Who are the best Greater Columbus high school football players in class of 2025?
With central Ohio high school football players in the class of 2024 finalizing their college commitments in the December and February signing periods, next fall’s seniors are on the clock.
The top players in the class of 2025 are far from strangers to the recruiting process – some have been on the radar of college coaches for years and have numerous scholarship offers, and some already have made verbal commitments. But for top prospects who remain undecided, every moment brings a chance to contemplate the future.
Here is a look at the top 15 central Ohio players in the class of 2025, listed alphabetically, based on 2023 statistics and postseason honors and rankings from 247sports.com, On3.com and Rivals.com.
Preston Bowman, Pickerington North
The 6-foot, 190-pound wide receiver has 14 Division I offers, including from Kentucky and Louisville. Last season, Bowman caught 43 passes for 713 yards and nine touchdowns, helping the Panthers (11-2) reach a Division I, Region 3 semifinal. He was honorable mention all-state and second-team all-district.
Bowman also was first-team all-OCC-Ohio at punter. He averaged 36.3 yards on 37 punts.
Taizaun Burns, East
Akron, Kent State, Toledo, Kentucky and Marshall are among the programs pursuing the 6-0, 175-pound Burns, who has excelled no matter where he has lined up on the field. He added quarterback to his repertoire last fall and completed 72 of 126 passes for 849 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed for 1,370 yards and 14 touchdowns on 153 carries. He was named second-team all-state and first-team all-district in Division IV along with first-team all-City League-North.
In 2022, Burns rushed for 1,388 yards and 16 touchdowns on 136 carries and caught 16 passes for 449 yards and nine scores.
Denim Cook, Hartley
Several Mid-American Conference schools and Power Four programs Indiana, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Purdue and Virginia have offered this 6-4, 215-pound linebacker who was first-team all-state, all-district and all-CCL last season. Cook had 116 tackles, including 22 for loss, 15 sacks and 17 quarterback hurries. He helped Hartley (10-3) reach a Division IV, Region 15 semifinal.
Jake Cook, Westerville North
The 6-5, 290-pound offensive lineman announced Feb. 2 on his X account that he had committed to Louisville. He picked the Cardinals from 22 Division I offers. Cook was third-team all-state and first-team all-district in Division I last fall, helping the Warriors go 9-3 and win one playoff game in Stanley Jackson Sr.’s first season as coach. Cook also was first-team all-OCC-Capital.
Terris Dudley, Hilliard Bradley
Primarily a safety in 2023, when Bradley (13-2) reached a Division I state semifinal, the 6-3, 195-pound Dudley will have a role on offense this fall and return kicks, according to coach Mike LoParo. The Jaguars want to capitalize on the athleticism of the honorable mention all-district and second-team all-OCC-Central honoree, who recorded 62 tackles, eight pass breakups, three interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
LoParo said Big Ten programs are showing “strong interest” in Dudley, who has several offers from MAC schools and is a “big presence in the middle of the field with … track speed.”
Dawayne Galloway, Marion-Franklin
The 6-1, 175-pound Galloway possesses elite speed. How fast is he? Last spring at the Division II state track and field meet, Galloway finished second in the 100 (10.42) and 200 meters (21.32). His page at 247sports.com lists 27 Division I offers, including from Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin. A four-star recruit at cornerback, Galloway was first-team all-state and all-district in Division IV last fall. He also was first-team all-City-South, helping the Red Devils (6-5, 6-1) win the league title.
Jayden and Jaystin Gwinn, Westerville Central
Jaystin, a quarterback, is the son of former Ohio State defensive back Anthony Gwinn (1993-96) and Jayden, a running back, is Jaystin’s cousin. They’ll play for a new coach this fall in Josh Franke, who was 37-26 in six seasons at Toronto, his alma mater, with five postseason appearances. Both have four Division I offers, with Akron, Kent State and Kentucky offering both. Jaystin also has an offer from Eastern Kentucky, and Jayden was offered by Army.
Last fall, Jaystin completed 99 of 182 passes for 1,189 yards with eight touchdowns and nine interceptions and rushed for 1,026 yards and nine scores on 187 carries. He was honorable mention all-state and second-team all-district in Division I and first-team all-OCC-Ohio. Jayden rushed for 668 yards and four touchdowns on 168 carries. He was special mention all-district and second-team all-league.
Parker Harden, Pickerington Central
The pinned post on Harden’s X account reveals he made 32 pancake blocks last season as a mainstay on Central’s offensive line. What the post doesn’t note is the 6-5, 315-pound Harden played on the right side of the line, which is the blindside of left-handed quarterback Rocco Williams, who has six Division I offers and will be a junior in the fall. Harden is a three-star recruit with eight Division I offers, including from Cincinnati and West Virginia.
Tyler Kielmeyer, Westerville South
At 6-7 and 235 pounds, Kielmeyer is built like a pro tight end. His 19 Division I offers include 13 from Power Four programs and seven from the Big Ten – Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Rutgers, Michigan State, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Kielmeyer caught 18 passes for 383 yards and two touchdowns last season. He was special mention all-district in Division II and first-team all-OCC-Capital.
Kentrell Rinehart, Westland
After starring for Ready, the 6-2, 220-pound Rinehart now attends Westland. He rushed for 2,837 yards and 42 touchdowns on 341 carries last fall, leading the Silver Knights (10-2, 4-0) to the Central Buckeye League title and a Division IV, Region 15 quarterfinal. He was district Offensive Player of the Year, CBL Player of the Year and first-team all-state. Rinehart, who has 23 Division I offers, posted on his X account Feb. 10 that his top five were North Carolina State, Minnesota, Syracuse, Kentucky and Indiana.
Jonathan Stevens, Westerville North
The 6-0, 180-pound Stevens, a safety and slotback, has committed to Northwestern. Stevens is coming off a season in which he had 28 tackles and two interceptions in eight games. He also rushed for 323 yards and five touchdowns on 55 carries and caught 16 passes for 179 yards and two scores. He was first-team all-OCC-Capital and honorable mention all-district.
Cal Thrush, Upper Arlington
An injury cost this 6-4, 250-pound defensive end four games at the beginning of last season. He finished with 38 tackles, including six for loss, three sacks and a fumble recovery, helping the Golden Bears (10-4) reach the Region 3 final. His play made an impression, earning him honorable mention all-state, second-team all-district and first-team all-OCC-Central honors.
The son of former Ohio State offensive lineman Jack Thrush (1989-93), Cal has 14 Division I offers. UA coach Justin Buttermore said Thrush is “an every-down defender” who “shows excellent hand violence in defeating blocks in both running (and) passing situations.”
Brennen Ward, Gahanna Lincoln
Ward, the son of head coach Bruce Ward, announced on his X account March 7 that he has committed to Kentucky. He’ll take big-game experience to Lexington, having served as Gahanna’s starter for a 12-1 season in 2023 and a 13-2 campaign in 2022. The Lions reached a regional semifinal and state semifinal in those seasons, respectively.
Last fall, the 6-3, 210-pound Ward completed 155 of 229 passes for 2,482 yards with 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions and rushed for 168 yards and six scores on 31 carries. He was first-team all-OCC-Ohio, second-team all-district and honorable mention all-state in Division I.
Jackson Wiley, Olentangy
Could Wiley, the son of former Ohio State and NFL tailback Michael Wiley, catch passes from Ward in college? The 6-0, 175-pound wide receiver has offers from Kentucky and several MAC schools. He had 77 catches for 1,166 yards and 15 touchdowns last fall, earning first-team all-state, all-district and all-OCC-Cardinal and helping Olentangy (11-2) reach a Division I, Region 2 semifinal.
Michael Wiley played at Ohio State from 1996-99 before seeing action in 42 games for the Dallas Cowboys from 2000-02.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Who are the best central Ohio football players in class of 2025?
