Brownsburg wins Class 6A football state title, defeats Westfield 38-31
Brownsburg wins Class 6A football state title by defeating Westfield 38-31 on Saturday, November 29, 2025.
- This article ranks the top 25 in-state high school football recruits from Indiana over the last quarter century, starting with the class of 2001.
- The list, compiled using various recruiting services, examines the careers of these athletes from college through the professional level.
- Several highly-touted prospects, like George Karlaftis and Sheldon Day, went on to have successful NFL careers.
- Other top recruits saw their careers derailed by injuries, off-field issues, or a failure to meet high expectations.
Recruiting is an inexact science. A player may not fit the puzzle at one school and thrive at another. Even trickier is compiling recruiting rankings. Even the best talent evaluators swing and miss at times when assessing high school players in any sport.
With the 2025high school football season well behind us and the 2026 season quickly approaching, I thought it would be interesting to look back at the top-25 in-state recruits of the last quarter century. Because the 2000 graduating class actually played high school football as a senior in the fall of 1999, I am starting with the graduating class of 2001 and moving forward.
To compile this list, I used a combination of recruiting services, including Rivals, 247sports, On3 and ESPN, using the final evaluation of these prospects at the end of their high school careers. How accurate were these recruiting rankings? Some were close. Others were not (we will dive into that more later). Here is the list from No. 25 to No. 11:
No. 25: Sheldon Day, Warren Central
Day was a star defensive lineman coming out of Warren Central as a senior in the fall of 2011, leading the Warriors to an 11-1 record with 55 tackles, 12 for losses and nine sacks as a senior. He was runner-up for Mr. Football. Day signed with Notre Dame, playing as a true freshman and rising to become a two-time team captain as a junior and senior. Day was an All-American as a senior, finishing with 15½ tackles for loss and four sacks. He finished with 141 total tackles (91 solo) for his career. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Day has played nine seasons in the NFL with the Jaguars, 49ers, Colts, Browns, Vikings and Commanders. He had 13 tackles in 10 games with the Commanders in 2025 and has 121 tackles (67 solo), seven sacks and 17 TFLs for his career.
No. 24: Clayton Richard, McCutcheon
Richard, a class of 2003 graduate, was rated as the No. 4 pro-style quarterback prospect in the country coming out of McCutcheon, where he was named Mr. Football as a senior. He graduated second in the state in career passing yards (10,777) and touchdowns (92). Richard passed for 2,920 yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior. He went on to become the first individual to win Mr. Baseball and Mr. Football, leading the Mavericks to the Class 4A state baseball championship. Richard signed with Michigan out of high school to play football. He redshirted his first season, then was the backup to Chad Henne as a redshirt freshman in 2004, completing 8-for-15 passing for 52 yards. He joined the Michigan baseball team in the spring and posted a 2.43 ERA in 21 games. Richard, a left-hander, was drafted in the eighth round by the Chicago White Sox in 2005. He went on to pitch 11 years in the majors with the White Sox, Padres, Cubs and Blue Jays. His best season was in 2010 with the Padres, posting a 14-9 record with a 3.75 ERA. Richard retired from baseball after the 2019 season.
No. 23: Nitro Tuggle, NorthWood
The 6-1, 195-pound Tuggle was one of the top recruits in the country in the 2024 recruiting class. He helped NorthWood to a Class 4A state finals appearance as a senior, catching 86 passes for 1,456 yards and 19 TDs. Tuggle totaled 173 catches and 2,866 yards and 41 TDs for his career. He started his college at Georgia. Tuggle caught three passes for 34 yards in 2024. In March of 2025, Tuggle was suspended for reckless driving. He entered the transfer portal and signed with Purdue, where he had a productive season with 34 receptions for 500 yards and four TDs in 2025. Tuggle entered the transfer portal again and committed to South Carolina in January.
No. 22: Drayk Bowen, Andrean
Bowen was named Mr. Football in 2022 after leading Andrean to the state championship in Class 2A in 2021 and a runner-up finish as a senior. He totaled 379 tackles for his career, including 54 for losses, 16 sacks, six interceptions and 10 caused fumbles. Bowen had 144 tackles as a senior, including 19 TFLs and five sacks. He also ran for 1,784 yards and 26 TDs as a senior and totaled 2,969 rushing yards and 49 TDs in high school. Bowen, also a standout baseball player, picked Notre Dame out of high school. He had 14 tackles as a true freshman, then worked his way into the lineup as a sophomore, making 78 tackles (40 solo) and forcing three fumbles. As a junior in 2025, he finished with 67 tackles (33 solo) and 3½ sacks. Bowen underwent hip surgery and missed some of the spring but is expected to be ready to go for 2026.
