Florida high school football: Preseason all-state, all-recruit team (with a twist)

If you were putting together a dream high school football team using only the top seniors in Florida, who would be on your team?

Before you start rattling off names, think about this: Who would you pick if you could only take one senior recruit per school?

For the third consecutive year, USA Today Florida Network put together a team of 25 (11 offense, 11 defense, kicker, punter and one athlete) of the top recruits in the class of 2022 using two main criteria:

1. Only one player per school. That's pretty self-explanatory.

2. Positions matter. So, if a player is an offensive tackle, we didn't bump them to center or say "OL" just to make it easier.

Got it?

Ok. Here we go.

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Offense

QB Colin Hurley (Trinity Christian)

We’re coming off a down year for the position in Florida, but the 2024 class is the start of a multi-year stretch with several Power 5 signal callers in the state. That starts with Hurley, the LSU commit who reclassified to the 2024 class. The Elite 11 finalist helped Trinity win the Class 1A championship in 2021 and threw for 1,513 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2022.

More: From Elite 11 to Super 11, Trinity Christian QB Colin Hurley keeps focus on championship

RB Micahi Danzy (Florida High)

The speedy Danzy — he won the 400 and was runner-up in the 200 at the USATF National Junior Olympic Championships in July — was outstanding for the Seminoles in 2022, with 191 carries for 1,809 yards and 17 touchdowns. Danzy is committed to Florida State.

More: Florida State football commit Micahi Danzy wins AAU 400 dash national championship

WR Jeremiah Smith (Chaminade-Madonna)

No reason to overthink this one. Smith, an Ohio State commit, is the top-ranked player on the USA Today Florida Network top 100 and one of the top overall recruits in the nation. The 6-foot-3, 198-pound Smith is a walking mismatch and an easy No. 1 target.

WR Bredell Richardson (Carrollwood Day)

The 6-foot, 165-pound Richardson does a lot of things well. He’s a good route runner, has strong hands, gets separation and makes defenders miss in the open field. Richardson caught 21 passes for 405 yards and three touchdowns in 2022. Richardson committed to UCF last week.

WR Lawayne McCoy (Miami Central)

The 6-foot, 170-pound Rockets wide receiver caught 20 passes for 491 yards and three touchdowns last season. A deep threat, McCoy is a smooth route runner with great hands and doesn't shy from contact. McCoy also made one of the biggest plays of 2022 when he intercepted a pass and returned it for the game-winning touchdown against IMG. He is committed to Florida State.

TE Timmy Lawson (Bishop Verot)

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Lawson caught 32 passes for 469 yards and a touchdown for Verot’s Final Four team in 2022. The two-sport athlete — he also plays baseball — has good hands, is adept at finding holes in zone coverage and is a strong blocker. Lawson is committed to North Carolina.

More: Tar Heels getting a dual threat: Verot's Timmy Lawson commits for football and baseball

OT Jonathan Daniels (Pine Forest)

Daniels, a Florida State commit, is heading into his third season as a starter for a Pine Forest team that won 22 total games the past two years and made a state championship appearance in 2021. The 6-foot-5, 290-pound Daniels is an athletic lineman with long arms and quick feet.

More: 'Where I'm supposed to be': Pine Forest's Jonathan Daniels discusses commitment to Florida State

OG Jake Guarnera (Ponte Vedra)

The 6-foot-4, 285-pound Guarnera was a Volusia-Flagler-St. Johns All-Area first-team selection in 2022. He has played tackle for two years at Ponte Vedra but is moving inside this season to prepare for Michigan, where he committed in April.

More: Jake Guarnera Boys Athlete of the Year at Volusia Flagler St. Johns High School Sports Awards

C Jason Zandamela (Clearwater Academy International)

Zandamela is an easy pick here as he arguably is the top-ranked center in the nation. The 6-foot-3, 285-pound USC commit originally is from Mozambique and has only been playing football since his sophomore year. Zandamela does a great job of making the initial block and then getting to the next level.

OG Eddy Pierre-Louis (Tampa Catholic)

Pierre-Louis is a 6-foot-3, 320-pound mauler. He is very strong, violent at the point of attack, finishes blocks and moves well. He has Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Miami, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas A&M, UCF and USC in his top-10.

OT Deryc Plazz (Mandarin)

Plazz, a Miami commit, is outstanding in the run game and helped Andrew Jackson win a district championship in 2022. The athletic 6-foot-5, 289-pound Plazz had over 60 pancake blocks and allowed just one sack last season.

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Defense

EDGE LJ McCray (Mainland)

With Mainland now freeing up McCray to play defense — he practiced just 30 minutes a week on that side of the ball last season — he’s cemented his spot as one of the premier defensive linemen in the state. The 6-foot-6, 260-pound McCray is No. 12 on the USA Today Florida Network top 100.

