With the 2024 Ohio high school football season upon us, it’s time to take a look at some of the state’s highest-rated recruits. In this series, we’ll focus on the top recruits at a handful of positions for a specific graduating class.
So far, we’ve introduced you to the senior quarterbacks, senior running backs, senior linebackers, senior edge rushers and senior wide receivers. Now, let’s take a look at the top defensive back recruits in the Buckeye State for the class of 2025.
The top five defensive backs in Ohio are all ranked in the state’s top 40 class and are led by Shaker Heights’ second-best recruit Trey McNutt, who announced his commitment to Oregon on Saturday, August 3.
Walnut Ridge cornerback Dawayne Galloway is transferring to Purdue and Hamilton safety Noah King is heading to Kansas State, while Archbishop Moeller safety Micah Rice is moving a little further south to Louisville.
All rankings are based on 247Sports.com.
1. Trey McNutt, Shaker heights; 1.83 m, 82 kg (No. 2 in Ohio Class of 2025)
Committed to Oregon.
McNutt played both ways for the Red Raiders as a junior, posting 611 yards and 12 touchdowns on offense and on defense making 61 tackles, defending 12 passes and forcing two fumbles. He was selected to the All-Ohio Division II first team on defense.
2. Dawayne Galloway, Walnut Ridge; 1.85 m, 79 kg (No. 9 overall)
Committed to Purdue
He had five interceptions and one hit at Marion-Franklin last season. The speedster also took second place in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes at the Division II state track and field championships as a sophomore.
3. Noah King, Hamilton; 1.90 m, 88 kg (No. 27 overall)
Committed to the state of Kansas
The Hamilton athlete rose up the recruiting ranks last spring and summer by putting in great performances at several training camps, including running multiple 40-yard dashes in under 4.5 seconds.
4. Jussiah Williams-West, Wayne; 1.88 m, 79 kg (No. 33 overall)
Unbound
Had 35 tackles and two tackles for loss last season, intercepted two passes and took them both back for touchdowns. He also scored two points on kickoff returns and had a touchdown reception.
5.Micah Rice, Archbishop Möller; 1.88 m, 84 kg (No. 40 overall)
Committed to Louisville
As a junior in his first year at Moeller after transferring from Archbishop Hoban, Rice made 54 tackles and had 1.5 sacks while defending seven passes. He finished the game with three interceptions.
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— Ryan Isley | [email protected] | @sbliveoh