No. 21: Auston Robertson, Fort Wayne Wayne
The 6-4, 275-pound Robertson was one of the country’s top-ranked defensive ends coming out of the 2016 class. He had 36 tackles, including 8½ TFLs and three sacks as a senior for the Generals, along with seven catches for 97 yards and one TD. Robertson flashed his potential as a junior with 86 tackles, including 31 TFLs and 15 sacks. He also had 16 catches for 213 yards and three TDs. Robertson committed to Michigan State, though he was dismissed from the team in April of 2017 following an arrest for third-degree criminal sexual conduct. Robertson was allowed to play at Garden City (Kan.) Community College as he awaited trial but was arrested for aggravated armed robbery, according to ESPN. In December of 2018, he was sentenced to a minimum of three years and seven months and up to 10 years the sexual assault charge while at Michigan State.
No. 20: Justin Brent, Speedway
Brent, a 6-1 wide receiver, was ranked in the top-100 in the country coming out of Speedway in the 2014 graduating class. Brent played mostly at wide receiver his first three years in high school, catching 54 passes for 922 yards and 13 TDs as a junior. As a senior, he ran for 1,315 yards and 18 TDs and caught 28 passes for 387 yards and five TDs. He was also a standout on special teams and defense. Brent committed to Notre Dame and enrolled in January of 2014. He played mostly on special teams as a freshman, then moved to running back but did not see the field as a sophomore or junior. Brent transferred to Nevada in 2017. He moved to defense as a senior in 2018 and made 27 tackles and two interceptions. Brent also suited up for the Nevada basketball team. Brent is now living in Indianapolis and helping coach at Speedway.
No. 19: Mariyon Dye, Elkhart Central
Coming out of high school at 6-5 and 265 pounds, the edge rusher was rated as the No. 1 player in Indiana by On3 and the No. 65 player nationally in the 2025 class. As a senior, Dye had 48 tackles, 13½ tackles for loss, three sacks and 17 hurries. He was named the Most Valuable Player in the Northern Indiana Conference. Dye was also named all-state as a junior. He played sparingly as a freshman at Tennessee in 2025.
No. 18: Dasan McCullough, Bloomington South
McCullough came to Bloomington South from Kansas City as a senior when his father, Deland, was hired to coach the running backs at Indiana (he is now at Oklahoma after stops at Notre Dame and with the Las Vegas Raiders). McCullough was ranked as a top-50 prospect in the 2022 class by ESPN, making him the highest-ranked recruit to commit to IU at the time. He flipped his original commitment from Ohio State. McCullough played just one season at Indiana, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors with 49 tackles and four sacks. He then transferred to Oklahoma, where he started eight games over two seasons. McCullough then transferred to Nebraska, where he was honorable mention all-Big Ten in 2025. He signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent.
No. 17: Kiaro Holts, Warren Central
Holts was a four-star prospect coming out of Warren Central in the 2011 class. He was ranked as the No. 3 offensive tackle in the country by Scout.com and the No. 18 prospect in the country overall, earning mention on several high school All-American teams. Holts committed to North Carolina over Virginia Tech. He redshirted his freshman season after undergoing wrist surgery, then appeared in eight games (one start) in 2012. An injury shortened his 2013 season to one game, but he came back to play in nine games, making two starts, in 2014. He elected to graduate and not pursue another season.
No. 16: Austin Mack, Fort Wayne Bishop Luers
Mack was rated a four-star prospect coming out of Luers in the class of 2016. He accumulated 2,672 receiving yards on 167 receptions and 24 touchdown catches at Luers, including a 1,000-yard season as a junior. He moved to running back as a senior, rushing for 718 yards and still caught 41 passes for 805 yards. Mack committed to Ohio State over Michigan and Notre Dame, among others. He made 28 starts during his four-year career at Ohio State, finishing with 79 catches for 1,050 yards and six TDs. Mack had 27 catches for 361 yards and three TDs as a senior in 2019, including six catches in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Clemson. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Giants in 2020, making seven catches for 91 yards in 11 games. Mack has since been signed by Tennessee, San Francisco and Atlanta but has not played. He has starred in the Canadian Football League with the Montreal Alouettes, winning a Grey Cup in 2023 and making the CFL All-Star team.
