20 best high school edge rushers in the nation entering the 2024 football season

Expect these 20 DEs to make headlines throughout the 2024 high school football season

DeSoto's Keylan Abrams was named UIL 6A Division II state championship Defensive MVP after a 2023 rout of Summer Creek. / Photo by Tommy Hays, SBLive

The high school football season ramps up this week, with several states starting their season and ESPN televising five games.

In the run-up to the high school football season, SBLive/SI has been featuring players expected to be the best of the best in the nation this season.

We started with the best defensive backs in the nation, followed by the best quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends, running backs and linemen, and now it's the top edge rushers' turn.

Here are the 20 best high school edge rushers in the country heading into the 2024 season.

Keylan Abrams, sr., DeSoto (Texas)

Abrams was a force up front for the state champions, racking up 87 tackles (21 for loss) and 21 1/2 sacks to earn first-team all-state honors as a junior. Once committed to Purdue, Abrams switched up his verbal to TCU.

Rodney Dunham, jr., Myers Park (North Carolina)

Also a pitcher on the baseball diamond who throws 90 mph, Dunham threw blockers around on the football field as a sophomore. The 6-foot-4, 230-pounder finished the season with 55 tackles (16 for loss) and seven sacks. He picked up offers over the summer from Georgia, Michigan, Auburn and Wisconsin.

Zion Elee, jr., St. Frances Academy (Maryland)

Joppatowne's Zion Elee wraps up Boonsboro QB Colin Telemeco as he releases the ball. Elee is now at St. Frances Academy. / Troy Roland / USA TODAY NETWORK

Elee transferred to St. Frances from Joppatowne (Maryland) in the offseason after making 64 tackles (24 for loss) and 13 sacks for the 1A school. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound five-star prospect announced a top five of Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State earlier this month.

Jakaleb Faulk, sr., Highland Home (Alabama)

Highland Home (Alabama) High School's Jakaleb Faulk (5) excels on both sides of the ball. / Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK

An elite athlete who also plays receiver on offense, Faulk committed to Auburn this week. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound pass rusher finished his junior year with 58 tackles (13 for loss) and three sacks. He had 79.5 tackles as a sophomore playing linebacker.

Isaiah Gibson, sr., Warner Robins (Georgia)

After sacking the quarterback six times as a sophomore, Gibson took off as a junior, piling up 17 sacks. A 6-foot-4, 245-pound Georgia commit who flipped from USC, he's risen the recruiting rankings to become the No. 1 senior edge rusher in the country.

Zion Grady, sr., Enterprise (Alabama)

Charles Henderson's Zion Grady (6) stops Tallassee's Cade Everson in 2022. Grady is now at Enterprise (Alabama). / Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK

An elite pass rusher who transferred from Charles Henderson in the offseason, Grady finished his junior season with 87 tackles (24 for loss) and 11 sacks, following a sophomore campaign with 108 tackles and 22 sacks. The 6-foot-4, 235-pounder committed to Ohio State in June after decommitting from Alabama in January.

LaJesse Harrold, sr., Gaither (Florida)

Harrold is a long, lean, three-sport athlete who also excels on the basketball court and as a jumper in track and field. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound LSU commit finished his junior season on the football field with 42 tackles (18 for loss) and 8.5 sacks playing for Tampa Bay Robinson.

Justin Hill, sr., Winton Woods (Ohio)

Winton Woods' Justin Hill (22) lunges after the Milford (Ohio) quarterback in 2022. / Geoff Blankenship for The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Hill made a big jump as a pure pass rusher from his sophomore to junior year, going from 5.5 sacks to 13. The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder committed to Alabama in July.

Javion Hilson, sr., Cocoa (Florida)

Javion Hilson of Cocoa (Florida) reacts to a defensive play against Dunnellon in 2023. / Craig Bailey/FLORIDA TODAY / USA TODAY NETWORK

Hilson has terrorized quarterbacks the past two seasons, picking up 9.5 sacks as a sophomore and 14 as a junior, along with 97 tackles (27 for loss). The 6-foot-4, 235-pound athlete also competes in track and field as a sprinter and jumper. He committed to Florida State in January.

