10 senior sleepers in Florida boosting their recruiting stock

The halfway point of the 2024 high school football regular season has arrived in the state of Florida and it means the on-field product has put a dent on both perception and reality.

It’s true for teams and players alike, and the latter could lead to big changes on the recruiting trail and certainly on the rankings and ratings front at Rivals. We take a closer look at some of those taking advantage of their final prep campaign, the senior sleepers on the rise in the state (current rating at 5.6 or lower to qualify).

Prospects listed in alphabetical order

The slender three-phase player has splashed on offense, defense and special teams as a senior, much like we saw in 2023 as a junior. Clements has legitimate instincts regardless of his position, but he seems especially effective with the ball in his hands. With good speed, ball skills and head-turning ability after the catch, he has filled up the stat sheet in South Florida. Clements tells Rivals his recruitment has yet to reflect his production despite strong academics to his name, too.

Averaging better than 100 yards and nearly multiple scores per game, this looks like the steal of the class for Appalachian State to this point. Hoffman has the combination of size, polish and sheer playmaking ability that will likely lead to others contesting the ASU pledge he made back in June. Several ACC programs have increased communication with the impressive wideout and Hoffman tells Rivals he will see one of them, Miami, for its home game on Friday. Wake Forest could also soon receive a visit from Hoffman.

An Old Dominion commitment dating back to the springtime, Huff has been heating up ever since. The start to his senior season at Pensacola Catholic has also been a hot one, as the program has yet to fall to an in-state opponent. Huff has played his part, upping his averages from his junior season across the board from completion percentage, scores per game and overall yardage. It has resulted in more programs circling back on the tall talent, including the Florida Gators, which hosted him for a game visit in September.

Rivals got a pair of in-person looks at Mintze and the bigger corner continues to impress within one of the best secondary groups we’ve scouted this fall. The Miami (Fla.) Norland standout plays opposite elite 2027 cornerback Kenton Dopson III, so he sees plenty of action his way, holding his own well more than not. He is comfortable in phase, plays the football well and has enough physicality to win at the line of scrimmage or the catch point. Just last week he was tested vertically on several occasions and didn’t give up one completion to the third level among reps we saw. Mintze, who also holds a 4.0 GPA, was offered by Florida Atlantic last year.

Perry transferred to Edgewater High but jumped on our radar with impressive receiving efforts in the offseason. He has picked up where he left off this fall, registering better than 8 yards per carry halfway through the regular season. Perry’s game has already yielded more interest, too, with North Carolina offering the balanced back in the last week. More schools could circle back on the high-floor talent as the season wares on, so he is in no rush to make the call between the ACC program and some of the other FBS and Ivy League tenders he picked up previously.

A late summer pledge to Florida International, it looks like quite the get for the local school as Scott has been harassing opposing backfields since the season began. Another prospect we got a closer look at this month (video above), Scott looks like a balanced rusher comfortable coming off the edge despite a frame that may eventually push him to the interior for good. His recruitment had some SEC flavor early on before he settled on the Panthers. Since, he says, it has been very quiet on that front despite his production and flashes at a premium position.

If an onlooker attended even one Miami Norland game this fall, an interception from Smith was probably witnessed in person. He already has eight on the campaign, returning three for scores including against marquee opponents like Miami Northwestern and Chaminade-Madonna over his last two games. A savvy safety often in position, Smith has that feel for breaking on the ball at the right time and he takes advantage of the opportunities to flip the game on its head, with some long speed to boot. His size could push him towards a nickel spot at the next level, but few at any position in the state have flashed like he has in 2024. Florida Memorial just became Smith’s first offer.

Normally an SEC commitment would not quite qualify as a sleeper, but Mississippi State took this pledge seemingly out of nowhere and it has aged incredibly well. Most in the region see him as a two-way talent, maybe even more likely to play in the secondary in college, but the Miami (Fla.) Central standout has excelled at wide receiver as a senior. He has a good frame and can get open, but it’s his after the catch instincts and production that has Central in position to contend for the top program in South Florida in 2024. As Smith continues to fill out and hone in on one position, we could see other SEC and/or Power 4 programs challenging Jeff Lebby’s program for his signature in December.

There is a no-nonsense, lack of flash approach to carrying the ball for the 215-pounder, but it has come with strong results despite him splitting carries with Illinois commitment Cedric Wyche on Friday nights. Washington has actually taken the brunt of the load of late, breaking out for 200 yards against Davie (Fla.) Western High’s strong front seven. He followed it up with another 100-yard game the following week as his profile rises. Washington has a low center of gravity, good feet and the type of power that makes the first defender less likely to slow him down — much less finish a tackle — against him. No scholarship offers are in just yet.

It was a busy field among passers to compete for the QB1 job at Chaminade Madonna this year and the program has finally settled on Wright. The Ocala native, who moved down for his senior campaign, went through some ups and downs in the spring and during fall camp before breaking out against rival American Heritage. Wright followed it up with a dominant win over state runner-up Miami Norland just last week as the Lions passing attack have helped rack up 50 points per game since he became the ‘guy.’ Wright has good mobility, a clean release and some risk-taking elements that fit the modern style and it has led to many programs keeping a closer eye on the senior riser.

* Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas QB Andrew Indorf

* Jacksonville (Fla.) Bolles QB Ethan Drumm

* Coconut Creek (Fla.) QB TJ Wilcox

* Dr. Phillips (Fla.) QB Stanley Anderson-Lofton

* Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy WR Adonis Moise

* Coconut Creek (Fla.) DT Nimari Brantley