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Here's a look at the top 20 recruited Greater Akron/Canton high school football players

brad bournival and peter holland jr., usa today network
·6 min read
Playing in the National Championship is the dream of many a high school football player. The first step comes with going to a place where that dream is possible. Here are the top 20 Greater Akron/Canton athletes in terms of college recruiting.
Playing in the National Championship is the dream of many a high school football player. The first step comes with going to a place where that dream is possible. Here are the top 20 Greater Akron/Canton athletes in terms of college recruiting.

The most important few months of a college football hopeful comes right now.

As high school football showcase camps give way in a few months to ID camps at college campuses around the nation, recruiting hits a fevered pitch. From unofficial visits to offers from Division I programs, names remembered in the fall are made now.

With that in mind, here's an inaugural look at the top 2024-26 athletes in regards to the Greater Akron/Canton area. These rankings were certainly change over the next few months, but for now here's an initial look:

1. William Satterwhite, Hoban

Class of 2024

Offensive lineman, 6-foot-5, 300 pounds

Hoban's William Satterwhite has watched his college recruiting hit a fevered pitch after a solid junior season.
Hoban's William Satterwhite has watched his college recruiting hit a fevered pitch after a solid junior season.

Satterwhite’s 28 offers are littered with schools from the Southeastern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference and Big Ten. The four-star recruit’s spring break visits include Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia and Penn State.

2022 College football recruiting: New names emerge in Greater Akron/Canton player rankings

2. Tommy Ricard, Hudson

Class of 2024

Offensive lineman 6-3, 275

Hudson's Tommy Ricard, left, has seen is college recruitment take off. The junior should expect more schools to come calling before his senior season.
Hudson's Tommy Ricard, left, has seen is college recruitment take off. The junior should expect more schools to come calling before his senior season.

Ricard has 14 offers, including ones from Michigan State, Minnesota, Boston College, West Virginia, Kentucky and Maryland. The three-star recruit’s latest offer came from the Golden Gophers.

3. Tysen Campbell, Hoban

Class of 2024

Safety, 5-11, 177

Hoban's Tysen Campbell continues to impress Division I college football coaches and looks like a can't-miss in the 2024 recruiting class.
Hoban's Tysen Campbell continues to impress Division I college football coaches and looks like a can't-miss in the 2024 recruiting class.

Campbell has 14 offers, including ones from Michigan, Kentucky and Wisconsin. He doesn’t have an offer from Ohio State just yet but visited Columbus recently.

East running back Ziaire Stevens is soaring up the recruiting rankings despite only being a sophomore.
East running back Ziaire Stevens is soaring up the recruiting rankings despite only being a sophomore.

4. Ziaire Stevens, Akron East

Class of 2025

Running back, 5-10, 170

Stevens may be the fastest rising star in the area with 13 offers. Cincinnati, Pitt, Indiana and Boston College are the biggest names after the talented sophomore.

5. JacQai Long, Hoban

Class of 2024

Quarterback, 6-2, 200

Hoban quarterback JacQai Long has double digit college scholarship offers as he enters the most important spring of his recruiting career.
Hoban quarterback JacQai Long has double digit college scholarship offers as he enters the most important spring of his recruiting career.

Long has 10 offers including from Kent State, Marshall, Miami, Toledo and Memphis. He recently trained with Anthony Boone, who has produced 177 scholarship quarterbacks in the last seven signing classes and trained nine quarterbacks who were drafted since 2016.

East's Ibraheem Kamara has all the assets to succeed at the Division I college level, which is why schools are all over the Dragons star.
East's Ibraheem Kamara has all the assets to succeed at the Division I college level, which is why schools are all over the Dragons star.

6. Ibraheem Kamara, Akron East

Class of 2024

Athlete, 6-3, 185

The senior announced his commitment to Toledo on Sunday night. He has 10 offers with most of the Mid-American Conference on the Dragons star.

7. Dante McClellan, McKinley

Class of 2025

Athlete, 6-2, 195

Dante McClellan of McKinley picks up yardage during their game at GlenOak on Friday, Oct. 14, 2022.
Dante McClellan of McKinley picks up yardage during their game at GlenOak on Friday, Oct. 14, 2022.

McClellan will be a junior next fall but already has coaches knocking on his door. McClellan holds seven offers, four from Power Five schools. Pittsburgh is his recent offer. McClellan has started visiting schools, including Ohio State recently.

8. Rickey Williams, Hoban

Class of 2024

Linebacker, 6-2, 230

St. Vincent-St. Mary quarterback Gabe Mansel is chased out of the pocket by Hoban's Rickey Williams, left, and Deon Rodgers on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022.
St. Vincent-St. Mary quarterback Gabe Mansel is chased out of the pocket by Hoban's Rickey Williams, left, and Deon Rodgers on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022.

Williams is one of the fastest rising juniors with West Virginia, Buffalo, Bowling Green and Toledo among his nine offers. The Mountaineers had him on an unofficial visit right before the 2023 national signing day.

9. Brandon Zurbrugg, Alliance

Class of 2024

Quarterback, 6-4, 185

Zurbrugg is perhaps the top quarterback in Stark County and has seven offers to show for it. From the Ivy League to the MAC, Zurbrugg has been on the Division I radar since his sophomore year.

