Michigan high school football: Meet the top freshman in 2023

These 15 standouts are among the best in the state

From defensive back to offensive line, freshman have made an impact across the field in Michigan high school football this season. 

With the playoffs fast approaching, we compiled 15 of the top standouts this season. 

Read through the list below and vote for who you think is the top freshman this season in our poll to be posted on Tuesday.

Vote: Who should be the Michigan high school football Team of the Week? (10/16/2023)

Michigan high school football: meet the top freshman in 2023

Robert Giles, TE/DE, Grand Blanc

Giles stands at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds and is a player whose name coach Kaleb Forr believes many throughout the state will soon know. He has recorded multiple pancake blocks as well as receptions this season at the Division I level. He also projects as a standout wrestler on the mat in the 190-pound weight class this year, according to Forr. 

“[He has] huge upside and will be a force in the future,” Forr said.

Beau Peterson, RB/WR/DB, Sparta

Peterson has recorded 67 touches for 590 all purpose yards and six total scores in his first season for coach Mark Chapman. He has also started several games on defense and acted as a kick returner, in addition to his work at both wideout and tailback. 

Jabin Gonzales, QB, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s

Gonzales has made an immediate impact as a freshman after the 6-foot-2, 190-pound quarterback received his first start of the season last week. 

“He is a leader on and off the field,” coach Jermaine Gonzales said. “A beacon of stability for his teammates and coaches. The first on the field and the last one off. He gets the credit when things go right and accepts blame when it goes awry."

DeAndre Williams, WR, West Bloomfield

Williams has yet to break through at the varsity level due to a talented logjam at wideout, but he impressed coach Zach Hilbers this offseason, working against the program’s top defensive backs Jamir Benjamin (UCLA) and Bryce Rowe (Central Michigan). 

He held his own and “has the fluidity and ball skills to make plays on the varsity level right now as a ninth grader,” said Hilbers.

Parker Kingsbury, WR/S, Nouvel Catholic Central

Coach Andrew Weigl had hoped to keep Kingsbury on junior varsity while he continued to develop, but the wideout/safety was “just too good,” adding needed depth on both sides of the ball. In two starts, Kingsbury has eight catches for 105 yards.

At 6-foot-1, he also has great speed, having recorded a 11.6 second 100-meter dash as an eighth grader. 

“He has stepped right in and been a difference maker as a freshman,” Weigl said.

Lukas Gies, WR/DB, John Glenn

Gies has been a starting cornerback on varsity for the entire season. He’s logged 21 total tackles, an interception and 12 pass deflections. Offensively, Gies has added three catches for 59 yards and a score. Gies has caught coach Jonathan Horton’s eye with his extreme physicality and long, 6-foot-2, 160-pound frame. 

“He is a very smart football player and he is showing steady improvement with experience,” Horton said. 

Garrett Hilborn, RB/OLB, John Glenn

Through six games, Hilborn took 64 carries for 413 yards, while adding seven receptions for 87 yards and three total touchdowns. Defensively, he logged 25 solo tackles, 15 assisted tackles, four tackles for loss and a sack. 

“As a freshman on varsity,” Horton said, “he has been one of our most productive players on the field. He is a kid who can play on the line of scrimmage or in coverage and is very physical for any player, let alone a freshman.”

Bradley Boyke, RB/DB, John Glenn

At the varsity level, Boyke has logged eight carries for 155 yards in addition to three receptions for 69 yards and two total touchdowns. Despite a few 300-plus yard rushing games at the junior varsity level, Horton and his staff had to hold off on bringing him up because he didn’t turn 14 until a few weeks ago. 

“Bradley is an electrifying young player,” Horton said. Boyke has reportedly run a 4.48 second 40-yard dash. 

Darryl Flemister III, QB/WR/CB, Detroit Martin Luther King

Flemister is one of several talented 2027 players already receiving collegiate attention from Division I schools. The two-way freshman collected an offer from Kentucky earlier this season. 

At 5-foot-11, 160 pounds, Flemister has time to continue to fill out his frame and add force to his athleticism. 

Jameer Henry, OT/DT, Detroit Martin Luther King

Henry already possesses Division I size as just a freshman, standing at 6-foot-4, 285 pounds. Like Flemister, he’s got offers to show for it, too. Toledo, Kentucky and Louisville mark the beginning of a list that will likely balloon in coming years. 

Trevor Dhue-Reid, OG, Detroit Martin Luther King

While Dhue-Reid has yet to land an official offer, it won’t take long for the hulking offensive guard to garner collegiate attention. Like teammate Henry, Dhue-Reid is already built like a college player, standing at 6-foot-3, 315 pounds. He should help solidify a promising offensive front for several years to come. 

Anthony Cartwright, TE, Detroit Country Day

Cartwright received his first Division 1 offer in late September from the University of Kentucky, he announced on Twitter. Later, Cartwright received an offer from the University of Pittsburgh. 

Jaidyn Martin WR/DB, Detroit Country Day

Martin has offers from the University of Kentucky and Grand Valley State University, according to On3.com. Martin is also visiting Maryland on October 14th.

Dakota Guerrant, WR/DB, Harper Woods

Guerrant is an athlete with scholarship offers from UMass, Michigan, Kentucky and Louisville. He had 200 receiving yards and two touchdowns in his first high school game.

Chad Willis, WR/S, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s

Willis is also one of the freshmen in Michigan with an offer from the University of Kentucky.

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