Some of the nation’s top high school football talent will be on full display this weekend with the Broward County High School National Football Showcase set to bring more than 200 FBS recruits together for three days of games.
The 18-team event has featured no shortage of star power since its inception with Makai Lemon, Jeremiah Smith, Malachi Toney and Mark Fletcher all dazzling under the South Florida sun before embarking on their collegiate careers.
This year’s showcase once again pits powerhouse programs from around the country against Broward County’s best as schools from California, Colorado, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada and Texas are all on the schedule.
247Sports’ Preseason Players of the Year by state entering high school football’s 2026 season
Two local five-star commits headline the team’s rosters in Mark Matthews (Texas A&M) and A’Mir Sears (Miami). They are joined by 34 other players who currently hold blue-chip status from 247Sports and dozens more that are tracking to play Power Four football.
SCHEDULE OF GAMES
Thursday
– 7 p.m. ET: Pembroke Pines (Fla.) West Broward versus Powder Springs (Ga.) McEachern
– 7 p.m. ET: Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna versus Chatsworth (Calif.) Sierra Canyon
Friday
– 7 p.m. ET: East St. Louis (Ill.) High versus Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage
– 7 p.m. ET: Jacksonville (Fla.) Bolles versus Southwest Ranches (Fla.) Archbishop McCarthy
– 7 p.m. ET: Miami True North versus Coconut Creek (Fla.) High
– 7 p.m. ET: Davie (Fla.) Western versus Colorado Springs (Colo.) Pine Creek
Saturday
– 2 p.m. ET (ESPN2): Miami Columbus versus Las Vegas Bishop Gorman
– 6 p.m. ET (ESPN2): DeSoto (Texas) High versus St. Thomas Aquinas
JUNIOR CLASS TAKES CENTER STAGE
With all but one player currently inside the 2027 Top247 committed, the focus for many fans and schools has quickly shifted to the class of 2028 and two must-know juniors will have a chance to elevate their stocks even more in safety Casey Barner and pass rusher Asher Ghioto.
Barner (No. 1 safety, No. 11 overall in 2028) looked like the best player on the field in McEachern’s opener last week as he took his first handoff 58 yards for a touchdown and made an acrobatic interception minutes later while shading the post. He’s already drawing comparisons to Caleb Downs and they look to be warranted given the instincts, physicality and playmaking ability.
The 247Sports Preseason High School Football All-America Team
Ghioto (No. 2 EDGE, No. 5 overall in 2028) racked up 35 tackles for loss and 23 sacks as a sophomore for a Bolles squad that reached Florida’s 2A state championship. He’s a football nut with a relentless motor who is already well versed in the art of hand-to-hand combat. The combination of his polish, energy and alignment flex is similar to that of Bryan Bresee at the same stage.
AN ENCORE FOR LITTLE BEAST MODE?
247Sports national scouting analyst Gabe Brooks tabbed Texas Tech running back commit SaRod Baker as the “TXHSFB Beast Mode” last season after a remarkable six-game playoff run for DeSoto in which he ran for 1,606 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Baker (No. 4 RB, No. 71 overall) once again turned heads at both the Navy All-American Bowl and The Opening Finals this summer, which leads us to Saturday’s matchup against a St. Thomas Aquinas defense that is home to eight seniors currently committed to FBS programs.
The Raiders gave Florida quarterback commit Davin Davidson fits in a preseason kickoff classic not too long ago, but Baker’s angry run style presents a different set of problems. Keep an eye on Ohio State commit Wyatt Smith (No. 12 EDGE, No. 95 overall) during the ESPN2 broadcast. It also wouldn’t be surprising to see Matthews (No. 1 OT, No. 3 overall) get some burn on defense as he has done it in the past.
PERIMETER BATTLES LIKELY FOR ‘A1’
The first ESPN2 game Saturday will likely put the spotlight on Sears (No. 1 athlete, No. 20 overall) and the two-way superstar could draw tough matchups on both sides of the ball.
Columbus likes to move Sears around in the secondary, but someone will need to mark Zyren Menor (No. 14 WR, No. 91 overall in 2028). The speedy technician has turned 16 of his past 28 catches into touchdowns. Two of those scores came last week in Bishop Gorman’s upset of Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco.
When Sears is on offense, he will look to separate against two of the nation’s top-ranked senior cornerbacks in Oregon commit Hayden Stepp (No. 5 CB, No. 61 overall) and California commit Kamil Loud (No. 25 CB, No. 211 overall).
MORE NOTES
– Texas commit Neimann Lawrence (No. 7 QB, No. 79 overall in 2028) will try to rebound from a rough debut for American Heritage in which he passed for just 60 yards. It won’t be easy against East St. Louis as the Flyers have a true ballhawk patrolling the outside in Florida commit Raheem Floyd (No. 16 CB, No. 155 overall).
– Sierra Canyon houses two of the 2027 cycle’s top big men in Texas commit Kasi Currie (No. 2 DL, No. 37) and Ohio State commit Marcus Fakatou (No. 3 DL, No. 45 overall). The two will try to help slow down a Chaminade-Madonna passing attack that can put up points in a hurry with Brady Quinn (No. 35 QB in 2028) under center.
– Senior seasons always fuel rankings movement, and two players who are already making cases to rise are Cincinnati commit Ronnie Gomiller of East St. Louis and Ohio State commit Jaden Carey of St. Thomas Aquinas. Gomiller (No. 62 WR) was forced into action at running back last week and racked up 152 yards of total offense and four touchdowns while Carey (No. 46 CB) continues to look like one of the smartest defenders in the class.
