SBLive/SI Top 25 preseason high school football rankings: Mater Dei starts 2024 season No. 1 in the country

The Monarchs are in a great position to repeat as national champions

Oregon commit Jordon Davison is hoping to lead Mater Dei to back-to-back high school football national championships. Photo by John Bowers /

We kick off the 2024 high school football season right where we left the 2023 campaign — with California power Mater Dei at the top.

The Monarchs were named the SBLive/SI national champions after overcoming a Week 8 loss to archrival St. John Bosco to defeat the Braves in the CIF Southern Division final, then romping past Serra to win California's Open Division championship.

Raul Lara takes the reins from Frank McManus, who was let go by the school in March, and has the program’s usual bumper crop of talent. The Monarchs' defense will feature Alabama commit Chuck McDonald and Penn State-bound Daryus Dixson in the secondary. On offense Oregon running back commit Jordon Davison and junior wideout Chris Henry Jr. will lead the way.

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Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas, who finished No. 4 in last season's SBLive/SI national rankings, comes in at No. 2 to start the 2024 season. The Gaels play another front-loaded national schedule before seeking to defend their Nevada Class 5A Division I title.

St. John Bosco, IMG Academy of Bradenton, Fla., and 2023 Power 25 runner-up DeSoto (Texas) round out the preseason top five teams.

IMG Academy is the highest-ranked of six Florida teams in the Power 25 — the most of any state. California (four), Texas (three), Georgia (three) and Ohio (two) also have multiple teams in the rankings. Twelve states have at least one ranked team.

Here’s the complete breakdown of our 2024 preseason SBLive/SI Power 25 national high school football rankings.

SBLive/SI Preseason Power 25 Football Rankings

Last season: 13-1. Final ranking: 1

Player to watch: WR Chris Henry Jr. One of the nation’s top recruits in the class of 2026 gets top billing on a star-studded marquee as the Monarchs bid to win a second consecutive Power 25 national championship.

Early test: Aug. 22 vs. No. 8 Centennial (Corona, Calif.)

2. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)

Bishop Gorman finished last season ranked No. 4 in the nation. / Photo by Jann Hendry

Last season: 12-0. Final ranking: 4

Player to watch: WR Derek Meadows. The five-star recruit and LSU commit is a 6-foot-6, 195-pound matchup nightmare on the perimeter, where he averaged 26.1 yards per catch with eight touchdowns last season.

Early test: Aug. 16 vs. Kahuku

3. St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)

St. John Bosco will face an early-season test against Florida power Chaminade-Madonna. / Photo by Heston Quan

Last season: 11-2. Final ranking: 12

Player to watch: DL Dutch Horisk. The junior has offers from Oklahoma, USC and Oregon among the 19 he’s received after making 86 tackles (19½ for loss) and 11½ sacks last season.

Early test: Aug. 24 vs. No. 7 Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.)

4. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)

Last season: 10-0. Final ranking: 5

Player to watch: DL Elijah Golden. The 6-4, 260-pounder is the highest rated of the Ascenders’ two-dozen three-star or higher recruits. In a June interview with Irish Illustrated, he proclaimed that “our defense is the best in the country. No team can score on us.”

Early test: Aug. 22 at No. 19 Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah)

5. DeSoto (Texas)

Last season: 16-0. Final ranking: 2

Player to watch: RB Deondrae Riden Jr. The Texas A&M commit known as Tiger missed five games last season because of a dislocated elbow but finished with 1,044 yards and 12 touchdowns to lead the Eagles to back-to-back 6A Division 2 state titles.

Early test: Sept. 6 vs. North Crowley (Fort Worth, Texas)

6. Milton (Ga.)

Last season: 13-2. Final ranking: 22

Player to watch: WR CJ Wiley. The Florida State commit was the Eagles’ big-play threat a year ago, when he averaged 21.7 yards per catch (68 for 1,473 yards and 14 touchdowns) for the Class 7A state champions.

Early test: Aug. 16 vs. No. 13 Buford (Ga.)

7. Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.)

