Alabama High School Football: Top players by position

Each year, more and more elite high school football talent seems to come out of the state of Alabama. The state routinely puts out more than 15 blue-chip recruits every year, with dozens more signing to play at the Power 4, FBS and FCS levels.

The 2025 and 2026 cycles in the Yellowhammer State appear to be stacked once again, with multiple top-100 prospects in both classes.

Using the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies, here are the top players by position in the state of Alabama this year:

Top offensive players in the Yellowhammer State

QB K.J. Lacey – Saraland
Lacey has been one of the nation’s most productive quarterbacks over his first two years as a full-time starter. In 2023, he led Saraland to a 14-1 record and state runner-up finish while completing 219 of 315 passes for 3,448 yards with 42 TD and 8 INT while also rushing for five more scores. That followed a sophomore season where he took Saraland to an Alabama 6A state title completing 200 of 314 passes (63.7%) for 3,177 yards with 40 TDs.

RB Anthony Rogers – Montgomery Carver
Rogers jumped onto the scene early in his career, earning Freshman All-American honors after helping Pike Road to the Alabama 5A state title. As a freshman, he ran for 1,139 yards and 18 TDs, while adding 15 catches for 401 yards and six more endzone trips. As a sophomore, he totaled more than 1,800 yards from scrimmage and 24 touchdowns before transferring to IMG Academy for his senior season. After one year there, he is back in the Yellowhammer State at Carver.

WR Cederian Morgan (2026) – Benjamin Russell
The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder looks to be the next in a recent line of elite wide receivers coming out of Alabama. Morgan caught 36 passes for 622 yards and 4 TDs as a sophomore in 2023, and is the top-ranked wideout in the state regardless of year.

TE Miles Uter – Bayside Academy
An SMU commit, Uter was productive in his first full year at the varsity level in 2023, hauling in 18 passes for 217 yards and four touchdowns while playing in a run-heavy system.

OT Carde Smith – Williamson
The hulking 6-foot-6, 300-pound offensive tackle committed to USC after backing off his pledge to Auburn in June. Smith is the No. 231 overall prospect in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also ranks as the nation’s No. 21 offensive tackle and No. 15 recruit Alabama.

IOL Micah DeBose – Theodore
DeBose has played all over the offensive line at the high school level, initially playing left tackle as a freshman before moving inside. During his sophomore season, DeBose was a first-team all-state selection. He graded 96% for Vigor on the season with 52 pancake blocks and 49 knockdowns. The 6-foot-4, 335-pounder is the No. 10 offensive lineman and No. 12 recruit in Alabama.

Top defensive players in the state of Alabama

EDGE Anthony Jones (2026) – St. Paul’s Episcopal
One of the most coveted recruits in the junior class, Jones ranks No. 7 overall in the 2026 On3 Industry Ranking. As a freshman in 2022, he totaled 130 tackles, 15 sacks, 2 INTs and 3 receiving touchdowns while playing both sides of the ball.

DL Malik Autry – Opelika
Autry has been a force on defense for Opelika. As a junior last season, Autry record 56 tackles, 9 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks as an Opelika-Auburn News All-Area football selection. Autry ranks No. 75 overall in the On3 Industry Ranking and seventh among defensive linemen.

LB Jakaleb Faulk – Highland Home
Faulk, an Auburn commit and younger brother of Tigers defensive end Keldric Faulk, accumulated 58 tackles as a junior along with 13 tackles for loss, three sacks, three pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

CB Na’eem Offord – Parker
As a junior at Birmingham Parker, Offord — an Ohio State commit — accounted for five interceptions and four pass breakups for the Thundering Herd. Offord also combined for over 500 rushing and receiving yards on offense, scoring 10 touchdowns. Offord is a Five-Star Plus+ prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking, ranked No. 9 overall in America.

SAF Anquon Fegans – Thompson
Fegans committed to Auburn ahead of his senior season back on July 29. Fifty-nine tackles, seven interceptions, seven forced fumbles and 11 pass breakups defined a stellar season for Fegans, en route to an 11-2 season for the Warriors.

ATH Derick Smith – Southside
Smith excelled on both sides of the ball for the Southside Panthers last season. On offense, he ran the ball for over 1,000 yards and racked up another 1,487 through the air. He combined for 23 touchdowns. On defense, Smith accounted for 74 total tackles and 11 sacks. Smith is the No. 45 player in the 2025 On300 and an Auburn commit.