HS football position by position breakdown: Scouting the safeties

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, August 20, 2017 | 10:27 PM

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Western Pennsylvania once was the cradle of quarterbacks. Now, it more often is home to great defensive backs.

From Aliquippa’s Ty Law and Darrelle Revis to NFL newcomers Malik Hooker of New Castle and Montae Nicholson of Gateway, many of the region’s biggest stars of recent years spent Friday nights in the secondary.

Nowadays, safety might be the most talent-rich position.

A year ago, Steel Valley’s Paris Ford (Pitt) and Thomas Jefferson’s Zane Zandier (Virginia), Ligonier Valley’s Collin Smith (WVU), Imani Christian’s Kenny Robinson (WVU) and New Castle’s Geno Stone (Iowa) were the top safeties.

All five committed to Power 5 schools.

Now, Aliquippa’s Kwantel Raines is the marquee name among this year’s class, ranked No. 215 in ESPN’s Top 300 and No. 219 nationally by Rivals.com. Raines is the WPIAL’s top uncommitted recruit in the 2018 graduating class with a commitment date tentatively planned for October.

But once again the talent at safety runs deep. New Castle’s Marcus Hooker has a brother in the NFL and decided to follow in his college footsteps.

And Norwin’s Jayvon Thrift, only a junior, already ranks among the state’s top players in the 2019 class.

1. Kwantel Raines

Aliquippa

Senior, 6-2, 190

Raines was a first-team all-conference defensive back as a junior. Rivals ranks him as the 21st-best safety in the nation. He had more than two dozen scholarship offers, with Michigan State and LSU among them, before narrowing his list to Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland and South Carolina. He scored five times last season.

2. Marcus Hooker

New Castle

Senior, 6-0, 195

The Ohio State recruit scored 17 times last season when New Castle reached the WPIAL Class 4A final. Older brother Malik was an all-American safety for the Buckeyes and a first-round draft pick by the Indianapolis Colts this year. The three-star recruit is ranked 38th nationally among safeties by Rivals.

3. Jayvon Thrift

Norwin

Junior, 5-11, 185

Thrift, one of the top juniors in the WPIAL, was the only sophomore to earn first-team all-conference honors in Class 6A. He was second on his team in tackles and had two forced fumbles, an interception and a sack. The Rivals three-star recruit already has scholarship offers from Pitt, West Virginia, Syracuse and Temple.

4. Johnny Harper

McKeesport

Senior, 6-1, 170

Harper, a first-team all-conference defensive back, has scholarship offers from Akron, Ball State, Buffalo, Kent State and others. He had 37 tackles, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries last season for the WPIAL Class 5A runner-up. Harper scored three offensive TDs and will play quarterback this fall.

5. Rodney Dennard

Woodland Hills

Senior, 6-1, 170

Dennard earned second-team all-conference honors in Class 5A as a junior. He lists Division I scholarship offers from Duquesne, Howard, New Hampshire and St. Francis (Pa.). Dennard returned an interception 18 yards for a touchdown last season but also had a 66-yard TD run that showed his quickness.

One to watch: Corey Thomas Jr.

Central Catholic

Junior, 6-3, 180

Thomas made 33 tackles as a sophomore for the state Class 6A runner-up and earned all-confence honorable mention. He lists scholarship offers from Bowling Green, Buffalo, Toledo and Robert Morris. The three-star Rivals recruit is ranked as the 25th-best safety nationally in the 2019 graduating class.

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.

Tags: Aliquippa, Central Catholic, McKeesport, New Castle, Norwin, Woodland Hills