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July recruiting: Local football and volleyball stars commit to top schools

emilee smarr, palm beach post
·4 min read

From the volleyball court to the football field, local high school teams are preparing to get back to competition next month.

For now, it's still summer vacation. But the amount of preps news coming out of Palm Beach County suggests otherwise.

Preseason classics are set to begin the week of Aug. 14. For your entertainment until then, here are six top recruiting headlines from July.

Duke volleyball picks up St. Andrew's standout Charlotte Glass

Charlotte Glass (11) celebrates a point during 3A girls volleyball action at The Benjamin School in in Palm Beach Gardens on Sept. 6. The Scots won the night's match in three straight games over the host Buccaneers.
Charlotte Glass (11) celebrates a point during 3A girls volleyball action at The Benjamin School in in Palm Beach Gardens on Sept. 6. The Scots won the night's match in three straight games over the host Buccaneers.

A turnaround season for St. Andrew's, flipping from 7-10 to a 15-6 region final finish, was charged by a breakout season for Glass, now reaping the rewards of her hard work with her recent commitment to Duke.

Before varsity games officially kick off on Aug. 21, the 6-foot-1 lefty setter not only can call herself a Blue Devil but an All-American after Prep Volleyball selected the 2025 recruit as a standout in this summer's club circuit.

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Pahokee four-star drops top three before August decision

Pahokee's highly touted wideout and defensive end is on the fast track to college. In June, Hardley Gilmore reclassified to the 2024 recruiting class. Now, ahead of an Aug. 25 decision, the 6-foot-1, 165-pound, long-limbed, light-footed two-way star's latest announcement is his top three: Penn State, Kentucky and Central Florida.

According to 247Sports, Gilmore is strongly favored to land at Kentucky, also the choice of 2024 recruit and former Cardinal Newman running back Tovani Mizell.

King's top 10 recruit Kelly Kinney commits to Minnesota volleyball

Although another varsity season on the volleyball court approaches, a summer of milestones will certainly be tough to top for King's Academy's Kelly Kinney. Among 20 athletes chosen for USA Volleyball's Girls U19 roster, Kinney kicked off May with a trip to the National Team Training Center in Anaheim, California. June was spent dominating the coverage of prep recruiting services, finishing the month third at nationals alongside Charlotte Glass with Tribe Volleyball.

July began with Kinney's commitment to play at the University of Minnesota — a program that hasn't missed the NCAA tournament in nearly a decade, exiting the 2022 season at region finals with its last final-four appearance in 2019. Before the month's end, the 6-foot-2 outside hitter was ranked No. 9 in Prep Volleyball's national rankings for the Class of 2025.

Suncoast basketball star earns seventh Division I offer

Suncoast's "Big Wiggle" has been a favorite among college coaches throughout the summer. He received an offer this month from Sam Houston in Texas, just days after the Bearkats joined Conference USA.

Suncoast's Ian Smikle (30) and Stone Bureau (0) face Dwyer in boys high school basketball action in Riviera Beach on Jan. 25. Dwyer won 46-45.
Suncoast's Ian Smikle (30) and Stone Bureau (0) face Dwyer in boys high school basketball action in Riviera Beach on Jan. 25. Dwyer won 46-45.

Since late May, the 6-foot-9 power forward and center has been recruited by Seton Hall, Jacksonville, Tulsa, Northeastern and North Carolina A&T. High Point became the first team to offer Ian Smikle in June of 2022.

Heritage-Delray's Riley Shahin chooses University of Charleston volleyball

Graduation came and went without a commitment for the bright spot of the American Heritage-Delray volleyball team. The patience paid off for Shahin, who announced her intention to play at the University of Charleston in West Virginia on July 22.

The Stallions finished 3-17 last fall. Despite her last high school season not ending with a storybook playoff run, Shahin's senior stat line was her best. She led the roster with 150 digs, averaging 11.5 per match, and in serve receives with 295 in 45 sets.

Palm Beach football recruits pick future destinations

Three private school football recruits picked their next destinations this month. Staying in the state was the way to go for Benjamin three-star offensive tackle Chase Malamala and his former teammate Ricky Knight III. Knight, now a Cardinal Newman Crusader, saw a childhood dream become reality with his pick of Florida State, and Central Florida commit Malamala kept a family tradition alive with his decision to take his career to Orlando for the next level.

Cardinal Newman three-star ATH Kevin Levy chose Rutgers surrounded by family, friends, teammates, and his mother, Chakela Montgomery, “in spirit” on July 15.
Cardinal Newman three-star ATH Kevin Levy chose Rutgers surrounded by family, friends, teammates, and his mother, Chakela Montgomery, “in spirit” on July 15.

There was still an out-of-state win in July. Rutgers grew the Palm Beach County pipeline with the addition of Newman three-star ATH Kevin Levy.

The Scarlet Knights also call former Pahokee running back Ja'Shon Benjamin one of their own.

Pahokee running back Jashon Benjamin (1) runs down the field under pressure from Palm Beach Central's Agustus Mckoy (58) in the first half at Palm Beach Central on Sept. 16 in Wellington.
Pahokee running back Jashon Benjamin (1) runs down the field under pressure from Palm Beach Central's Agustus Mckoy (58) in the first half at Palm Beach Central on Sept. 16 in Wellington.

Emilee Smarr is the high school sports reporter for The Palm Beach Post. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: July full of big commitments for local football and volleyball stars