SBLive's 2023 all-state Florida high school football teams
The 2023 high school football season was filled with tremendous moments and spectacular performances on both an individual and team level in the Sunshine State.
Some players built off their dominant seasons from the year before and made the list in back-to-back seasons while others had true breakout years making a name for themselves.
Here is SBLive's all-classification, all-state team in the state of Florida for fall 2023.
Our guiding criteria:
1. Individual performance and accolades.
2. Success of team held considerable weight in selections.
3. A player was only eligible at one position.
4. Players selected for inclusive individual awards (such as state MVP Jeremiah Smith of Chaminade-Madonna, or Defensive POTY Michael McClenton of Ocoee) did not double on the all-state teams.
SBLIVE’S 2023 ALL-STATE FOOTBALL TEAMS
ALL-STATE FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
Quarterback: Ennio Yapoor, Miami Norland, Jr. (2M)
Was a threat to not only hurt you with his arm, but also via use of his legs on any given play. Yapoor threw for 4,270 yards, 30 touchdowns versus just four picks and also rushed for 793 and 12 scores.
Running back: Laython Biddle, Bartram Trail, Sr. (4S)
Teams knew the Bears would give a heavy dosage of Biddle and just couldn't stop him. The senior workhorse rushed for 2,198 yards on 302 carries and scored 26 touchdowns.
Running back: Chris Wheatley-Humphrey, South Broward, Sr. (3M)
The University of Miami (FL) signee rushed for 2,076 yards and scored 16 touchdowns for the Bulldogs. Proved to be one of the state's best backs on a weekly basis.
Running back: Shawn Simeon, Jr., Naples (3S)
The bell cow for the Golden Eagles' ground attack was Simeon and the tailback was one of the toughest runners around to track down in the state. The junior rushed for 2,040 yards and scored 27 touchdowns, highlighted by a 387-yard, seven-touchdown performance against Port Charlotte in the 3S region semis.
Wide receiver: Jabari Brady, So., Monarch (4M)
When it comes to who might be the next best wide receiver out of South Florida could be Brady. The sophomore had 1,392 yards on 70 receptions and 10 touchdowns.
Wide receiver: Isaiah Riggins, Sr., Wiregrass Ranch (4S)
Riggins was first amongst all receivers in the Sunshine State in receiving yards with 1,586 yards on 93 receptions and 16 touchdowns.
Wide receiver: Vernell Brown III, Jr., Jones (3M)
The junior wide receiver came over from Wildwood in the off-season and made a major impact offensively. Brown III hauled in 70 passes for 1,363 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Wide receiver: TJ Moore, Sr., Tampa Catholic (2M)
The Clemson-bound wide receiver had one of the highest yards-per-catch ratios in the entire state, averaging 25.4. Moore caught 50 passes for 1,272 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Offensive lineman: Jordan Seaton, Sr., IMG Academy (Ind.)
Without a doubt one of the state's best offensive tackles playing for one of the country's top programs. The 6-foot-5, 287-pound tackle, a Colorado signee, helped lead the way for 20 touchdowns on the ground.
Offensive lineman: Jonathan Daniels, Sr., Pine Forest (3S)
The Florida State signee anchored an Eagles' offensive line that paved the way for over 3,000 yards of offense. Daniels proved once again he's one of the state's top offensive linemen.
Offensive lineman: Jason Zandamela, Sr., Clearwater Academy International (Ind.)
The center started two seasons for Clearwater Academy International and despite being new to football, led the way for the Knights' offense up front. Zandamela has already signed on to play at the University of Southern California.
Offensive lineman: Eddy Pierre-Louis, Sr., Tampa Catholic (2M)
The Oklahoma signee anchored the Tampa Catholic line this past season for the Crusaders. Pierre-Louis led the way for an offense that compiled over 5,000 yards. Also is one of the most well rounded linemen around, as he ran a 12.97 in the 100M and benched pressed 225 pounds 25 times.
Offensive lineman: Deryc Plazz, Sr., Mandarin (4M)
The Miami (FL) signee led the way up front for a Mustangs' offense that compiled over 6,600 yards and 68 total touchdowns. Mandarin finished the season as the Class 4M runner-ups.
Athlete: Fred Gaskin, Sr., Vanguard (3S)
The USF signee will play defensive back on the next level, but at Vanguard had to play quarterback along with his role in the secondary. Gaskin completed 158-of-257 passes for 2,097 yards, 18 touchdowns and also rushed for 619, 16 scores. On defense, the senior made 36 tackles and broke up three passes for the state semifinalists.
Hybrid: Dwayne Wimbley Jr., Sr., Westminster Academy (SSAA)
Whether Wimbley Jr. was asked to catch passes at wide receiver or chase down opposing quarterbacks, he did it. The junior caught 67 passes for 1,340 yards, 14 touchdowns on offense. Flipping over to defense, the edge rusher made 40 tackles, 14 of them went for a loss and notched 8.5 sacks.
