Top 17 high school quarterbacks in Florida entering 2025 headlined by American Heritage superstar

Kendall Webb

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Top 17 high school quarterbacks in Florida entering 2025 headlined by American Heritage superstar image

Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida

American Heritage (Plantation) Patriots QB Dia Bell is committed to the Texas Longhorns.

Even with 17 ranked quarterback prospects on our list of 2025 top Florida quarterbacks, American Heritage (Plantation) senior Dia Bell manages to stand out.

Bell, a consensus 5-star prospect in the Class of 2026, has been playing varsity football since eighth grade when he appeared in four games, scoring a couple of rushing touchdowns while attempting 12 passes. He is the son of former NBA journeyman Raja Bell who played for seven NBA teams over the course of a 12-year career. The senior Bell was known for his defensive prowess on the hardwood, even earning a 2007 nod as a member of the NBA All-Defensive First Team in, perhaps, his most notable career accomplishment.

But the younger Bell is all about the gridiron and offense, and he's put up plenty of big numbers since becoming the American Heritage starter in 2023. He's led the Patriots to a 19-4 record the past two seasons while passing for 4,526 yards and 49 touchdowns with just 10 interceptions. He's a pretty solid dual threat, too, moving the chains with his feet to the tune of 647 yards rushing with another seven trips to pay dirt during that span.

TOP HS QBs in 2025: California | Ohio | Pennsylvania

Top high school quarterbacks in Florida entering 2025

Dia Bell, American Heritage (Plantation) Patriots – Sr.

(Ht) 6-2.5 (Wt) 215, Texas Longhorns

Bell has been committed to Texas since June 17, 2024, and even with more than 40 FBS offers, there's no sign that he's anything other than a true orangeblood at this point. He regularly celebrates new commitments to the Longhorns' 2026 class on social media and proudly shared his official offer letter on his X.com account on August 1. Yeah, Bell is the closest thing to a lock these days on the recruiting trail, and he's the most-coveted piece of the Longhorns' impressive 2026 recruiting haul so far.

 

 

Rhys Brush, Armwood (Seffner) Hawks – Sr.

(Ht) 6-2 (Wt) 180, South Florida Bulls

Brush and his Hawks breezed through the 2024 regular season a year ago en route to a 12-0 start before stumbling in Florida's FHSAA Class 6A regional finals. Eventual state finalist Osceola booted Armwood from the postseason party there by a count of 17-7, but as long as Brush is in the fold, the Hawks should be capable of making another deep run. He rarely makes a mistake with the ball, throwing just two interceptions in 13 games while racking up 2,503 yards passing with 37 scoring tosses. He's a hard commit to South Florida, heading into his senior campaign.

Michael Clayton, Edison (Miami) Red Raiders – Sr.

(Ht) 6-3.5 (Wt) 200, Illinois Fighting Illini

Clayton committed to Illinois back on November 10, 2024, before even taking his official visit to the Urbana-Champaign campus. He picked up another offer from Deion Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes this summer, but for now, remains a hard commit to the Illini.

 

 

Dereon Coleman, Jones (Orlando) Fightin’ Tigers – Sr.

(Ht) 6-0.5 (Wt) 165, Miami (FL) Hurricanes

Coleman is a bit undersized at 6 feet one-half inch and only 165 pounds, and he is yet another one of Florida's former eighth-grade phenoms starting for Fort Meade and passing for 1,180 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2021. He gets knocked a bit in recruiting profiles for his slight frame but earns kudos for his ability to avoid the rush and deliver the ball quickly. His stature hasn't stopped the offers from flowing in, and he's currently committed to the University of Miami (FL).

Landon Dougherty, Gadsden County (Havana) Jaguars – Jr.

(Ht) 6-5 (Wt) 195, Uncommitted

Dougherty has collected at least five FBS offers to date headed into his junior season as Gadsden County's triggerman. He's yet to tip his hand on his college destination, but the pinned post on his X.com account tells a pretty good story of his accomplishments last year as a sophomore.

 

 

Carter Emanuel, Edgewater (Orlando) Eagles – Sr.