No. 15: Brandon Peters, Avon
The 6-foot-5 quarterback was highly decorated coming out of high school, ranked as the No. 3 pro-style QB in the country and a four-star recruit by 247sports. As a senior, Peters shined as he passed for 3,103 yards and 37 TDs with just five interceptions as Avon reached the Class 6A semistate, losing in double overtime to Center Grove. Peters was named Mr. Football and the Gatorade Player of the Year in Indiana. He passed for 6,843 yards and 79 TDs for his career. Peters signed with Michigan, starting four games as a redshirt freshman in 2017 and passing for 672 yards. He played in just four games the following season in backup duty, then transferred to Illinois. Peters started 11 games in 2019, passing for 1,884 yards and 18 TDs. He also ran for 213 yards and three TDs. In the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he started five games, passing for 429 yards and three TDs. In his final season in 2021, Peters was 91-for-169 passing for 1,170 yards and seven TDs. Peters signed with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022 but was waived before the season.
No. 14: George Karlaftis, West Lafayette
Karlaftis was ranked as a four-star defensive end coming out of high school, leading his team to a 15-0 record and Class 3A state championship in 2018. He was named IndyStar Mr. Football position winner for defensive line, piling up 56 tackles for loss and 17½ sacks as a senior. He totaled 84 TFLs and 41 sacks in high school. Karlaftis, who moved to West Lafayette from Greece in the eighth grade, was also a two-time state champion in the shot put. He enrolled at Purdue in January of 2019, leading the team as a freshman with 17 TFLs and 7½ sacks. Karlaftis was named second team All-Big Ten and first team AP Freshman All-American. In 2021, he was named an All-American and first-team All-Big Ten, again leading Purdue in TFLs and sacks. He declared for the NFL draft after the season and was selected as the first-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs with the 30th overall pick in 2022. Karlaftis shined as a rookie with 33 tackles and six sacks in a Super Bowl winning season. In four seasons, the 25-year-old has 30½ sacks, 34 TFLs and 163 tackles overall, helping the Chiefs to two Super Bowl titles.
No. 13: Elijah Daniel, Avon
Daniel was a first-team all-state selection as a senior, finishing with 85 tackles, 16 for losses and five sacks. Daniel was ranked as the No. 3 defensive end in the country by 247sports and the No. 27 overall prospect in the 2013 class. He signed with Auburn out of high school and earned playing time as a freshman, finishing with nine tackles and three TFLs. In 2014, he played in 13 games and started two, finishing with 15 tackles and 3½ TFLs. Daniel was kicked off the team in May of 2015 after he was charged with four counts of robbery. He played at Murray State in 2015, finishing with 32 tackles, nine TFLs and 3½ sacks. Daniel entered the NFL Draft after the season but did not make the league.
No. 12: Blake Fisher, Avon
Fisher was a five-star recruit as an offensive lineman coming out of Avon in the graduating class of 2021. He was ranked as the No. 25 recruit in the country by Rivals and the No. 1 prospect in Indiana by all of the recruiting services. Fisher was the 2020 Mr. Football offensive line position award winner following his senior year. He committed to Notre Dame over offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State and many others. Fisher made two starts as a freshman at Notre Dame, then became a full-time starter at right tackle in 2022, helping the Irish roll up 2,457 rushing yards. He started 12 games as a junior at right tackle for one of the most prolific offenses in school history that averaged 39.1 points per game. The 6-6, 312-pound Fisher entered the NFL draft in 2024 and was selected in the second round (59th overall) by the Houston Texans. The 23-year-old has played in 31 games in two seasons for the Texans, starting 15.
No. 11: Selwyn Lymon, Fort Wayne Harding
The 6-5 Lymon was one of the top prospects in the country coming out of Harding in the 2005 graduating class. He helped Harding to the Class 2A state finals in 2003, catching 42 passes for 1,001 yards and 12 touchdowns. As a senior in the fall of 2024, he caught 16 passes for 353 yards and four touchdowns but moved to quarterback and passed for 1,022 yards and 11 TDs. Lymon was also second in state in the 400-meter run as a junior. Lymon, also a standout basketball player, was rated as the highest-ranked recruit in Purdue’s 2005 class, picking the Boilermakers over Ohio State and Wisconsin. He redshirted in 2005 and then had a breakout season in 2006, catching eight passes for 238 yards in a loss to No. 12 Notre Dame. Lymon finished the season with 33 catches for 580 yards and three TDs. In 2007, he caught 40 passes for 450 yards and two TDs. Lymon was dismissed from the team in November of 2007 after a second drunken driving arrest. He entered the 2008 NFL draft but was not selected. Lymon was signed an undrafted free agent by the Miami Dolphins but was waived after the preseason.
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