High School On SI's Football All-Freshman Team 2024

We give you the Top 26 freshmen from offense, defense and special teams from around the country in 2024

Washington’s Creed Barrett (10) waits to snap the ball during the second round of Oklahoma high school football playoffs between Metro Christian and Washington in Harrah, Okla., on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. / NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Playing high school varsity sports as a freshman is a challenge in itself; excelling is another.

These 26 freshman high school football players stood out in the 2024 season to earn honors on our High School On SI's All-Freshman Team.

High School On SI's Football All-Freshman Team 2024

Quarterback: Creed Barrett, Washington (Oklahoma)

Could've went a lot of different ways at quarterback, but Barrett did so and led his varsity team to a state championship. In leading Washington to a state crown, Barrett completed 174-of-260 passes for 3,315 yards, 38 touchdowns and only two interceptions. Barrett has been invited to the Navy National Combine over in San Antonio, Texas taking place next month.

Running back: Tay Starks, Munford (Tennessee)

The Cougars finished the regular season going 9-2 and a lot of it was behind the running back Starks on the ground. Starks ended 2024 rushing for 1,483 yards on 266 carries and scored 23 touchdowns. Also completed four passes for 95 yards and two scores.

Running back: Douglas Wansley, South Pike (Mississippi)

Averaging nearly a first down every time he touched the ball, Wansley was impressive every week for South Pike. The running back rushed for 1,508 yards on 156 carries and scored 14 times.

Wide receiver: Damarion Mays, Life Oak Cliff (Texas)

Already receiving plenty of interest from schools around the country, Mays back up it all up with his play down in the Lone Star State. Mays hauled in 68 passes for 1,640 yards and scored 14 touchdowns.

Wide receiver: Eric McFarland, IMG Academy (Florida)

Playing for one of the top football programs in the country, leaving McFarland off here doesn't seem right. The wide receiver caught 36 passes for 574 yards and eight touchdowns. The freshman already has Power 4 offers from schools like Florida State, Georgia and Missouri.

Wide receiver: Jett Harrison, St. Joseph's Prep (Pennyslvania)

Playing for the top program in the state of Pennsylvania, Harrison stepped right in as a starter for the Eagles and produced. Oh, and if the last name looks familiar it's because he's the son of former NFL great Marvin Harrison.

Offensive lineman: Fenway Cochrane, West Orange (Florida)

Can play either guard or tackle, Cochrane started every game at tackle for one of Central Florida's better football programs in West Orange. Cochrane yielded only 1.5 sacks and had 19 pancake blocks in 2024.

Offensive lineman: Hunter Hill, Peach County (Georgia)

The 6-foot-3, 300-pound offensive guard could potentially move out to playing tackle one day. Hill paved the way for 11-2 Trojans this past fall season. Certainly was one of the best linemen of the 2028 class.

Offensive lineman: Connor Blevins, Pulaski County (Kentucky)

Playing for one of Kentucky's better football programs, Blevins proved himself as one of the state's top freshman overall. Standing at 6-foot-2, 285 pounds, Blevins can play multiple positions on the offensive line.

Offensive lineman: Trimarcus Mays, Niceville (Florida)

When talking about offensive linemen, not many come like the 6-foot, 314-pound Mays. Playing both ways for the Class 5A state semifinalist Eagles, Mays paved the way for a Niceville offense that compiled over 5,400 yards of offense.

Offensive lineman: Ty McCurry, Atlas DFW (Texas)

Standing at 6-foot-6, 260 pounds, McCurry led the way at left tackle for the Rattlers. The freshman offensive lineman anchored a unit that compiled over 4,100 yards and 39 touchdowns.

Athlete: Tristan Shelton, Denton Guyer (Texas)

Starring for the 2-time state champions, Shelton came right out of the gates with a superb season receiving. Shelton, who goes by 'Sonic', hauled in 48 passes for 860 yards and 10 touchdowns. Accounted for 925 all-purpose yards and picked off a pass on defense.

Place kicker: Daniel Rivera, North Cobb (Georgia)

Rivera came onto the scene as a freshman and proved to be a very reliable for North Cobb Christian. The kicker knocked down 46-of-50 extra points and connected on 10-of-12 field goals.

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Defensive lineman: Aden Johnson, South Broward (Florida)

Playing out of the hotbed of talent down in South Florida, the 6-foot-5, 205-pound Johnson put up some very impressive numbers as a freshman. Johnson coming off the edge racked up 93 tackles, 29 for a loss and 13 sacks. Also had nearly 400 yards receiving on offense.

Defensive lineman: Aaron Rapp, Indian Lake (Ohio)

The disruptive defensive tackle was arguably the biggest freshman difference maker in any front seven in Ohio, with Rapp totaling 112 tackles, six for loss and 8.5 sacks.

Defensive lineman: Maa'imoa Havili, Granger (Utah)

Havili played inside at defensive tackle, standing at 6-foot-2, 270 pounds, the freshman was a difference maker up front. The Granger lineman notched 19 tackles, eight for a loss and six sacks.

Defensive lineman: Jackson Vaughn, Bergen Catholic (New Jersey)

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound edge rusher was the top sack getter on the best team out of New Jersey. Vaughn finished the season with 16 tackles, 10.5 for loss and eight sacks.

Linebacker: Jack Farhat, Brock (Texas)

Hard to ignore what Farhat did as a freshman on Texas' 4A, Division II state semifinalist team. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound outside linebacker ended the 2024 campaign totaling 131 tackles, 31 for loss, three sacls, two forced fumbles and two interceptions.

Linebacker: Weston Reis, Palos Verdes (California)

Playing in California's CIF Southern Section, Reis had a standout season for Palos Verdes. Reis finished the season with 128 tackles, 12.5 for a loss and 5.5 sacks. Hard to argue with what Reis has done this past year.

Linebacker: Jordan Olds, Sebring (Florida)

The 6-foot, 200-pound linebacker was arguably the top linebacker out of the Sunshine State of the 2028 class. Olds ended the season with 35 tackles, 11 for loss and five sacks.

Defensive back: Franklin Pack, Old Mills (Maryland)

Not many freshman locked up wide receivers the way Pack did in 2024. The cornerback made 31 tackles, intercepted eight pass and broke up 16 others. Quite the season for the Old Mills defender.

Defensive back: Dycen Tapscott, Kettle Run (Virginia)

As the only freshman or sophomore for that got named to an all-state team in Virginia, Tapscott certainly showed he could defend on the back end. The freshman safety racked up nine interceptions to go along with 43 tackles.

Defensive back: Ace Leutele, Mater Dei (California)

The safety plays on one of the best high school football teams in the country and was a key contributor on defense. That's saying something. Leutele made 22 tackles and intercepted three passes for the Monarchs.

Defensive back: Demetre Pryor, Jones (Florida)

Starting for the Class 4A state finalist Tigers, Pryor played a major role in the secondary as a starter and totaled 57 tackles, seven for a loss, nine interceptions with three going back for a touchdown. Not too shabby for a freshman.

Athlete: Jharee Moore-Stewart, Bloomsburg (Pennyslvania)

The 5-foot-10, 175-pound defensive back also made plays on offense as well for Bloomsburg this past season. Moore-Stewart on defense tallied 43 tackles, broke up three passes and picked off six others. On offense, Moore-Stewart accounted for over 1,000 all-purpose yards and 20 touchdowns.

Punter: Saxton Sinatra, Silver Creek (California)

Named second-team out of the Blossom Valley Athletic League (BVAL), Sinatra was the state's best freshman punter. Sinatra on 27 punts averaged 33.3 per punt, with a long of 54 and 10 landing in opponent's 20-yard line.

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