Spring football: 5 things to know about Palm Beach County high school football
Put on the pads and hold onto your helmets, Palm Beach County. Spring practice is here.
As area football teams traded in the weight room for the field on Monday, preparations for the 2024-25 season that's just around the corner have officially begun.
The Post is here to help fans with a study guide, filled with five key things to know about local high school football this spring. Take a look below.
A new head coach to know
Okay, so there's never a shortage of new coaches when it comes to Palm Beach County. However, among this season's multitude of changes, it'll be interesting to see what Dwyer's new hire Willie Smith, Jr. can do with the Panthers. Especially without the senior-led defensive corps that was the highlight of the Panthers' most recent 4-6 run under former coach Al Shipman.
When Smith was hired in January, the Dwyer football alumni and former assistant coach at the Benjamin School inherited a squad that's gone 23-23 in the last five years.
Who's set to dominate their senior spring?
Seminole Ridge senior Ty Jackson is arguably Palm Beach County's most coveted prospect heading into the 2024-25 cycle.
The 6-foot, 200-pound linebacker has been racking up over 100 tackles per season since his freshman year, and it doesn't look like he'll be breaking the tradition any time soon. Fans could even expect to see more production out of Jackson on offense after he showed off his versatility last fall, catching 15 passes for 257 yards and five touchdowns.
Recruiting services like Jackson, too. 247Sports has the four-star prospect ranked as the No. 14 linebacker in the nation for the 2025 recruiting class. Meanwhile, On3 has Jackson ranked No. 1 overall at his position.
Atop Jackson's growing stack of 28 offers are Florida State, Penn State, Tennessee, and Georgia.
An impact transfer to keep an eye on
When Chance Routson took to X to announce his transfer to Palm Beach Central in January, social media was shaken knowing the quarterback battle ahead with Caleb Butler on the Broncos' roster.
Routson completed over 61 percent of passes (129-for-211) for 2,760 total yards and 25 touchdowns helping Boca advance to 7A region semifinals for the first time since 2015.
Butler saw a senior-depleted Central to a defeat of Boca in the second-round. With 2,149 yards in the air and 29 touchdowns from Butler, the Broncos followed up a historic final four run in 2023 with a region runner-up finish in 2024.
Alas, Routson's arm was chosen to complement Central's highly touted receivers like four-star Miami commit Waden Charles, and the decision resulted in a big win for Palm Beach County's youngest program Dr. Joaquin Garcia.
On April 22, Butler shared to X that he would be joining the Bulldogs for their second year on the blue turf.
A game to get excited about
First game, best game? There are a handful of matchups and jamborees to make it out to between May 16 and the 18th, but if you just can't wait − and you're willing to put some gas in the tank − West Boca Raton heads north for a game at Vero Beach on Monday, May 12.
Vero Beach will be without its star quarterback Tyler Aronson, the Benjamin former who led the Indians on a 9-3 run to region semifinals before departing for the next level at SMU. However, both Vero and West Boca return a number of critical, younger pieces to the teams' successes last fall.
Under coach Dylan Potts, now entering his third year at West Boca, top-rated recruits like rising junior four-star Javian Mallory have put eyes around the state on the Bulls, who finished 9-3, and wins like a stunning first-round upset of Atlantic clinched program's first-ever playoff dub, plus some long sought-after legitimacy.
Which local team will be most prepared for the 2024-25 season?
Based only on the last bullet-point, answering Atlantic could seem premature. Yet, the Eagles have never been known to come into the season without being locked and loaded. Regardless of the the changes that may come at the helm, or the Power 5 signees like Florida State linebacker Jayden Parrish who turn their tassels at year's end.
Heading into that ill-fated night against West Boca back in November, Atlantic was 9-1, its only loss a heated 13-7 overtime battle at Cardinal Newman. The Eagles were learning a new culture under first-year coach Jamelle Murray, and an offense without three-star receiver Kamare Williams, who transferred to Central.
Atlantic's returning pass catchers, along with rising senior quarterback and three-year starter Lincoln Graf, will be happy to have the hands of Saint Andrew's transplant Teddy Hoffman. On the ground, incoming four-star American Heritage-Plantation transfer running back Deandre Desinor will fill the absence of shifty stud and UMass signee Da'Marion Alberic.
Emilee Smarr is a 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: Palm Beach County spring football: 5 things to know for 2024