Last season: 14-0. Final ranking: 3

Player to watch: WR Jabari Brady. One of several high-profile transfers to the Lions this season, Brady is in the conversation for the top receiver in the class of 2026 after catching 70 passes for 1,392 yards and 10 touchdowns for Class 4M semifinalist Monarch last year.

Early test: Aug. 24 vs. No. 3 St. John Bosco

8. Centennial (Corona, Calif.)

Last season: 9-3. Final ranking: NR

Player to watch: QB Husan Longstreet. The Texas A&M commit looks to help the Huskies break the Mater Dei-Bosco stranglehold on Southern California coming off a 3,013-yard junior season during which he threw 24 touchdowns against six interceptions.

Early test: Aug. 22 at No. 1 Mater Dei

9. Duncanville (Texas)

Last season: 14-1. Final ranking: 7

Player to watch: QB Keelon Russell. The five-star Alabama recruit threw for 3,267 yards and 35 touchdowns with just three interceptions last year to lead the Panthers to a second consecutive 6A Division 1 title. He has a special connection with five-star Oregon commit Dakorien Moore (65 catches for 1,303 yards and 15 touchdowns).

Early test: Sept. 14 vs. No. 15 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore)

10. St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia)

Last season: 13-1. Final ranking: 6

Player to watch: DL Maxwell Roy. A four-star Ohio State commit who had 18 Power 4 offers, he joins teammate RB Isaiah West in the Columbus pipeline; recent No. 4 draft pick WR Marvin Harrison Jr. is the highest profile Eagles graduate to play for the Buckeyes.

Early test: Aug. 31 at No. 17 St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio)

11. North Shore (Houston)

Last season: 15-1. Final ranking: 13

Player to watch: CB Devin Sanchez. The nation’s No. 1 recruit at his position will play at Ohio State next year alongside Na’eem Offord of Parker (Birmingham, Ala.), the No. 2 cornerback recruit.

Early test: Aug. 30 vs. South Oak Cliff (Texas)

12. Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.)

Last season: 11-1. Final ranking: 9

Player to watch: WR Quincy Porter. Another member of Ohio State’s top-ranked recruiting class, he caught 41 passes for 969 yards and 16 touchdowns last season to help the Crusaders win a third consecutive Non-Public A state championship.

Early test: Aug. 29 vs. No. 4 IMG Academy

13. Buford (Ga.)

Last season: 11-2. Final ranking: NR

Player to watch: DL Bryce Perry-Wright. The nation’s No. 4 defensive line recruit in the class of 2026 according to 247Sports had 51 tackles (nine for loss) and a team-high 7½ sacks and 13 hurries as a sophomore.

Early test: Aug. 16 at No. 6 Milton

14. Washington Massillon (Massillon, Ohio)

Last season: 16-0. Final ranking: 11

Player to watch: RB Ja’meir Gamble. Running behind Wisconsin commit OT Nolan Davenport, Gamble had a big junior season with 954 yards and five touchdowns to help the Tigers win their first Division II state title.

Early test: Sept. 6 vs. No. 12 Bergen Catholic

15. St. Frances Academy (Baltimore)

Last season: 5-6. Final ranking: NR

Player to watch: DE Zion Elee. For the Panthers to bounce back from their first sub-.500 season since 2015, they’ll need their four-star recruit (the No. 2 edge rusher in the class of 2026) to play at the same level he showed last year at Joppatowne (Md.), where he had 64 tackles (24 for loss) and 13 sacks.

Early test: Sept. 6 at Orange Lutheran (Calif.)

16. Cocoa (Fla.)

Last season: 14-1. Final ranking: 17

Player to watch: DE Javion Hilson. The nation’s No. 3 edge recruit and Florida State commit will look to lead the Tigers to a third consecutive Class 2S state championship after making 94 tackles (27 for loss), a team-high 14 sacks, three forced fumbles and 44 hurries last season.

Early test: Sept. 6 at No. 4 IMG Academy

17. St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio)

Last season: 15-1. Final ranking: 8

Player to watch: RB Brandon White. The Eagles’ bid for a fourth consecutive Division I state title will hinge on their junior tailback, who ran for 1,236 yards and 17 touchdowns and caught 14 passes for 210 yards and a team-high five touchdowns last year.

