Football
The Dotted Line: Who will be this year’s top senior football player in Texas?
Posted December 6th, 2019
The approaching early signing period and the winding down of the high school season in Texas translates to an upcoming update to the 2020 Fabulous 55. Our last update was done before the season. Don’t expect a ton of major changes or an influx of new names, but we did learn more information from the 2019 season.
Who takes home the top spot as the No. 1-ranked player of the 2020 class? Here are five options:
Zachary Evans, running back, Galena Park North Shore
FYI: 5-11/200; 5 stars; not committed
Current Fab 55 ranking: 1st
Evans is the safest bet to end the cycle as the state’s top-ranked player. If he does, he’ll be the first player to remain at No. 1 throughout the entire cycle since I started running the Fabulous 55 in the 2017 class. Evans is big, fast, and possesses insane balance and excellent vision. He helped lead his North Shore team to a Class 6A Division I title last year as a junior and the program is back in the regional semifinals. The favorite to land him remains LSU, but he did postpone his expected commitment date this week.
Drew Sanders, athlete, Denton Ryan
FYI: 6-5/232; 5 stars; committed to Alabama
Current Fab 55 ranking: 5th
Sanders picked Alabama over Oklahoma last April and has never wavered from that pledge. The former quarterback could translate to a big tight end or, more likely, linebacker or defensive end at the college level. He was a first-team all-district selection at linebacker when he played at Colleyville Heritage as a sophomore. He made an immediate impact at Denton Ryan last year as a junior, earning district MVP honors after posting 119 tackles and eight sacks as well as two interception returns for touchdowns. No one in the state possesses more upside than Sanders due to his combination of size and athleticism.
Demond Demas, wide receiver, Tomball
FYI: 6-3/196; 5 stars; committed to Texas A&M
Current Fab 55 ranking: 2nd
Demas is a freak athlete who does backflips with ease and could probably win most dunk competitions. The future Aggie is undoubtedly the best wide receiver in the state. Unfortunately, he missed his senior season after the UIL blocked his transfer from North Forest, an inner-city school in Houston, to Tomball over the summer. Still, Demas will remain in the top five after spending his offseason torching the nation’s best defensive backs at various camps across the country.
Jaylon Jones, cornerback, Cibolo Steele
FYI: 6-1.5/190; 4 stars; committed to Texas A&M
Current Fab 55 ranking: 3rd
We’re not supposed to have favorites in this business, but the dirty secret is that each recruiting writer has a few kids in every class that catch their eye early. It’s fun watching those specific players blossom into elite talents, and that’s how I feel with Jones. He first came to my attention as a backup sophomore when current UT safety Caden Sterns, a former teammate of Jones’ at Cibolo Steele, tipped me off to the long, athletic underclassman. The rest is history. Jones is a borderline five-star talent with the athleticism to stick at corner and the size to move to safety.
Ja’Quinden Jackson, athlete, Duncanville
FYI: 6-2/219; 4 stars; committed to Texas
Current Fab 55 ranking: 4th
Jackson sits outside the top five for most of recruiting services despite being a mainstay in the top five of our rankings throughout this recruiting cycle. The reason is simple: He’s the best player on every field he’s ever graced, including the North Shore state title game that included roughly 30 future college football players. Jackson is a dual-threat quarterback with a unique blend of size, talent and sheer will of force. He’s an alpha male who gets others to follow. I don’t care what position he plays in college. I just know he’s a football player, and one of the best five in Texas.