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EDGE Booker Pickett Jr. (Wharton)

Pickett has been one of the state’s most productive edge rushers the past few years. The 6-foot-4, 200-pounder had 56 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and 30 sacks in 2022. Pickett, the son of former Miami Hurricanes edge rusher Booker Pickett and nephew of former Ohio State defensive lineman Ryan Pickett, recently announced a top five of Florida State, Georgia, Miami, Ohio State and South Carolina.

DL David Stone (IMG)

Can only take one of the talented Ascenders and we’re going with Stone. The 6-foot-4, 280-pound Stone is ranked No. 2 on the USA Today Florida Network top 100 because of his ability to quickly get into the backfield and make plays. He’s the type of player offenses must plan their blocking schemes around.

DL Sincere Edwards (Wekiva)

Edwards’ combination size and speed has drawn comparisons to former Miami Northwestern and Pitt star defensive lineman Calijah Kancey, who was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' first-round pick in April. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Edwards had 27 sacks and 39 tackles for loss the past two years, and committed to Pitt on Tuesday.

LB Myles Graham (Buchholz)

The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Graham is back in Florida after playing at Woodward Academy (Georgia) last season. Graham, the son of former Florida Gators star and Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Earnest Graham, is the total package with his speed, strength, athleticism and high football IQ. Graham is a Gators commit.

More: Florida football: 2024 LB commit Myles Graham to play senior HS season in Gainesville

LB Adarius Hayes (Largo)

Hayes checks all the boxes. He’s long, quick, a violent hitter and one of the top cover linebackers in the state who punishes mistakes over the middle. The Florida commit, ranked No. 7 on the USA Today Florida Network top 100, had 121 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, forced three fumbles and broke up three passes in 2022.

CB Charles Lester III (Venice)

Lester, ranked No. 6 on the USA Today Florida Network top 100, recently committed to Florida State. He is long (6-foot-1) and athletic, which is why he was able to break up an astounding 18 passes and intercept four at Riverview in 2022. The pairing of Lester and Deylen Platt will make Venice very tough to throw against this season.

More: Lester's Florida State commitment a win over FSU legend-turned-rival Deion Sanders

CB Cai Bates (Edgewater)

Bates is the latest wide receiver-turned-cornerback from Central Florida who is expected to make a big impact at the next level. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Bates served notice of his ability as a defensive back with his three-interception performance against Tampa Bay Tech in the regional semifinals last fall. He’s primed for a big senior year.

CB Jamari Howard (Miami Norland)

Howard is another long, athletic (noticing a trend?) defensive back at 6-foot-2, 175 pounds. The former Michigan State commit broke up 15 passes and had an interception at Westland Hialeah last season. He’s physical at the line of scrimmage and isn’t afraid to come downhill and make plays in the run game.

S Jordan Pride (Blountstown)

It’s a coin flip between which Blountstown standout to put on the team — defensive tackle Artavius Jones or Pride. Pride spent time at IMG last season before returning to Blountstown for the final eight games and helping the Tigers reach the Final Four in Class 1R. The Texas A&M commit covers a lot of ground in the secondary, has good coverage skills and is a sure tackler.

S Brandon Jacob (Evans)

Evans, a Maryland commit, is a ball-hawking safety who intercepted five passes and broke up 10 others in 2022. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound Jacob has good speed and punishes mistakes. The combination of Pride and Jacob will make it very difficult on opposing quarterbacks.

Special teams

K Jake Weinberg (Delray Beach-American Heritage)

The Florida State commit has a very strong leg. Weinberg connected on five of eight field goals in 2022, including a career-best 57-yard kick against St. Andrew’s. Weinberg was perfect on his 17 extra point attempts and had touchbacks on 27 of 30 kickoffs.

More: Star seven: Meet the Palm Beach Post's All-County special teams selections

P Michael Kern (St. Thomas Aquinas)

Aquinas is loaded and certainly has other candidates for this squad, but Kern is one of the premier punters in the nation. The Texas commit averaged 41.2 yards per punt and dropped half of his punts inside the 20-yard line in 2022. He also had 57 touchbacks on his 83 kickoffs last season.

ATH Carlos Mitchell (Lakeland)

Mitchell was a jack-of-all-trades for Lake Wales' Class 3S state championship team last season. He caught 28 passes for 815 yards (29.1 yards per catch) and 12 touchdowns, recorded 81 tackles, nine tackles for loss, eight interceptions and 17 passes defended and had more than 400 return yards and had three special teams touchdowns in 2022.

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This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida high school football: Preseason all-state team (with a twist)