Welcome to the USA Today Network’s recruiting ladder, a statewide feature by reporter Joe Hughes highlighting top prospects and outstanding performances throughout the 2026 North Carolina high school football season.

Anyone is eligible for consideration, whether it be an unranked player who had a career game, a recruit with mid-level offers, or four- and five-star talents adding to their personal highlight reel.

Do you have a player to recommend? Feel free to submit their name, position and graduation class, as well as other relevant information (statistics, scholarship offers) to jhughes@gastongazette.com or X (@JoeLHughesII)

Riley Hicks

To steal a phrase from ESPN’s Chris Berman, all the Palisades wide receiver does is score touchdowns.

He was particularly impactful during the Pumas’ NCHSAA 8A West opening-round matchup with Ardrey Kell, catching six passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns — both season single-game highs — in a 55-17 win.

It was Hicks’ 10th consecutive game with a TD reception. Only Ashbrook — his former team — kept him out of the end zone in a Week 1 Palisades win. Through 11 games, Hicks has 45 receptions for 775 yards and 11 TDs.

In two varsity seasons (one at Ashbrook, the other at Palisades), Hicks has 61 catches for 992 yards and 16 TDs.

Hicks and No. 8 Palisades travel Friday, Nov. 13 seeking an upset of 8A West top seed Hough. 

Carson Hollar

Hollar has enjoyed a breakout season, credited with 136 tackles (19 for a loss) and three sacks to help Bunker Hill earn seven wins following a down 2025 campaign.

In a 44-6 win over East Gaston, he recorded a team-high 12 tackles, with one of them in for a loss.

Prior to the 2026 season, he had 29 tackles (three for a loss) and a sack. 

Teo McPhatter

The 5-foot-11, 160-pound back added yet another big-time performance Friday, Nov. 2 to a 2026 campaign already brimming with them.

McPhatter started the NCHSAA 3A East playoffs on a high note, rushing for 269 yards and six touchdowns on 27 carries in Princeton’s 58-26 win over Pender. 

He has rushed for 100 yards or more in 10 of his team’s 11 games. The lone exception was a 23-yard performance in a loss to Wallace-Rose Hill.

Oddly enough, McPhatter rushed for a career-high 405 yards and six TDs the previous week in a 52-28 win over Rosewood. He has rushed for 2,804 yards and 41 TDs this fall.

McPhatter has rushed for 7,000 career yards and 104 touchdowns in 35 games.

Tyler Myers

As the season turned toward the home stretch, Myers’ play turned up a notch as well.

The 6-foot, 170-pound receiver played a key role in Mooresville’s NCHSAA 7A West playoff opener against South Iredell, catching eight passes for 114 yards and a touchdown in a 42-13 win. It was his fourth game with 100 receiving yards or more this fall. 

Earlier this fall, Myers set a Mooresville single-game record with 13 receptions in his team’s Oct. 2  meeting with South Iredell. He has 70 receptions for 1,029 yards and 10 TDs this season.

Myers’ uptick in production has given Mooresville a boost as well, the Blue Devils winning six of their last seven games ahead of a second-round matchup at Marvin Ridge.

Sebastian O’Keefe

O’Keefe makes the list for a second time this fall after running roughshod in his team’s NCHSAA 6A East playoff opener. The 5-foot-8, 175-pound back rushed for 293 yards and five touchdowns on 26 carries, propelling the 21st-ranked Bulldogs to a 54-40 win at No. 12 Franklinton. 

Terry Sanford’s workhorse has rushed for no fewer than 122 yards in any game this season, his lowest output in the Bulldogs’ season opening loss to Seventy-First. He set a career high with 396 yards and four TDs in an Oct. 2 win over Purnell Swett.

O’Keefe is up to 2,534 yards this season, along with 27 touchdowns on 274 carries. He also has 13 receptions for 228 yards and four TDs.

Bryson Sanders

Sanders left his mark on his team’s NCHSAA 3A East first-round matchup with Kinston.

He was credited with 11 tackles (two for a loss), a sack, a 70-yard interception return and a fumble recovery in the Chargers’ 34-30 win. No. 15 Northwood advances to take on undefeated and second-ranked Whiteville in Round 2.

If Northwood is to pull an upset, the 5-foot-8, 185-pound linebacker is likely to have something to do with it. Sanders leads the Chargers with 73 tackles (11 for a loss), two sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Rylee Smith

The 5-foot-10, 210-pound back was unstoppable in his team’s NCHSAA 5A West first-round matchup with North Buncombe, rushing for a career-high 385 yards and seven touchdowns on 28 carries in a 58-34 win over Buncombe.

Such came on the heels of his lowest output of the season, going for 120 yards and two TDs in a 42-35 loss to Franklin.

After rushing for 1,682 yards and 15 touchdowns last fall, Smith has far exceeded such with his 2026 output. With Friday’s performance he has now rushed for 2,164 yards and 36 TDs.