(Ht) 6-1 (Wt) 215, UConn Huskies

Emanuel committed to UConn this summer after leading Edgewood on a deep run in Florida's Class 5A playoffs last year. The Eagles finished 11-2 with Emanuel putting his impressive duel-threat abilities on display, passing for 1,694 yards and 19 touchdowns while chipping in with 409 yards and another five scores.

Logan Flaherty, Port Charlotte Pirates – Jr.

(Ht) 6-2 (Wt) 183, Uncommitted

Flaherty is drawing a lot of early interest from Power Four programs, and he already holds offers from at least a dozen FBS programs, including schools from the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC. He's coming off a sophomore campaign in which he threw for more than 1,400 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Will Griffin, Jesuit (Tampa) Tigers – Sr.

(Ht) 6-3 (Wt) 230, Florida Gators

Griffin, a Florida commit, is another senior whose playing career dates back to eighth grade when he passed for 2,449 yards and 30 touchdowns at Northside Christian (St. Petersburg). These days, Griffin is the main man on Tampa Jesuit's campus, and he's hard to miss at 6-foot 3-inches and 230 pounds.

Thanks to that big eighth grade season at Northside, he enters his senior year with 9,719 career passing yards. That includes a single-season best of 3,404 yards as a sophomore in 2023. If he matches that total as a senior, he would be approaching the all-time national Top 10 in that category. He also has 106 touchdown passes, putting him within striking distance of the all-time Top 15 on that list as well.

Noah Grubbs, Lake Mary Rams – Sr.

(Ht) 6-4 (Wt) 205, Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Grubbs is another solid long-term commitment who's been pledged to the Fighting Irish since June 1, 2024. He's a four-year starter and has put up huge numbers playing in Florida's top classification for the Class 7A Rams. Last year's season ended on a sour note in a 52-19 drubbing at the hands of the Venice Indians, but like Griffin above, Grubbs' career numbers have put him in range of the upper reaches of the National High School Football Record Book.

Only 36 players are listed with 11,000 career passing yards, and Grubbs enters his senior season with 8,287 yards and 103 touchdown passes to his credit. He's thrown for more than 3,000 each of the past two seasons which would be more than enough to clear the mark, and he would only need 4,000 to move into the Top 20 all-time. If he approached his sophomore total of 49 touchdowns passes two years ago, he could even move into the Top 15 in that category.

Landen Holley, The First Academy (Orlando) Royals – Jr.

(Ht) 6-2 (Wt) 185, Uncommitted

Holley was the quarterback for Wesley Chapel as a sophomore, passing for 1,064 yards and nine touchdowns in 2024. He's now at The First Academy and holds several coveted FBS offers, including one from the home-state Florida Gators.

Taylor Jacobs Jr., Lincoln (Tallahassee) Trojans – Sr.

(Ht) 6-1 (Wt) 185, South Alabama Jaguars

Jacobs committed to South Alabama early this summer, and he's yet to reach his full potential in two seasons as the starter for the Chiles (Tallahassee) Timberwolves. He went 9-11 as the starter there, passing for 2,483 yards and 28 touchdowns while showing some good wheels with 516 yards on the ground and another five touchdowns. He transferred to Lincoln in the spring, a program that has gone 19-6 while beating Jacobs and his Timberwolves in back-to-back seasons.

Jacobs, whose father Taylor, Sr., played five seasons in the NFL as a receiver, should benefit from the change of scenery where he'll be surrounded by better talent. He looked great in Lincoln's spring game back in May.

Zac Katz, True North Classical Academy (Miami) Titans – Jr.

(Ht) 6-1 (Wt) 195, Uncommitted

Katz is another veteran with starting experience at the varsity level dating back to eighth grade when he earned Honorable Mention All-State honors. With 8,232 career passing yards to his credit and 95 touchdown passes, Katz is on pace over the next two seasons to potentially climb into the Top 5 all-time in both categories in the national record book – ahead of Griffin and Grubbs above.

Joaquin Kavouklis, Lakeland Dreadnaughts – Jr.

(Ht) 6-2 (Wt) 190, Arkansas Razorbacks

Kavouklis committed to Arkansas earlier this summer on July 3, and he'll have plenty of opportunities to showcase his talents again this fall on big stages, including a cross-country road trip to face California kingpin De La Salle (Concord) in the second week of the season. He played his first two varsity seasons at Clearwater Academy International, throwing for 3,985 yards and 31 touchdowns in that span.

