FHSAA football Open Division: Who are top recruits to watch?

The inaugural FHSAA football Open Division is a who's who of the elite programs in Florida.

So, it should come as no surprise that the Open Division also boasts several of the premier recruits in the state — and the nation.

Five-star recruits A'mir Sears and Mark Matthews, who recently decommitted from Texas A&M and committed to Georgia, headline the list. Sears and Matthews are ranked No. 1 and 4 on the USA TODAY Florida top 100, respectively.

St. Thomas Aquinas edge rusher Wyatt Smith, Aquinas safety Zayden Gamble, Lakeland defensive lineman/edge rusher Santana Harvey and West Boca defensive lineman Jamar Thompson also are ranked in the top 25 seniors in the state.

Here's a look at some of the top recruits to watch during the Open Division,

This list doesn't include players with season-ending or potential season-ending injuries, including St. Thomas Aquinas senior wide receiver Julius Jones, Venice junior wide receiver Tyree Mannings Jr., Miami Central quarterback James Perrone, Lakeland senior edge rusher Drew Sapp and Lakeland junior cornerback Dominick Harris-Payne.

Rankings are 247Sports composite rankings unless otherwise noted

Chaminade-Madonna 2028 EDGE Alexander Beltran

Height, weight: 6-foot-4, 210 pounds

Ranking: 4-star recruit, No. 27 edge rusher, No. 36 in Florida

Offers include: Alabama, Miami, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Tennessee

Stats: 43 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries

Venice 2030 WR Mike Blakley

Height, weight: 6-1, 176 pounds

Ranking: N/A

Offer: Nebraska

Stats: 34 catches, 633 yards, 6 touchdowns

Miami Central 2027 CB Trezavant Boyd

Height, weight: 5-10, 180 pounds

Ranking: No. 90 USA TODAY Florida top 100, 3-star recruit, No. 61 cornerback, No. 48 in Florida

Verbal commitment: Illinois

Stats: 23 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 11 passes defended, 13 catches, 281 yards, 3 touchdowns

Raines 2027 EDGE Troy Butler

Height, weight: 6-2, 240 pounds

Ranking: 3-star recruit, No. 159 edge rusher, No. 214 in Florida (on3)

Verbal commitment: Liberty

Stats: 56 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 3 forced fumbles

St. Thomas Aquinas 2027 CB Jaden Carey

Height, weight: 6-0, 175 pounds

Ranking: No. 36 Florida Top 100, 3-star recruit, No. 61 cornerback, No. 48 in Florida

Verbal commitment: Ohio State

Stats: 15 tackles, 2 interceptions, 5 passes defended, 1 forced fumble

Venice 2027 RB Ira Dale Jr.

Height, weight: 5-9½, 200 pounds

Ranking: 3-star recruit, No. 133 running back, No. 192 in Florida

Verbal commitment: East Carolina

Stats: 69 carries, 525 yards, 12 touchdowns, 3 catches, 16 yards

Raines 2029 QB Sa'Mon Ellison-Morgan

Height, weight: 6-3, 185 pounds

Ranking: 4-star recruit, No. 14 quarterback, No. 19 in Florida

Offers include: Pitt, Liberty

Stats: 103 of 187, 1.498 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, 189 rushing yards, 7 touchdowns

West Boca S Jemari Foreman

Height, weight: 6-0, 180 pounds

Ranking: 3-star recruit, No. 61 safety, No. 57 in Florida

Verbal commitment: Florida State

Stats: 15 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 3 passes defended, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery

St. Thomas Aquinas 2027 S Zayden Gamble

Height, weight: 5-11, 190 pounds

Ranking: No. 17 Florida Top 100, 4-star recruit, No. 7 safety, No. 13 in Florida

Verbal commitment: Notre Dame

Stats: 28 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 4 interceptions, 3 passes defended

Chaminade-Madonna 2027 S John Gay III

Height, weight: 6-1, 185 pounds

Ranking: No. 53 Florida Top 100, 3-star recruit, No. 73 safety, No. 64 in Florida

Verbal commitment: Notre Dame

Stats: 9 tackles, 6 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles

Raines 2028 S Zion Green

Height, weight: 6-3, 166 pounds

Ranking: 4-star recruit, No. 36 safety, No. 44 in Florida

Offers include Auburn, Florida State, LSU, Missouri, Texas

Stats: 40 tackles, 5 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, 6 catches, 163 yards, 3 touchdowns

West Boca 2028 ATH Terriel Harmon

Height, weight: 5-11½, 195 pounds

Ranking: 3-star recruit, No. 53 running back, No. 92 in Florida

Offers include: Florida State, Indiana, Miami, Missouri, Pitt

Stats: 43 carries, 218 yards, 3 touchdowns, 5 catches, 46 yards, 1 touchdown

Lakeland 2027 DL/EDGE Santana Harvey

Height, weight: 6-5, 220 pounds

Ranking: No. 22 Florida Top 100, 4-star recruit, No. 39 defensive lineman, No. 32 in Florida

Verbal commitment: Clemson

Venice 2027 RB Dorien Ingram-Jones

Height, weight: 5-11, 180 pounds

Ranking: No. 41 Florida Top 100, 3-star recruit, No. 114 running back, No. 161 in Florida

Verbal commitment: FIU

Stats: 145 carries, 1,189 yards, 26 touchdowns, 5 catches, 46 yards, 1 touchdown

Chaminade-Madonna 2028 WR Tromon Isaac Jr.

