ESPN High School Football Kickoff Returns for 15th Year (2024)

• Six Games Across ESPN Platforms, August 16-25
• Kickoff Features 28 Players Ranked in ESPN 300 and ESPN Junior 300
• Seven Top-25 Nationally Ranked Teams Including Five in the Top-Ten

The ESPN High School Football Kickoff returns for its 15th year, Friday, Aug. 16 – Sunday, Aug. 25. The six-game slate features 28 players ranked in the ESPN 300 and ESPN Junior 300 and will be featured on ESPN, ESPN2 and the ESPN App. Of the ESPN 300 athletes participating, eleven have already committed to top Division I college football programs, including Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU, Miami, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and USC.

2024 ESPN High School Football Kickoff Schedule
*Notes: All times are ET
*Player rankings from ESPN 300 (Seniors in the Class of 2025) and ESPN Junior 300 (Class of 2026)

Friday, August 16
Carrollton (Ga.) at Woodward Academy (Ga.)
8 p.m. ET on ESPN2 from Woodward Academy in College Park, Ga.

• Carrollton QB Julian Lewis reclassified and is now the No. 2 ranked player in the senior class. Lewis is headed to USC next season along with senior DB Shamar Arnoux. No. 19 ranked junior Zelus Hicks – S leads a stacked junior class for the No. 16 nationally ranked Trojans, alongside No.75 CB Dorian Dorian Barney (Alabama commit), No. 138 WR Ryan Mosley, and No. 265 OC Zykie Helton.
• Woodward Academy was the 6A runner-up in Georgia last season. The War Eagles return senior ATH Josiah Abdullah (fielding over 20 offers) and senior WR Jerome Bettis Jr. is committed to Notre Dame (following in the footsteps of his NFL HOF father Jerome Bettis Sr.) Senior CB RJ Harrison (Duke offer) is the son of Patriot great Rodney Harrison, while RB Amarri Irvin (son of former NFL player Sedrick Irvin) already has over 20 offers as a sophom*ore.

Thursday, August 22
Grayson (Ga.) at Thompson (Ala.)
8 p.m. ET on ESPN2 from Thompson High School in Alabaster, Ala.

• Grayson is regularly one of the most talented teams in Georgia, making deep playoffs runs in one of the country’s toughest divisions. Last season was no different as the Rams advanced to the 7A semifinals. The defense will again be stout, with senior DE Andre Fuller committed to Georgia Tech and senior DT Josiah Victor headed to Boston College. The defensive line will be reinforced by two ESPN Junior 300 LB’s: No. 11 Tyler Atkinson and No. 258 Anthony Davis Jr.
• Thompson has been a state champion in Alabama four of the past five seasons. They lost by just two points in the state final last season but look to get back to championship form with and No. 28 senior Jared Smith – DE and No. 36 senior Anquon Fegans – S (Auburn commit). Sophom*ore QB Trent Seaborn already has over 20 offers.

Friday, August 23
Milton (Ga.) vs. American Heritage (Fla.)
7 p.m. on ESPN from the Broward County National Football Showcase at Brian Piccolo Stadium, St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

• Milton won the 7A state title in Georgia last season in arguably the most competitive division/playoff bracket in the nation. The Eagles are ranked No. 7 in the nation and they return most of their state championship team from last year, including No. 50 ranked senior Ethan Barbour – TE (Georgia commit) and No. 174 senior C.J. Wiley – WR (FSU commit).
• American Heritage is ranked No. 12 nationally and they feature one of the most talented young rosters in the country, including No. 8 ranked junior, QB Dia Bell (Texas commit). No. 70 ranked junior Brandon Bennett will be Bell’s main target at WR, while RB Byron Louis balances the offense as the No. 182 ranked senior.

Saturday, August 24
Bishop Gorman (Nev.) at St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.)
4 p.m. on ESPN from the Broward County National Football Showcase at Brian Piccolo Stadium, St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

• Bishop Gorman finished last season undefeated, and they enter this season as the No. 1 ranked team in the country. They will be hard to beat again this year with a dominant offensive line and six total ESPN ranked players: No. 10 senior S.J. Alofaituli – OG (Miami commit), No. 13 senior Douglas Utu – OT (Tennessee commit), No. 103 senior Alai Kalaniuvalu – OC (Oregon commit), No. 187 senior Derek Meadows – WR (LSU commit); No. 17 junior Jett Washington – ATH, and No. 46 junior James Carrington – DE.
• Thomas Aquinas was 14-1 last year and are ranked No. 5 nationally. Their only loss came in the first game of the season to St. John Bosco on ESPN Kickoff. No. 27 junior Justice Fitzpatrick is the highest ranked recruit on the team, but the Raiders have seven players already committed to Division 1 programs and several more recruits fielding multiple offers.

St. John Bosco (Calif.) vs. Chaminade-Madonna (Fla.)
8 p.m. on ESPN2 from the Broward County National Football Showcase at Brian Piccolo Stadium, St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

• John Bosco enters the season ranked No. 9 nationally. The Braves typically reload as one of the most talented teams in the country, and that continues with over ten recruits receiving multiple offers, including senior WR Kamryn Jones (Georgia, Michigan, Oregon) and No. 174 junior Daniel Odom – WR
• Chaminade Madonna is the No. 8 ranked team in the nation. Although several top-ranked players graduated last season, they feature No. 274 senior Chris Ewald – CB (Miami commit), as well as three ESPN Junior 300 ranked players: No. 13 Jabari Brady – WR, No. 54 Derrek Cooper – RB and No. 273 Denairius Gray – WR (Auburn commit)

Sunday, August 25
Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, (Ga.) at Baylor School (Tenn.)
1 p.m. on ESPN from Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tenn.

• Rabun Gap was 13-1 last season with key wins against out of state opponents: Baylor (Tenn.) Valor Christian (Colo.), Charlotte Christian (N.C.), and Providence Day (N.C.). Their one loss was a rematch to Providence Day in the NCISAA state finals. The Eagles return No. 220 senior Justin Hasenhuetl – OG (Georgia Tech commit), while five other seniors are already committed to Division 1 programs.
• Baylor has made regular appearances in the Tennessee Div. 2 Class 3A finals, having won the state title in 2022 and as runner-up last season. Baylor features No. 108 senior Cameron Sparks – ATH, in addition to five recruits receiving multiple offers in their senior and junior classes.

2025 ESPN 300 Participants (Seniors)

2026 ESPN Junior 300 Participants

SportsCenter Next:
For in-depth coverage of the ESPN High School Football Kickoff, including highlights and exclusive content, follow @sportscenternext on Instagram and @SCNext on Twitter.

About Paragon Marketing Group
Paragon Marketing Group is a corporate consulting agency specializing in sports, entertainment and cause related sponsorships. Paragon has collaborated with ESPN for over 20 years to deliver more than 1,200 live high school sports telecasts featuring many of the top teams and players in the nation.

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