Marco Jones, sr., San Ramon Valley (California)

Marco Jones (23), the Bay Area's top recruit for 2025 from San Ramon Valley, takes down De La Salle's Derrick Blanche Jr. / Photo: Eric Taylor

Jones has primarily played inside linebacker in high school, racking up 315 tackles the past two seasons for San Ramon Valley, but he should see more time as a senior as an edge rusher (viewed as his position in college). The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Texas A&M commit also plays baseball and is on MLB's radar as an outfielder/first baseman.

Zahir Mathis, sr., Imhotep Charter (Pennsylvania)

Imhotep Charter's Zahir Mathis, right, looks to make a play in the PIAA Class 5A state championship against Peters Township. / Paul Burdick, SBLive Sports

A physical specimen at 6-foot-6, 225 pounds, Mathis committed to Ohio State in January but has made recent visits to Penn State. He'll try to lead Imhotep to back-to-back state titles before heading off to college.

Kamauryn Morgan, sr., South Oak Cliff (Texas)

Morgan transferred in the offseason from Red Oak, where he piled up 10.5 sacks over the past two seasons. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Baylor commit will try to get South Oak Cliff back on championship track after being dethroned by Port Neches-Groves last year.

CJ Nickson, sr., Weatherford (Oklahoma)

Nickson has been a two-way varsity player since his freshman year, chasing quarterbacks and catching passes. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Oklahoma commit had 577 yards receiving and five touchdowns last season, plus 54 tackles, but his college future is on the edge.

Chinedu Onyeagoro, sr., King Drew (California) 

Chinedu Onyeagoro of King/Drew is committed to SMU and pledges to record 35 sacks in 2024, which would be a CIF State record. / JTProdds/Instagram

Onyeagoro led California in sacks as a junior with 21 from the edge. The SMU commit logged 128 total tackles (30 for loss), five forced fumbles, two interceptions while also blocking two kicks. 

Damien Shanklin, sr., Warren Central (Indiana)

Warren Central's Damien Shanklin poses in 2023 at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Also an elite thrower in track and field, Shanklin finished his junior season on the football field with 66 tackles (17 for loss) and three sacks. The 6-foot-5, 235-pounder committed to LSU in July.

Jared Smith, sr., Thompson (Alabama)

Then-Spain Park player Jared Smith jumps rope to warm up for drills in 2022. Smith is now at Thompson High School (Alabama). / Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK

Smith has bulked up in the offseason after transferring from Spain Park after Week 9 last year. The Auburn commit is now listed at 6-foot-6, 250 pounds and he wants to get up to 265 or 270 in college. He'll make his Thompson debut tonight on national television.

Ari Watford, sr., Maury (Virginia)

After racking up 12 sacks for Salem as a sophomore, Watford transferred to Maury as a junior and helped the team to a 15-0, state championship season. The 6-foot-6, 235-pound pass rusher committed to Clemson in January.

Tyshun Willis, sr., Velma Jackson (Mississippi)

Velma Jackson edge Tyshun Willis is a member of the 2024 Clarion Ledger Dandy Dozen. / Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK

A freakish athlete boasting speed and power, Willis played on the edge, at WR and wildcat QB last season, but his future is on defense. He stuffed the stat sheet with 113 tackles (30 for loss) and 20.5 sacks. The Mississippi State commit is also an accomplished power lifter and thrower in track and field.

Cedric Works, sr., Northmont (Ohio)

A 6-foot-4, 220-pound Kentucky commit, Works can play outside linebacker or edge. He finished his junior season with 82 tackles (10 for loss) and 6.5 sacks.

Nasir Wyatt, sr., Mater Dei (California)

Mater Dei's Nasir Wyatt rushes the QB against Junipero Serra in the CIF State Open Division final on Dec. 12, 2023. / Joe Bergman

Wyatt tallied 14 sacks in 2023 and it could've been more if the Oregon commit played all four quarters of each game, but some lopsided games left him sidelined. The relentless pass rusher is versatile, strong, quick and a must double-team for opposing offensive lines.

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-- Mike Swanson | swanson@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports