* Nyckoles Harbor is a five-star football recruit and an equally impressive track prospect
Photo Credit: Jamison Michaels/MileSplit
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Over the last two years, a trend has been emerging in high school track.
Elite football recruits are beginning to have bigger and bigger impacts at the highest levels in the sport.
That's resulted in not just state championships won, but in national-level times, elite performances, national titles and, in some cases, even state records being achieved. Take a gander into the national top 50 list for the 100m and you'll see any number of three-, four- and five-star football athletes occupying spots in the rankings.
What do their futures hold?
We wanted to track how some of the top-rated and coveted crossover talents performed over the recent season, so we compiled a list of those prospects, using information from the 247 Sports recruiting database to go along with our MileSplit rankings.
We came up with 14 of the best football and track talents over the recent season.
For more, check out just how these athletes performed this past year.
Rodrick Pleasant, Juniperro Serra (CA)
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Class of 2023
247 Rating: Four stars
MileSplit Ranking:
100m: National No. 2, 10.14 (+1.7)
200m: National No. 2, 20.40 (+2.0)
MileSplit50 No. 9
Outlook: Pleasant, a four-star cornerback prospect who stands at 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, has some insane upside. It's one reason why Boston College, Oregon, USC, Arizona and Arizona State, among others, are tracking him on the recruiting circuit. This spring alone, he set a new California state wind-legal record in the 100m with a time of 10.14 seconds. By next year, if gradual improvement sees him dipping under 10.10, he could leave his career as ... not just one of California's best sprinters ever, but of any high schooler ever, anywhere.
What's that mean on the football field? When you combine his football acumen with his track speed, there's a special blend of skill here. He played both offense (he had two touchdowns in 2021) and defense a year ago, accumulating 15 tackles. His projected future? It seems like there's a very clear path forward in football, but based on the speed and track potential he showed this campaign, there's a small reason to think his future in track could continue in college.
Nyckoles Harbor, Archbishop Carroll (DC)
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Class of 2023
247 Rating: Five stars
MileSplit Ranking:
100m: National No. 8, 10.28 (+0.9)
200m: National No. 18, 20.95 (+0.4)
MileSplit50 No. 12
Outlook: Almost every football program in the country rates Harbor as a potential superstar. He's rated as a five-star recruit in the composite 247 Sports system, which tracks not overall production at the high school level but projected conversion (essentially, what's his pro potential?) at the college level and beyond. Gatorade named him as D.C.'s Player of the Year for the most recent season. In a lot of people's eyes, Harbor has a potential NFL career ahead of him. He's 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds.
On the track, he ran a top 10 wind-legal 100m and a top 20 200m. Plus, he competed on national stages both indoors and outdoors. And to some, he didn't even hit his ceiling. That's scary to think about. As an edge rusher -- though he also could be a long-term middle-linebacker -- speed certainly helps.
For those wondering if he'll run track in college? We'd love to see it ...but it's probably unlikely.
Jordan Anthony, Tylertown (MS)
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University of Kentucky signing
Class of 2022
247 Rating: Four stars
MileSplit Ranking:
100m: National No. 2, 10.13 (+1.2)
200m: National No. 1, 20.35 (+2.0)
MileSplit50 No. 6
Outlook: Anthony isn't someone who will pass the eye-test. That's no slight. At just 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds, he looks more like the common man than someone who possesses the preternatural.
But then watch him run.
Anthony set the high school track and field space on fire this spring, flying out to national No. 1 times before ending the year at U.S. No. 2 at 100m and U.S. No. 1 in the 200m -- this weekend, he ran a blistering time of 20.35 seconds at the USATF U20 Championships, earning a ticket to Worlds; in fact, he's the only football player on this list who achieved that feat.
Speed is speed. Which means Anthony is the kind of threat you just can't ignore. That's one reason why Kentucky was keen on acquiring the speedster. In high school, Anthony was a wide receiver who averaged 86 yards per game and had 27 catches for 434 yards in 2021.
He's the kind of playmaker that will remind you of Ted Ginn -- he's a player with game-changing speed.
Pierre Goree, Duncanville (TX)
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Southern Methodist University signing
Class of 2022
247 Rating: Three stars
MileSplit Ranking:
100m: National No. 4, 10.22 (-0.5)
4x100m: National No. 1, 39.98
MileSplit50 No. 35
Outlook: Raw power. Raw speed. That's what Goree exuded on the track in 2022. He ran the 100m and was damn good at it: He actually ran the fastest FAT (all conditions) time in the country for the outdoor season, timing in at 10.08 seconds. What's more? He is coming off an 100m title at NSAF Nationals, where he ran a winning time of 10.36 seconds.
In high school, the 6-foot-1 and 220 pound safety for the Panthers was a three-star recruit who welcomed offers from SMU, Arkansas, Boston College and Cincinnati, among others. What's his future on the track? This one doesn't have a great ending: SMU doesn't have a men's track team. So it's football for the foreseeable future for Goree.
Rayshon Luke, St. John Bosco (CA)
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University of Arizona signing
Class of 2022
247 Rating: Four stars
MileSplit Ranking:
100m: National No. 11, 10.32 (+0.9)
200m: 21.69
MileSplit50 Honorable Mention
Outlook: Luke skipped his junior track season and came back into the fray in 2022, producing a top 15 time in the 100m nationally. Perhaps that was all preparation for the next level, where Luke has a pretty good gig lined up with Arizona.
But that's not to say Luke lacks credentials. At 5-foot-8 and 175 pounds, he wants you to know he has wheels. On his MaxPreps profile, in fact, he's listed as 'Speedy Luke.'
Over his spring campaign he caught 22 passes for 389 yards and three touchdowns, to go along with 944 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns. On the season, that led to 1,388 total yards for the St. John Bosco, which finished with a 10-2 record.
Luke was a four-star prospect, picking up offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Boston College and Duke. We don't think we'll see him much longer on a track, but keep an eye on 'Speedy Luke.' He just may make some big-plays down the line for Arizona.
Fitzroy Ledgister, St. Peter's Prep (NJ)
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Rutgers University signing
Class of 2022
247 Rating: Three stars
MileSplit Ranking:
100m: National No. 36 all conditions, 10.30w
200m: National No. 67, 21.29 (-0.8)
Outlook: One of the more underrated sprinters of 2022? That's none other than Ledgister, who was a national runner-up indoors in the 200m (21.24). He also ran a top 50 all conditions mark in the 100m and a top 100 mark in the 200m outdoors. Perhaps Ledgister has more speed waiting to be unleashed at the next level.
But that just may come on the football field, where he signed with Rutgers over the NLI period. All the measureables say Ledgister is a really interesting prospect. He's 6-foot-2 and 186 pounds, with sub-10.4 speed. On the field as a senior, he caught 27 passes for 390 yards and six touchdowns, yielding over 32 yards per catch. That led to offers from Rutgers, Army and Monmouth.
If Rutgers can somehow get him on a track in college, good things could await.
John Rutledge, Dallas Highland Park (TX)
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University of Texas signing
Class of 2022
247 Rating: No stars
MileSplit Ranking:
200m: National No. 9, 20.83
Outlook: Before the 2021-2022 calendar school year began, if you would have asked us where Rutledge would have ended up collegiately, we would have said with a Big Five football program. The three-star prospect had offers from Air Force and LSU at some point, according to 247 Sports.
But then the 6-foot and 160 pound athlete found track. He finished fourth in the 200m at the Texas state championships as a junior. He proceeded to run an early U.S. No. 1 in the 200m indoors and then followed with an array of accomplishments at 200m outdoors: He ran his first 21-flat, his first sub-21 and then a career-best mark of 20.55 at the Texas State Meet. The University of Texas came calling, and Rutledge couldn't resist: He eventually signed with the Longhorns' track program.
Has an athlete ever transitioned from track back to football? Of course. But while we don't know the course of Rutledge's future in Burnt Orange, there's no doubt his final two years of high school track showed him a promise that he was willing to dive deeper into, and for good reason.
Isaiah Sategna, Fayetteville (AR)
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University of Arkansas signing
Class of 2022
247 Rating: Four stars
MileSplit Ranking:
100m: 10.80w
110mH: National No. 15, 13.80
200m: 21.83
300mH: National No. 25, 37.37
MileSplit50 Honorable Mention
Outlook: When you combine Sategna's above average speed with his elite hands and open-field ability, you get a superstar. The senior from Fayetteville caught 100 passes for 1,908 yards in 2021. He had 17 touchdowns. He had over 2,000 combined yards for a 10-3 team. Those are all wow-level stats.
Now, you might scoff when we say above average. But we don't think you can't compare Sategna, who stands at 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, to the likes of Harbor, Anthony or Jackson, who have the kind of straight-line speed that converts to superstar-level success in the 100m.
Above average speed can still equate to elite track success, though. And Sategna was one of the nation's top hurdlers, owning two top 30 honors in both the 110m and 300mH. He won four titles in his last trip to Arkansas' State Championships. At the end of the day ...it isn't just about speed, it's what you do with it. As a four-star recruit, Sategna will head to Arkansas and look to further his career on the field.
Will we see him on the track? There's a chance, especially when you consider Arkansas has one of the top track programs in the country. But if we were to bet, we'd say will likely have a very good football career, possibly even a legendary one.