Brady Palmer, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) Raiders – Sr.

(Ht) 6-2 (Wt) 205, Temple Owls

Palmer is one of two big Class of 2026 quarterback prospects with identical names. The other Brady Palmer plays for Cathedral Catholic in San Diego, California, and is committed to Cal. This Brady Palmer plays for Florida powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, and he's given his word to Temple University in Philadelphia.

But this half of the Brady Palmer bunch has a California connection of his own, or at least he will on August 23 when the Raiders are slated to host national No. 1 Mater Dei of Santa Ana, California. Palmer is the new man on campus after leading St. Francis of Wheaton, Illinois, to that state's Class 5A semifinals in 2024, throwing 33 touchdown passes in the process.

James Perrone, Southridge (Miami) Spartans – Jr.

(Ht) 6-2 (Wt) 185, Uncommitted

Perrone is mostly drawing attention from non-Power Four programs on the recruiting trail, but he does hold offers from USF, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia. Playing for the high-profile Southridge program, he'll have more opportunities to attract attention from recruiters one year after leading all sophomore passers in the Sunshine State with 2,966 yards and 30 touchdowns.

Champ Smith, Cocoa Tigers – Jr.

(Ht) 6-1 (Wt) 195, Uncommitted

Smith's varsity career dates back to eighth grade at Jupiter Christian where he passed for a solid 1,273 yards and 18 touchdowns. As a freshman the following year, he upped those totals to 1,972 yards with 20 scoring tosses, but he's been on a bit of an odyssey ever since. He played at Spanish River (Boca Raton) in 2024, but on June 21, the news broke that he was transferring yet again – this time to Cocoa where he figures to settle into the starting role.

 

 

Jaylen White, Clearwater Tornadoes – Sr.

(Ht) 6-0.5 (Wt) 195, Charlotte '49ers

White committed to Charlotte in June, giving the '49ers a solid future double threat with proven leadership abilities. He led Clearwater to the Class 4A playoffs a year ago after passing for 1,568 yards and running for another 573. He accounted for 24 of his team's touchdowns along the way.

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High-profile quarterback duels add intrigue to Florida's 2026 prep schedule

Florida's top high school football programs are known for testing their mettle against nationally-ranked opponents from other states, and fans of Sunshine State football are already counting the days to the 2025 season opener. The first Saturday night of the season will feature national No. 1 Mater Dei of Santa Ana, California, at Fort Lauderdale's Top 10 St. Thomas Aquinas.

One of the main storylines in that game is the head-to-head battle between the two quarterbacks leading their respective programs. Palmer of St. Thomas Aquinas was playing in Illinois last fall, but on August 23, he'll be the point man for the Raiders' offense against Mater Dei's Ryan Hopkins, a Wisconsin commit who will be at the controls for the Monarchs.

Plenty of other duels between top quarterbacks are also on tap in 2025, including the following matchups:

  • August 22: Milton (Alpharetta, GA)'s Derrick Baker at The First Academy (Orlando)'s Holley
  • September 5: Lake Mary's Grubbs at Lakeland's Kavouklis
  • September 12: Jones (Orlando)'s Coleman at Edgewater (Orlando)'s Emanuel
  • September 26: The First Academy (Orlando)'s Holley at Gasden County (Havana)'s Dougherty
  • October 3: Edison (Miami)'s Clayton at Southridge (Miami)'s Perrone
  • October 3: Gadsden County (Havana)'s Dougherty at Lincoln (Tallahassee)'s Jacobs
  • October 24: St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale)'s Palmer at American Heritage (Plantation)'s Bell
  • October 31: The First Academy (Orlando)'s Holley at Lakeland's Kavouklis

Kendall Webb

Kendall Webb is a freelance writer with The Sporting News and the former publisher of the College Football America Yearbook. He is a proud alumnus of Kilgore College (AA), the University of Texas at Austin (BJ), Middle Tennessee State University (BS), and Harvard University (ALM). Webb has attended a high school or college football game in more than 40 states during his career as a freelance journalist, and he remains an avid follower of team sports at all levels.