Top 5 Florida High School Football Players of The 2010's: Opinion

Derrick Henry’s national rushing record and Lamar Jackson’s seven-touchdown performance headline a countdown featuring five multi-time NFL Pro Bowlers.

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Derrick Henry’s national rushing record at Yulee, Dalvin Cook’s championship performances at Miami Central, and Lamar Jackson’s ability to take over games at Boynton Beach helped define Florida high school football in the 2010s.

They join St. Thomas Aquinas defensive end Nick Bosa and American Heritage cornerback Patrick Surtain II in the ranking of Florida’s top five high school football players of the 2010s, in this reporter's opinion. The countdown considers high school accomplishments, varsity production, individual honors, and postseason impact.

5. Pat Surtain II, CB, American Heritage — Class of 2018

Surtain developed into the nation’s top cornerback prospect while helping American Heritage finish 14-0 and win Class 5A championships in both 2016 and 2017. Playing for his father, former Miami Dolphins cornerback Patrick Surtain Sr., he shared the secondary with fellow future NFL cornerback Tyson Campbell.

He earned first-team All-Broward recognition in his final two seasons, and second-team MaxPreps All-America honors in 2017, finishing as the No. 6 overall prospect in the 2018 247Sports Composite.

At Alabama, Surtain helped the Crimson Tide win the 2020 national championship and earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors that season. Denver selected him ninth overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, and he won the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award with the Broncos in 2024.

Patrick Surtain II helped American Heritage win consecutive Class 5A state championships in 2016 and 2017 before becoming a first-round NFL draft pick. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

4. Nick Bosa, DE, St. Thomas Aquinas - Class of 2016

Bosa was a four-year starter on a St. Thomas Aquinas defense loaded with Division I talent, helping the Raiders win Class 7A championships in 2012, 2014, and 2015. He earned first-team Class 7A all-state honors as a sophomore and junior, with his 2014 season producing 56 tackles, 29.5 tackles for loss, and five sacks.

Bosa finished his high school career as a consensus five-star recruit ranked No. 3 nationally by ESPN in the Class of 2016.

Bosa followed his older brother and fellow Raider, Joey, to Ohio State, where he earned Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year honors in 2017 before San Francisco selected him second overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. With the 49ers, he won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2019 and AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2022, leading the league with 18.5 sacks during the latter season.

Nick Bosa reacts after a sack for the 49ers. The St. Thomas Aquinas graduate was a four-year starter for the Raiders during three state championship seasons. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

3. Lamar Jackson, QB, Boynton Beach - Class of 2015

Jackson’s versatility and ability to beat defenses in multiple ways made him one of the most dangerous players Palm Beach County has seen. Playing for coach Rick Swain at Boynton Beach, he earned first-team Class 6A all-state recognition and became the school’s first recipient of the Lou Groza High School Player of the Year award.

As a junior, Jackson threw for 1,740 yards and 25 touchdowns and rushed for 1,401 yards and 16 touchdowns. He followed that with 1,293 passing yards and 20 touchdown passes, along with 1,039 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns, in his senior year.

Jackson carried Boynton Beach to a 63-58 district win over Coconut Creek, scoring seven touchdowns, two passing and five rushing. He scored the winning touchdown on a diving 6-yard run with six seconds remaining, capping one of his most memorable high school performances. Jackson finished his prep career as a four-star prospect and the nation’s No. 8 dual-threat quarterback in 247Sports.

He went on to win the 2016 Heisman Trophy at Louisville before Baltimore selected him 32nd overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. Jackson has since won NFL MVP awards in 2019 and 2023, while his hometown honored him in May 2026 by retiring his No. 7 jersey at Boynton Beach and renaming the school entrance Lamar Jackson Way.

Lamar Jackson scrambles for Boynton Beach, where he earned all-state recognition and became the school’s first Lou Groza High School Player of the Year. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

2. Dalvin Cook - RB, Miami Central - Class of 2014

Cook capped his high school career with 223 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries against Armwood in the 2013 Class 6A championship. The Rockets rolled to a 52-7 victory, claiming their second straight state title.

He finished that senior season with 1,940 rushing yards on 177 carries, averaging nearly 11 yards per attempt, and also intercepted three passes on defense. The Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Football winner ended his prep career with 4,267 rushing yards and 64 rushing touchdowns, according to Florida State’s biography, and earned first-team Class 6A all-state honors twice.

Cook carried that production to Florida State from 2014 through 2016, leaving as the school’s career leader with 4,464 rushing yards and 46 rushing touchdowns. Minnesota selected him 41st overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, and he became a four-time Pro Bowler with four straight 1,000-yard seasons from 2019 through 2022. 

Dalvin Cook runs during the 2014 Under Armour All-America Game after helping Miami Central win consecutive state titles, including a four-touchdown performance in the 2013 final. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

1. Derrick Henry - RB, Yulee - Class of 2013

Henry’s 12,124 rushing yards and 153 touchdowns at Yulee solidify the top spot in this countdown. His career included a record-breaking night against Taylor County on Nov. 16, 2012, when a 52-yard touchdown early in the second quarter pushed him past Ken Hall’s national career rushing mark of 11,232 yards. Henry finished the 41-26 playoff victory with 482 yards and six touchdowns on 58 carries.

He closed his Yulee career with 4,261 rushing yards and 55 touchdowns on 462 carries as a senior, after posting 2,788 yards in 2010 and 2,610 in 2011. He averaged 327.8 yards per game and 9.2 yards per carry in his final season, earning national high school player of the year honors from both MaxPreps and the Maxwell Football Club.

Henry went on to win the 2015 Heisman Trophy and a national championship at Alabama before Tennessee selected him 45th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. He led the NFL in rushing in 2019 and 2020, with his 2,027-yard season in 2020 earning NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors. He joined Jackson in 2024, bringing two of Florida’s most accomplished high school players together in Baltimore’s backfield.

Derrick Henry acknowledges the crowd on the night he broke Ken Hall’s national career rushing record in 2012. The Yulee star finished with 482 yards and six touchdowns against Taylor County. | USA TODAY Sports