Domani Jackson, Mater Dei (CA)
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University of Southern California signing
Class of 2022
247 Rating: Five stars
MileSplit Ranking:
('21) 100m: National No. 4, 10.25 (+1.7)
Outlook: Jackson clearly has his focus on football. In fact, the Mater Dei (CA) superstar didn't even run high school track in 2022 -- he opted to enroll early at USC to get his feet wet. Go anywhere online and you'll find all sorts of information about Jackson: He's one of the top recruits in the country at his position. He helped lead Mater Dei to a perfect 12-0 record. The 6-foot-1 and 185 pound cornerback has everything you want in a cover man: Big, strong, lightning fast.
One recruiting profile of him said that he "can bully opposing receivers at the line of scrimmage." So, yeah, Jackson is a beast. That one true track and field season he did have back in 2021? It also showed his elite speed. He finished the year as the top dog in California, earning a 100m championship in 10.25 seconds -- taking down the sophomore Pleasant and Max Thomas in the process.
While we do not have any reason to think Jackson will run track at USC, it was fun while it lasted.
Leon Elloie, Warren Easton (LA)
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Class of 2022
247 Rating: No rating
MileSplit Ranking:
100m: No. 38 all conditions, 10.31
200m: 21.77
Outlook: As far as we can tell, Elloie has yet to commit or sign with a program, though that could be under the radar, or just not official yet. Rivals, for context, shows that the University of Louisiana Monroe has an offer out to Elloie. Whatever the future holds for this Louisiana sprint talent, however, could bode well for a future program. As the saying goes, ratings don't make the man. There have been plenty of unranked football players who have made their way to the NFL ranks before.
What makes Elloie, who stands at 5-feet-8 and 155 pounds, an intriguing prospect? He's a winner, and he's gone under 10.4 more than once. He's a three-time Louisiana state champion who won his second straight 100m title this season. While he was more consistent in 2021 -- turf toe limited him over the 2022 track season -- he ran his fastest time overall in March, clocking an all conditions best of 10.31 seconds.
Brenen Thompson, Spearman (TX)
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University of Texas signing
Class of 2022
247 Rating: Four stars
MileSplit Ranking:
100m: National No. 18 all conditions, 10.22w
200m: National No. 10 all conditions, 20.73 (above)
Outlook: One adept recruiting profile of Thompson referred to him as a "big-play machine," which means ...you give him the ball in the right spot and he could be gone. Speed certainly is Thompson's biggest game-changing characteristic, and he displayed that quite often in track and field, where he finished his career with three state titles, including the sprint double in 2022.
Competing inside Texas stadiums didn't always afford Thompson the luxury of wind-legal times, but it's hard to discount his top 20 all conditions performances, both which came either at the regional or state level. While he won't blow you away with his size -- he's 5-feet-10 inches and 165 pounds -- Thompson will make things happen with the ball. He narrowed down his choices to Alabama, Clemson, OK State, Oregon, Texas and Texas A&M.
Historically, there hasn't been a lot of crossover between Texas football and Texas track athletes, but perhaps Thompson could buck that trend.
Tyler King, Houston Alief Taylor (TX)
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Texas Tech University signing
Class of 2022
247 Rating: Three stars
MileSplit Ranking:
('21) 200m: National No. 7, 20.74 (+1.8)
Outlook: King, a 5-foot-10 and 160 pound wide receiver for Alief Taylor, didn't have the same effectiveness over the 2022 track season that he did in 2021, which saw him finish third in the 200m at the UIL Track and Field Championships that year.
But sometimes the margins are just that small. Still, you could still see the potential there.
King did have a solid 2022 campaign, clocking season best times of 10.61w and 10.65w in the 100m and 21.17w and 21.39 in the 200m.
On the football field, meanwhile, he was a bonafide star, recording 44 receptions and covering 548 yards to go along with six touchdowns. He finished with 780 total yards and led Alief Taylor to a 6-5 record. This isn't much of a debate: His focus will assuredly be football in college.
Dominique McKenzie/Marcus McKenzie, St. George Pine View (UT)
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Brigham Young University signings
Class of 2022
247 Rating: Three stars, three stars
MileSplit Ranking:
Dominique
('21) 100m: National No. 67, 10.60
('21) 200m: National No. 14, 20.96
Marcus
('22) 100m: National No. 79, 10.54
('22) 200m: National No. 64, 21.28
Outlook: Late-comers to the track game in 2021, Dominique and Marcus both made major waves last spring -- the pair were among the top 100 sprinters that campaign nationally.
But this year, only Marcus was able to have a full season, and he finished with the first Utah State Championship of his career in the 100m. On the football field, these brothers were absolute studs.
Dominique, a 6-foot and 170 pound receiver, finished his senior season with 34 catches and 814 yards, which equated to an insane 135 yards per game. He also had nine touchdowns. Marcus, meanwhile, caught 15 passes for 254 yards and had three scores. Both are headed to BYU, where they likely will focus on football -- BYU, however, would certainly welcome an infusion of speed to their men's track and field program.
* Nyckoles Harbor is a five-star football recruit and an equally impressive track prospect
Photo Credit: Jamison Michaels/MileSplit