RANK (PREV.) PLAYER POS. HIGH SCHOOL COLLEGE
1. (1) Zachary Evans RB Galena Park North Shore (6A) Uncommitted
2. (3) Demond Demas WR Tomball (5A) Texas A&M
3. (5) Jaylon Jones CB Cibolo Steele (6A) Texas A&M
4. (2) Ja'Quinden Jackson ATH Duncanville (6A) Texas
5. (6) Drew Sanders OLB Denton Ryan (5A) Alabama
6. (4) Chad Lindberg OT Clear Creek (6A) Georgia
7. (8) Vernon Broughton DT Cy Ridge (6A) Texas
8. (15) Hudson Card QB Lake Travis (6A) Texas
9. (7) Jase McClellan RB Aledo (5A) Oklahoma
10. (18) Haynes King QB Longview (5A) Texas A&M
11. (10) RJ Mickens S Southlake Carroll (6A) Clemson
12. (39) Quentin Johnston WR Temple (6A) Texas
13. (11) Jaylen Garth OT Port Neches-Groves Texas
14. (13) Alfred Collins DE Bastrop Cedar Creek (5A) Uncommitted
15. (31) Xavion Alford S Alvin Shadow Creek (5A) Texas
16. (9) Troy Omeire WR Fort Bend Austin (6A) Texas
17. (25) Nate Anderson OT Frisco Reedy (5A) Oklahoma
18. (14) Jalen Kimber CB Mansfield Timberview (5A) Georgia
19. (19) Prince Dorbah OLB Highland Park (5A) Texas
20. (29) Jaxon Smith-Njiba WR Rockwall (6A) Ohio State
21. (21) Alec Bryant DE Alvin Shadow Creek (5A) Uncommitted
22. (28) Princely Umanmielen DE Manor (5A) Uncommitted
23. (20) EJ Smith RB Dallas Jesuit (6A) Uncommitted
24. (12) Chris Thompson Jr. S Duncanville (6A) Auburn
25. (16) Malik Hornsby QB Fort Bend Marshall (5A) Uncommitted
26. (23) Seth McGowan RB Mesquite Poteet (5A) Oklahoma
27. (24) Logan Parr OG San Antonio O'Connor (6A) Texas
28. (22) Courtland Ford OT Cedar Hill (6A) Uncommitted
29. (17) Dwight McGlothern CB Klein Oak (6A) Uncommitted
30. (27) Jake Majors C Prosper (6A) Texas
31. (26) Lorando Johnson CB Lancaster (6A) LSU
32. (32) Jahari Rogers CB Arlington (6A) Florida
33. (34) Collin Sullivan WR Round Rock (6A) Purdue
34. (45) Jerrin Thompson S Lufkin (6A) Texas
35. (40) Devon Achane WR Fort Bend Marshall (5A) Texas A&M
36. (37) Darius Snow S Carrollton Hebron (6A) Michigan State
37. (35) James Sylvester DE Newton (2A) Baylor
38. (30) Bryson Washington S C.E. King (6A) Oklahoma
39. (33) Branard Wright DT Dallas Carter (4A) Uncommitted
40. (36) Marvin Mims WR Frisco Lone Star (5A) Oklahoma
41. (47) Josh White OLB Cy Creek (6A) LSU
42. (38) Brennan Scott OLB Bishop Dunne (TAPPS) Kansas
43. (44) Ty'Kieast Crawford OT Carthage (4A) Arkansas
44. (49) Kitan Crawford CB John Tyler (6A) Texas
45. (NR) Jalin Conyers TE Gruver (2A) Oklahoma
46. (NR) Kevontre Bradford RB Lancaster (6A) Uncommitted
47. (48) Parker Washington WR Fort Bend Travis (6A) Penn State
48. (51) Akinola Ogunbiyi OG Fort Bend Kempner (6A) Texas A&M
49. (50) Ryan Watts CB Little Elm (5A) Oklahoma
50. (43) Michael Henderson ATH Carrollton Ranchview (4A) Oklahoma
51. (54) Avery Helm CB Fort Bend Marshall (5A) Florida
52. (46) Garrett Hayes OT Athens (4A) TCU
53. (NR) Chandler Morris QB Highland Park (5A) Uncommitted
54. (42) Ken Seals QB Weatherford (6A) Vanderbilt
55. (55) Trent Pullen OG Waco Connally (4A) Oklahoma State
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