High school rankings aren’t everything, but sometimes top players continue to excel into adulthood. Super Bowl LIII will feature five players who made an ALL-USA team while in high school. Let’s take a look at the players who blossomed into NFL-caliber talent and their high school accomplishments leading up to it.
The list doesn’t include Los Angeles Rams RB Malcolm Brown (Injured Reserve), DB Steven Parker (practice squad) or New England Patriots RB Jeremy Hill (Injured Reserve), none of whom will play in the game.
The 2019 Super Bowl between the Rams and Patriots will take place Feb. 2 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. It can be viewed on CBS.
2000 ALL-USA OL ANDREW WHITWORTH
High school: West Monroe High School (La.)
Following the NFC Championship Game, Andrew Whitworth was in familiar territory.
He was celebrating a victory at the Superdome. As a high school athlete, Whitworth won three championships in that same stadium. At LSU, he won the 2003 BCS National Championship Game there, too.
The first two titles came before many current high school football player had even been born.
Whitworth led West Monroe High School (La.) to the 1997, 1998 and 2000 championships, all of which were undefeated seasons. He was ranked as the No. 1 offensive guard by 247Sports and No. 38 player in the nation.
To top off his high school career, Whitworth played in the first-ever U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
At LSU, Whitworth set a school record by playing in and starting 52 games, which included a 22-game streak of not allowing a sack, according to the team bio.
He was drafted in the second round by the Cincinnati Bengals, where he played for 11 seasons, made three Pro Bowls and was twice named an All-Pro. Whitworth signed with the Rams in 2017 and made the Pro Bowl that year.
Up next: 2005 ALL-USA WR Sam Shields, Booker High School (Sarasota, Fla.)