Kickoff 2011: A look at the area's top senior high school football recruits

Local high schools continue to produce college football players.

Several players have verbally committed to attend Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I) and Football Championships Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) colleges on a scholarship.

Of course nothing is official until the first Wednesday of February 2012 when players can sign their binding National Letters of Intent.

The Press will follow the recruiting of local high school players our season on our High School Gameday page every Friday and online at GameDayExtra.com. This list of seniors was put together after interviewing players and coaches and researching various national recruiting websites.

Kaiwan Lewis

St. Joseph

DE, 6-foot-2, 227 poundsA four-year starter, Lewis had offers from multiple schools, including national powers Auburn and Florida. Lewis had 79 tackles and six sacks for the Wildcats last season.

University of South

Carolina

 

Dan Mastromatteo

Holy Spirit

LB, 6-2, 215Mastromatteo had 90 tackles and 11 sacks last season. He decided to stay with the Tar Heels even after coach Butch Davis was fired in July.

University of North

Carolina

 

Austin Johnson

St. Augustine Prep

OL/DL 6-6 280St. Augustine Prep coach Dennis Scuderi said Penn State coaches are arguing over whether Johnson should play offense or defense for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State University

 

Ryan Morris

Barnegat

TE, 6-6, 248Morris had a dozen scholarship offers. He caught 29 passes for 484 yards and four touchdowns last season.

Purdue University

 

Max Valles

St. Joseph

DE, 6-5, 208Valles is so athletic he could play multiple positions in college. He also excels at wide receiver for St. Joe. He had 51 tackles and 10 sacks last season.

University of Virginia

 

Christian Brown

Bridgeton

DT, 6-2, 280Brown could be one of the season's biggest surprises. He transferred to Bridgeton after playing the past two seasons in Fort Myers, Fla. He has scholarship offers from more than 15 schools, including Purdue, Illinois, Louisville and Connecticut.

Undecided

 

Sean Henigin

Bridgeton

OL, 6-7, 335Henigin has offers from Duke, North Carolina and Rutgers.

Undecided

 

Tyrell Smith

Lacey Township

OL, 6-4, 280Marshall and Tulane have offered Smith scholarships

Undecided

 

Nico D'Angelo

Holy Spirit

OL, 6-4, 270Leads an offensive line that should be one of New Jersey's best. Nigel Jones

Villanova University

 

Holy Spirit

RB/DB 5-9, 198Jones was troubled by an ankle injury last season but still ran for 746 yards and eight touchdowns. He will play more defense this season. Temple, Western Michigan and Miami (Ohio) have offered him scholarships.

Undecided

 

Mark Clements

Oakcrest

DB, 5-11, 170Clements picked off seven passes and made 34½ tackles last season.

Villanova University