10. Jordan Pritchard-Sewell, Hoban

Class of 2024

Defensive lineman/outside linebacker, 6-2, 270

Hoban's Jordan Pritchard-Sewell chases down St. Vincent-St. Mary QB Gabe Mansel during a 2022 regional semifinal.
Hoban's Jordan Pritchard-Sewell chases down St. Vincent-St. Mary QB Gabe Mansel during a 2022 regional semifinal.

Pritchard-Sewell picked up four offers in a 13-day span and now has seven. Included in that list are Akron, Kent State and West Virginia.

Massillon linebacker Dorian Pringle pressures the quarterback at GlenOak, Friday, Aug. 26, 2022.
Massillon linebacker Dorian Pringle pressures the quarterback at GlenOak, Friday, Aug. 26, 2022.

11. Dorian Pringle, Massillon

Class of 2024

Linebacker, 5-11, 225

Momentum started to pick up for Pringle after landing his first offer from Bowling Green in late January. He's got four offers total and has visited Miami (Ohio) and Ohio.

12. Nolan Davenport, Massillon

Class of 2025

Tight end, 6-6, 240

With Davenport standing 6-6, it's no question schools are intrigued. For now, he carries three offers, including from Pittsburgh, which was his first offer last November.

13. Anthony Miller, Lake

Class of 2024

Offensive line, 6-5, 275

Matthew Sollberger of Lake looks for an opening as Anthony Miller (79) blocks during their game at McKinley on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021.
Matthew Sollberger of Lake looks for an opening as Anthony Miller (79) blocks during their game at McKinley on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021.

Miller carries three offers (Penn, Air Force and Toledo). He's started at left tackle for Lake the last two years, helping team reach regional final last fall.

14. Daniel Ajose, St. Vincent-St. Mary

Class of 2024

Edge, 6-6, 210

College coaches are hoping opponents see double with recruits David Ajose, left, and Daniel Ajose coming as an incredible package deal.
College coaches are hoping opponents see double with recruits David Ajose, left, and Daniel Ajose coming as an incredible package deal.

Ajose has offers from Toledo and Bowling Green. The junior also visited Pitt and was a standout at the Raw Talent Sports Showcase this spring.

15. David Ajose, St. Vincent-St. Mary

Class of 2024

Athlete, 6-5, 210

Ajose has offers from Toledo and Bowling Green. He also made unofficial visits to Pitt and Miami (Ohio). He learned under Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline last summer in Columbus.

16. Devin Bell, Hoban

Class of 2024

Outside linebacker/edge, 6-2, 240

Archbishop Hoban High's Devin Bell celebrates recovering a fumble against St. Vincent-St Mary last season.
Archbishop Hoban High's Devin Bell celebrates recovering a fumble against St. Vincent-St Mary last season.

Bell has an offer from Miami (Ohio) and is being recruited heavily by the RedHawks. The second-team Division II All-Ohioan also has interest from Tennessee and West Virginia.

17. Debo Mitchell, Akron East

Class of 2024

Athlete, 6-0, 185

Mitchell has offers from Miami (Ohio), UMass and Central Michigan. He has interest from Western Michigan, Youngstown State, Toledo and Ohio.

18. Caleb Jones, Hoban

Class of 2024

Athlete, 5-10, 185

Hoban running back Caleb Jones in action during the 2022 season.
Hoban running back Caleb Jones in action during the 2022 season.

Jones has offers from Toledo and Kent State. He plans to attended the Rockets' spring game on Saturday. Expect more colleges to come calling after ID camps and showcases this spring.

19. Jalen Slaughter, Massillon

Class of 2025

Quarterback/athlete, 6-foot, 162

Slaughter has one offer from Akron after starting at quarterback the last two years for the Tigers.

20. Dior Garner, McKinley

Class of 2025

Defensive line, 6-4, 290

Garner landed his first offer from Bowling Green on Jan. 28. He also has visited Akron and Kent State. He likely will play both ways for McKinley this fall.

On the cusp: Zach Baglia, 6-2, 170, WR, Green (2024); Chase Bond, 6-4, 250, DE/TE Massillon (2024); Avantae Burt 5-8 165 ATH GlenOak (2025); Jake Clapper, 6-3, 230, Hudson (2025); Carson Dyrlund, 6-2, 200, QB, Hoover (2024); Cody Fair, 6-1, 225 LB, Massillon (2024); Sam Greer, 6-8, 290, OL, Hoban (2026); SirCharles Gordon, 6-5, 185, WR/OLB, STVM (2024); Nino Hill, 6-0, 215, RB, McKinley (2025); Chaz Grudosky 6-4, 290, OL, Tuslaw, (2024); John Keough, 6-0, 190, ATH, Walsh (2024); Eli Lee, 6-2, 210, LB, Hoban (2025); Jaezen Lewis, 6-6, 315, OL, Alliance (2025); Antonio Martin 5-10, 185 WR/CB, Green, (2025); Aaron Ries, 6-2, 285, OL, Wadsworth (2024); Brailon Wilcox, 5-8, 150, CB GlenOak (2024); Xavier Williams, 5-10, 160, ATH, Hoban (2024) Michael Wright Jr., 5-11, 270, DE, Massillon (2025)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: College football recruiting: Top 20 Greater Akron/Canton standouts