J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix Jr. among former Florida high school football stars playing in 2024 CFP National Championship

Here's a look at where Michigan and Washington's rosters played high school football from the Sunshine State

The Michigan Wolverines and Washington Huskies are the last two teams standing in college football, and they'll duke it out Monday for the National Championship.

Both semifinals were thrillers, with Michigan beating Alabama 27-20 in overtime and Washington withstanding Texas' late push to win 37-31.

SBLive Sports is always looking for interesting high school angles, so leading up to the National Championship tonight in Houston, we decided to look up where every Michigan and Washington player competed in prep football.

Michael Penix Jr’s humble beginnings date back to Dade City

Believe it or not, Florida is not the leader when it comes to players that play for either the Huskies or Wolverines tonight. There’s about a dozen players you might recognize from their days playing in Florida. 

The Sunshine State produced likely the game’s biggest individual star in Michael Penix Jr., who played at Pasco and Tampa Bay Tech. 

Take a quick glance at our list below before and get to know your Florida players that made their name on the Sunshine State high school football circuit. 

Florida (11)

Greg Crippen, OL, Michigan (IMG Academy)

Jaylen Harrell, DE, Michigan (Berkeley Prep)

Jaydon Hood, LB, Michigan (St. Thomas Aquinas)

James Kavouklis, OL/LS, Michigan (Berkeley Prep)

Jack MacKinnon, LB, Michigan (Cardinal Mooney)

Ja’Den McBurrows, DB, Michigan (St. Thomas Aquinas)

J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan (IMG Academy)

Michael Penix Jr., Washington (Tampa Bay Tech)

Micah Pollard, LB, Michigan (Bartram Trail)

Keon Sabb, DB, Michigan (IMG Academy)

Peter Simmons, DL, Michigan (Bishop Verot)

-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl 


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Andy Villamarzo
ANDY VILLAMARZO

Andy Villamarzo has been a sports writer in the Tampa Bay (FL) Area since 2007, writing for publications such as Tampa Bay Times, The Tampa Tribune, The Suncoast News, Tampa Beacon, Hernando Sun to name a few. Andy resides out of the Tarpon Springs, FL area and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in the summer of 2022 covering the Tampa Bay Area. He has quickly become one of Florida's foremost authorities on high school sports, appearing frequently on podcasts, radio programs and digital broadcasts as an expert on team rankings, recruiting and much more.