seaborn isn't alone when it comes to eighth-grade quarterbacks who played varsity high school football in 2022. 

Here are five other players expected to vie for starting quarterback jobs this fall who played varsity snaps as eighth-graders last season.

Know of another? Send a note to swanson@scorebooklive.com with some details. 

Joseph Allen, Melbourne Central Catholic (Florida)

Allen got into the action early playing varsity football for the Benjamin Buccaneers, throwing for 202 yards and two touchdowns. A fractured foot ended his season early, and the QB who recently picked up his first Division I offer from UCF transferred to Melbourne Central Catholic in the offseason. 

Peyton Houston, Calvary Baptist (Louisiana)

While Seaborn has drawn the most headlines, QB Hit List ranks Houston one spot ahead of him as the top quarterback in the nation in the Class of 2027 (Mater Dei's Furian Inferrera is No. 3). Calvary Baptist called Houston's number in the final game of the season in 2022, perhaps to give the fans a glimpse of what's to come. The dual-threat QB — who also played varsity baseball as an eighth-grader — completed both of his passes for 14 yards and has spent the 7-on-7 season drawing oohs and ahs from college scouts.

Ge'arey Johnson, Mount Zion Christian (North Carolina)

A dual-threat quarterback who was 6-foot-2 as an eighth-grader, Johnson is now listed at 6-4 going into ninth grade. Although he didn't throw a pass as an eighth-grader, he saw plenty of time on both sides of the ball, scoring on an 87-yard touchdown reception against Wake Prep Academy while making 16 tackles with a sack and an interception on defense throughout the season. 

Tootie Lindsey, West Jones (Mississippi)

Lindsey spent his eighth-grade year as a starting wide receiver catching passes from his older brother, Marlon. Now that Marlon has graduated, Tootie Lindsey is "another guy that is going to say, ‘down, set, hut’ in the future here at West Jones," coach Scott Pierson told the Laurel Leader-Call last fall.

Jack Spaeder, American (Florida)

Spaeder threw for 611 yards and eight touchdowns as a middle schooler playing varsity at Avant Garde Academy last fall. The 6-foot-2 pro-style quarterback will play his ninth-grade year for the American Patriots.

(Lead photo courtesy of Jason Seaborn)


Published
Mike Swanson, SBLive Sports
MIKE SWANSON

Mike Swanson is the VP of Content for High School On SI. He's been in journalism since 2003, having worked as a reporter, city editor, copy editor and high school sports editor in California, Connecticut and Oregon.