Bishop Gorman Football: Top players to watch during the 2024 season

Since bursting onto the national scene in the mid-2000s, Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman has cemented itself as one of the country’s premier high school football powers.

The Gaels have won 14 state championships since 2007 in three different classifications, four national championships (including 2023) and are perennially featured on ESPN as one of the nation’s programs to watch. In that time, they’ve also produced dozens of Division I football players and a number of NFL Draft picks.

Their 2024 roster is loaded with Division I talent as well in the 2025, 2026 and 2027 classes, including six players who are sure to make a major impact this season:

WR Derek Meadows

At 6’5 and 180 pounds, Meadows is one of the country’s most intriguing wide receiver prospects. His junior season production wasn’t huge (15 catches for 391 yards) but he did turn eight of those into touchdowns. He’s also an elite track and field athlete, winning the 300M hurdles and placing second in the 110M hurdles as a sophomore at Nevada 5A state championship. If that athleticism can translate to even better numbers on the field, look out.

IOL Douglas Utu

Utu already stands close to 6’5 and weighs in at over 300 pounds, making him a mammoth of an offensive lineman at the high school level. A multi-year starter for the Gaels, he leads what should be one of the premier offensive line groups in the country.

IOL SJ Alofaituli

Much like his aforementioned counterpart, Alofaituli is already built like a college lineman. He has been starting on Gorman’s offensive line since he was a freshman.

ATH Jett Washington (2026)

Another jumbo athlete standing 6’5 and close to 200 pounds as a junior, Washington could project to a number of different positions at the next level. He was credited with 37 total tackles and two interceptions while playing safety extensively as a sophomore. In Gorman’s season-opening 33-7 victory over Kahuku, the No. 1 team in Hawaii, Washington picked off two passes as the Gaels’ defense locked down.

DL James Carrington (2026)

Originally from the Baltimore area, Carrington was MaxPreps Sophomore All-American while playing at St. Frances (Md.) Academy before transferring into Rabun Gap-Nacoochee (Ga.). He’ll suit up for the Gaels this season though and will look to build on a massive 2023 campaign where he notched 33 tackles (22 TFL), 38 quarterback hits, 15 sacks and two forced fumbles in 9 games.

CB Hayden Stepp (2027)

Already standing nearly 6’4 and 175 pounds, Stepp is only a sophomore but should make an impact for the Gaels in the secondary along with Washington. He’s ranked as top-100 prospect nationally in the class of 2027 with a handful of early offers to his name.