Dave PurpuraColumbus Dispatch
With Ohio high school football teams opening practice Aug. 1, it’s time for The Dispatch to reveal the top 25 seniors in the Columbus area for the 2024 OHSAA season.
Players were selected based on 2023 statistics, postseason honors and rankings from various recruiting services, including 247sports.com, On3.com and Rivals.com.
Don’t see a player you are looking for? Give it time. They might make an appearance in our positional breakdowns in August, when we reveal the top 10 players at each position in central Ohio.
Here is The Dispatch’s list of the area’s best seniors, in alphabetical order:
Best central Ohio high school football seniors in 2024
Danny Blair, Fairfield Christian
Last year’s Division VII district Offensive Player of the Year and a first-team all-state honoree, Blair rushed for 1,431 yards and 19 touchdowns on 200 carries in leading the Knights to a Region 27 semifinal.
Preston Bowman, Pickerington North
The wide receiver and Kentucky commit caught 43 passes for 713 yards and nine touchdowns, earning second-team all-district and honorable mention all-state in Division I. He also averaged 36.3 yards per punt.
Taizaun Burns, East
A running back/wide receiver as a sophom*ore and quarterback as a junior, Burns amassed 4,329 all-purpose yards and 61 touchdowns the past two years. He also had 74 tackles and seven interceptions during that time as a defensive back. He holds 18 Division I offers.
Jake Cook, Westerville North
The 6-foot-5, 300-pound offensive lineman and four-star recruit fielded more than 20 Division I offers and committed to Ohio State on June 23 after previously being committed to Louisville. He was third-team all-state and first-team all-district in Division I last year.
2023 Dispatch All-Metro: Who are the best high school football players in central Ohio?
Conlan Dent, Ready
The 6-2, 200-pound linebacker had a team-leading 115 tackles, three forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries to earn first-team all-district and honorable mention all-state in Division IV.
Terris Dudley, Hilliard Bradley
Listed as an all-around athlete for recruiting purposes, the Toledo commit racked up 41 tackles, three interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery as the Jaguars reached their first Division I state semifinal. Dudley was honorable mention all-district.
Blake Elliott, East Knox
The Division VI district Defensive Player of the Year and first-team all-state honoree at linebacker led the Knox-Morrow Athletic Conference in tackles with 134, including 10 for loss, and again is expected to anchor the Bulldogs’ ground game.
Dawayne Galloway Jr., Marion-Franklin
A defensive back who committed to Purdue on July 5, Galloway had five interceptions and returned one for a touchdown in 2023 to earn first-team all-district and all-state in Division IV. Galloway earned more than two dozen Division I offers. In track, he was Division II state runner-up in the 100 meters this spring.
Jaystin Gwinn, Westerville Central
A three-star recruit and second-team all-district and honorable mention all-state selection in Division I, Gwinn accounted for 3,156 yards (1,869 passing and 1,287 rushing) with 17 passing touchdowns and 13 rushing scores last year.
Malakai Hammond, Northland
Vikings coach Ryan Sayers expects Hammond to anchor both lines coming off a junior season in which he had 33 pancake blocks offensively and 15 tackles, including five for loss, and a sack on defense.
J.J. Jah, Olentangy
Jah, who holds 12 Division I offers and plays running back, receiver and defensive back, is a three-star recruit at cornerback. He had 49 tackles and three interceptions and broke up seven passes as a junior.
2023 All-Central District: Who earned honors last fall?
Jalen Joyce, Groveport
The 6-0, 260-pound defensive tackle had 72 tackles, including 30 for loss and 11 sacks, last year. Joyce was OCC-Buckeye Defensive Player of the Year, first-team all-district and third-team all-state in Division I.
Wyatt Keyt, West Jefferson
The first-team all-district and third-team all-state honoree makes the most of his 5-7, 150-pound frame, having led the Roughriders in total (90), solo (61) and assisted (29) tackles at linebacker during a run to the Division VI, Region 23 final. He also accounted for 932 yards and 15 touchdowns on offense.
Beckett Long, Granville
The first-team all-district and second-team all-state quarterback in Division III passed for 2,841 yards and 29 touchdowns and rushed for 780 yards and 13 scores in a 12-1 regional semifinal season. Long has committed to Middlebury College.
Holtz Maine, Fairbanks
A 6-5, 225-pound defensive end and tight end, Maine made 66 tackles – 49 solo – with 17 for loss, 11 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 2023. He was named first-team all-district and second-team all-state in Division VI.
Ty Neubert, DeSales
The two-way lineman has started 36 consecutive games on defense dating to his freshman year and earned first-team all-district in Division II last year. The Ohio University commit had 42 tackles last fall, 12 for loss, with three sacks.
Hyde O’Rielley, Fisher Catholic
A first-team all-district and all-state selection in Division VII each of the past two seasons, O’Rielley caught 39 passes for 702 yards and 10 touchdowns in nine games. He made 69 tackles with two sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and an interception at defensive back.
Kentrell Rinehart, Westland
The North Carolina State commit, Division IV district Offensive Player of the Year and first-team all-state selection rushed for 2,837 yards and 42 touchdowns as a junior at Ready before transferring to Westland. He finished with 3,003 all-purpose yards.
Owen Ruff, Fairfield Union
Ruff rushed for 1,538 yards and 17 touchdowns last year and added 60 tackles and two interceptions at outside linebacker, earning first-team all-Southeast District and honorable mention all-state in Division IV.
Ethan Schwalbauch, Teays Valley
A 6-0, 200-pound linebacker, 93 of Schwalbauch’s 128 tackles in 2023 were solo. He also had seven stops for loss and a sack, earning first-team all-district and second-team all-state in Division II.
Talil Spikes, Africentric
A defensive end and tackle, the 6-2, 270-pound Spikes had 60 tackles and 15 sacks as the Nubians won seven games, the most in program history. Spikes was named first-team all-district and third-team all-state in Division V.
Ethan Thanthanavong, Bloom-Carroll
The two-year starter passed for 2,153 yards and 23 touchdowns and ran for four more scores last year, earning first-team all-district and third-team all-state in Division III. Thanthanavong threw for 1,235 yards and 10 scores as a sophom*ore.
Cal Thrush, Upper Arlington
A 6-4, 250-pound defensive end and Michigan State commit, Thrush was a linchpin in the Golden Bears’ run to the Division I, Region 3 final. Thrush, who received 18 Division I offers, earned second-team all-district and honorable mention all-state.
Brennen Ward, Gahanna Lincoln
The Kentucky commit threw for 2,370 yards with 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions in guiding the Lions to a 12-0 start and Region 3 semifinal. Ward also ran for 164 yards and six scores and was named second team all-district and honorable mention all-state in Division I.
Jackson Wiley, Olentangy
The son of former Ohio State and NFL running back Michael Wiley caught 75 passes for 1,152 yards and 15 touchdowns in helping the Braves to a Division I, Region 2 semifinal. Wiley was named first-team all-district and all-state.
dpurpura@dispatch.com