Hybrid: Jeff Jones, Jr., St. Petersburg (3M)
When you carry the offense the way Jones did at St. Petersburg, you definitely belong in this category of hybrid. The Green Devils' quarterback had to do a lot on the offensive end, rushing for 2,178 yards on 182 carries, scoring 28 touchdowns. Added 845 yards passing on 67 completions and threw 10 touchdowns.
Placekicker: Jay Giunta, So., Buchholz (4S)
As just a sophomore, Giunta makes the case of being a bonafide D-I kicker right now. Giunta was solid on PAT's (45-of-47) and was nearly automatic on field goals going 15-of-16 and hit a long of 47 yards.
ALL-STATE FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
Defensive lineman: Kedrick Burley, Sr., St. Thomas Aquinas (3M)
Burley truly made his presence known week in and week out for the Class 3M state champion Raiders. Burley finished with 61 tackles, 30 for loss, 25 sacks, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery.
Defensive lineman: Antonio Henley, Jr., Gaither (3M)
The undersized defensive tackle played at a high level for the Class 3M state semifinalist Cowboys, with Henley tallying 77 tackles, 40 for a loss and 22 sacks.
Defensive lineman: LJ McCray, Sr., Mainland (3S)
The Buccaneers' senior defensive lineman caused havoc on the line of scrimmage. The Florida signee nabbed nine sacks and 77 tackles, 37 for a loss and 13 sacks on Mainland's state championship team.
Defensive lineman: Richardson Toussaint, Jr., South Broward (3M)
Toussaint this past 2023 campaign for the Bulldogs had 27 sacks along with 63 tackles, 31 for loss, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles.
Defensive lineman: Booker Pickett, Sr., Wharton (3M)
The Wildcats' defensive end always caused havoc on the line of scrimmage. The Miami (FL) signee nabbed 16 sacks and 66 tackles, 23 for a loss.
Linebacker: Johnquae Richardson, Sr., Lake Wales (3S)
The Highlanders' linebacker had himself another stellar season in his senior finale. Richardson racked up 145 tackles, 38 for loss, six sacks, five pass breakups, three interceptions and two forced fumbles. Finished with a total of 387 tackles during his time at Lake Wales.
Linebacker: Samadrae Hawkins, Sr., Cocoa (2S)
The hard hitting middle linebacker notched 151 tackles, 23 went for a loss, 4.5 sacks, four fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles. Hawkins finishes his time with the Tigers as the program's all-time leading tackler.
Linebacker: Andrew Zock, Sr., Hawthorne (1R)
For the 2023 season, Zock racked up 143 total tackles, 20 going for a loss, 5.5 sacks, forced seven fumbles, recovered three and intercepted a pass. The Navy signee played at middle linebacker for the Class 1R champion Hornets.
Linebacker: Eli Seed, Sr., Venice (4S)
The amount of tackles that Seed was in on is hard to ignore. Seed had a solid senior campaign for Class 4M finalists, racking up 168 tackles, 11 that went for a loss and five sacks.
Defensive back: Drake Stubbs, Jr., Mandarin (4M)
The highly coveted top defensive back intercepted six passes, broke up six more, recovered three fumbles and made 97 tackles, 8.5 went for a loss for the Class 4M runner-ups.
Defensive back: Zaquan Patterson, Sr., Chaminade-Madonna (2M)
The University of Miami (FL) signee locked up one side of the field for the Lions. Patterson had 247 tackles, broke up nine passes and picked off six.
Defensive back: Chris McCorkle, Jr., Cardinal Mooney (1S)
McCorkle showed everyone on the biggest stage what he was fully capable of. The junior caught two passes for 116 yards, two touchdowns in the Class 1S state championship victory. Also played a major role defensively for the Cougars in helping them win a state title, intercepting eight passes.
Defensive back: Rukeem Stroud, Jr., Tampa Bay Tech (3M)
The Titans’ junior intercepted six passes and broke up seventeen. Will be one of the state’s best defensive backs in 2024. Already has offers from schools like Illinois, Penn State and Wisconsin.
Athlete: Chalil Cummings, Sr., Bradford (2S)
The lockdown senior defensive back ended with 83 tackles, seven pass breakups and three interceptions. On offense, Cummings was the team's go-to-receiver and added over 800 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
Hybrid: Javon Ross, Sr., DeLand (4S)
Many may remember Ross for what he did on the ground in Rick Darlington's offense, but the senior was a pretty dang good defensive back. Ross intercepted six passes along with making 20 tackles. On offense, the running back rushed for 1,022 yards and scored 19 touchdowns.
Hybrid: DJ Pickett, Jr., Zephyrhills (3S)
Whenever you play full-time at the free safety position and compile over 1,000 yards receiving, it's the definition of doing it on both sides of the ball. Pickett has offers from plenty of Power Five level programs like Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State and Oregon.
Punter: Michael Kern, Sr., St. Thomas Aquinas (3M)
The Raiders didn't punt a whole lot, but when they did, Kern was a weapon. The senior punted 25 times for an average of 46.3 and 14 landed inside of the 20-yard line.