Early test: Aug. 31 vs. No. 10 St. Joseph’s Prep

18. Carrollton (Ga.)

Last season: 11-3. Final ranking: NR

Player to watch: QB Julian Lewis. The Trojans hope to win their first state title since 1998 led by their four-star USC recruit, who threw for 3,094 yards and 48 touchdowns with just two interceptions last year, then reclassified to the 2025 class.

Early test: Aug. 16 at Woodward Academy (College Park, Ga.)

19. Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah)

Last season: 13-1. Final ranking: 15

Player to watch: WR Jerome Myles. The fast-rising five-star receiver is the No. 1 recruit in Utah (No. 5 nationally among receivers) and returns from a broken ankle that cost him all but five games of his junior year (he caught two touchdown passes in the Class 6A final) with a new signal-caller — four-star transfer Helaman Casuga, who threw for 4,145 yards and 34 touchdowns at Timpview (Provo). 

Early test: Aug. 22 vs. No. 4 IMG Academy

20. Miami (Fla.) Central

Last season: 8-4. Final ranking: NR

Player to watch: LB Ezekiel Marcelin. The Rockets saw their four-year string of Class 2M state titles snapped last year, but with their leading tackler (109, 19 for loss, 12 sacks) and three-star University of Miami commit among a bevy of talented returners, look for them to be a threat in Class 3A.

Early test: Aug. 23 vs. Lakeland (Fla.)

21. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

Last season: 13-1. Final ranking: 10

Player to watch: CB Justice Fitzpatrick. The No. 1 recruit at his position in the class of 2026 will play a big part in the Raiders’ bid for a sixth consecutive state championship and 16th overall.

Early test: Aug. 24 vs. No. 2 Bishop Gorman

22. Mission Viejo (Calif.)

Last season: 13-3. Final ranking: NR

Player to watch: CB Dijon Lee. The five-star Alabama commit (and No. 2 recruit in California) headlines a loaded Diablos roster that looks to defend its CIF Division 1-AA state championship. He broke up 13 passes and had 55 tackles and two interceptions as a junior.

Early test: Aug. 24 vs. Santa Margarita (Calif.)

23. Phenix City (Ala.) Central

Last season: 13-0. Final ranking: NR

Player to watch: QB Andrew Alford. As a junior, he completed nearly two-thirds of his passes (179 of 270) for 3,587 yards and 45 touchdowns with just three interceptions in leading the Red Devils to the Class 7A state championship.

Early test: Aug. 30 vs. Lutheran North (St. Louis)

24. Liberty (Peoria, Ariz.)

Last season: 12-1. Final ranking: 16

Player to watch: QB Hayden Fletcher. The senior bided his time behind two-time state player of the year Navi Bruzon, but with Bruzon now at Arizona State, Fletcher (404 yards, two touchdowns in mop-up duty last year) gets his chance to lead the Lions’ defense of the Open Division title.

Early test: Aug. 30 at Desert Edge (Goodyear, Ariz.)

25. Berkeley Prep (Tampa, Fla.)

Last season: 13-2. Final ranking: NR

Player to watch: RB/S Dallas Golden. The four-star recruit will play safety at Notre Dame (he had a team-high five interceptions as a junior), but he also was half of a dynamic running attack for the Class 2M champions, rushing for 1,467 yards and 19 touchdowns (Joseph Troupe ran for 1,510 yards and 16 touchdowns) and catching a team-high 32 passes for 394 yards and five scores.

Early test: Aug. 23 at Clearwater (Fla.) Central Catholic

Just missed 

American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.)

Archbishop Hoban (Akron, Ohio)

Belleville (Mich.)

Center Grove (Greenwood, Ind.)

DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.)

Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.)

Kahuku (Hawaii)

Loyola Academy (Wilmette, Ill.)

North Crowley (Fort Worth, Texas)

Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)

Southlake (Texas) Carroll

Thompson (Alabaster, Ala.)

Westlake (Austin, Texas)