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.
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2013 ALL-USA RB Sony Michel
High school: American Heritage School (Plantation, Fla.)
As an eighth grader, it was already clear Michel was special.
He rushed for 1,825 yards and 18 touchdowns. His size and strength sparked rumors that he was an adult with children of his own and he was pretending to be a child, according to the Providence Journal.
Michel had 1,730 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns as a freshman, but tore his ACL and missed his sophomore season. He had a smaller load his junior year, getting only 130 carries, but he still broke the 1,200-yard mark.
As a senior, Michel cemented his status as a high school great, rushing for 1,840 yards and 24 touchdowns while eclipsing the 2,000 all-purpose yard mark.
Michel went on to play at Georgia, helping the Bulldogs win four bowl games and reaching the College Football Championship in his senior year.
As a rookie on the Patriots, Michel had 931 rushing yards and six touchdowns in 13 regular season games but has made his true mark in the playoffs.
In two games, he has 242 rushing yards and five scores.