Height, weight: 5-11, 170 pounds

Ranking: 4-star recruit, No. 12 wide receiver, No. 7 in Florida

Offers include: Florida, Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame, Texas

Stats: 32 catches, 718 yards, 13 touchdowns

West Boca 2028 S CJ Jackson

Height, weight: 6-1, 180 pounds

Ranking: 3-star recruit, No. 60 safety, No. 92 in Florida (On3)

Offers include: Duke, Florida State, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Oregon

Stats: 17 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 2 passes defended, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery

West Boca S Damari Jerry

Height, weight: 6-0, 170 pounds

Ranking: No. 64 Florida Top 100, 3-star recruit, No. 96 safety, No. 89 in Florida

Verbal commitment: Liberty

Stats: 32 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles

Miami Central 2027 RB Nino Joseph

Height, weight: 5-7, 170 pounds

Ranking: 3-star recruit, No. 102 running back, No. 137 in Florida

Offers include: Boston College, Pitt, Purdue, Coastal Carolina, FAU

Stats: 129 carries, 1,025 yards, 9 touchdowns, 6 catches, 51 yards

Miami Central 2027 S Quartavius Lyons

Height, weight: 6-1, 165 pounds

Ranking: 3-star recruit, No. 55 safety, No. 48 in Florida

Offers include: Cal, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Syracuse, Tennessee

Stats: 30 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 12 passes defended, 2 fumble recoveries

St. Thomas Aquinas 2027 OT Mark Matthews

Height, weight: 6-4, 220 pounds

Ranking: No. 4 Florida Top 100, 5-star recruit, No. 1 offensive tackle, No. 1 in Florida

Verbal commitment: Georgia

Stats: 21 pancake blocks

Miami Central 2027 CB T'ari Miller

Height, weight: 6-4, 180 pounds

Ranking: No. 74 Florida Top 100, 3-star recruit, No. 65 cornerback, No. 55 in Florida

Verbal commitment: Missouri

Stats: 10 tackles, 1 interception, 1 pass defended, 1 fumble recovery, 1 forced fumble

Columbus 2027 QB Kai Moore

Height, weight: 6-0, 195 pounds

Ranking: 3-star recruit, No. 119 quarterback, No. 203 in Florida

Verbal commitment: Northern Illinois

Stats: 110 of 159, 1,637 yards, 21 touchdowns, 13 carries, 89 yards

Chaminade-Madonna 2028 QB Brady Quinn

Height, weight: 6-1, 195 pounds

Ranking: 4-star recruit, No. 23 quarterback, No. 42 in Florida

Offers include: Florida, Florida State, Indiana, Ole Miss, UCLA

Stats: 146 of 203, 2,478 yards, 31 touchdowns passes, 285 rushing yards, 4 rushing touchdowns

Chaminade-Madonna 2028 ATH Peter Pierre

Height, weight: 6-4, 220 pounds

Ranking: 4-star recruit, No. 13 athlete, No. 27 in Florida

Offers include: Alabama, Florida, Georgia Miami, Ohio State

Stats: 28 catches, 452 yards, 3 touchdowns, 26 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles

St. Thomas Aquinas 2027 RB Tyler Reid

Height, weight: 5-8, 170 pounds

Ranking: No. 70 Florida Top 100,

Verbal commitment: Pitt

Stats: 50 carries, 691 yards, 7 touchdowns, 4 catches, 74 yards, 2 touchdowns

Lakeland 2029 OL Jaxson Russell

Height, weight: 6-6, 310 pounds

Ranking: 3-star recruit, No. 26 interior offensive lineman, No. 49 in Florida (On3)

Offers include: Auburn, Florida State, Georgia, Louisville, Tennessee

Columbus 2027 ATH A'mir Sears

Height, weight: 6-1½, 181 pounds

Ranking: No. 1 Florida Top 100, 5-star recruit, No. 1 athlete, No. 2 in Florida

Verbal commitment: Miami

Stats: 16 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 5 interceptions, 4 passes defended, 19 catches, 285 yards, 4 receiving touchdowns 1 carry, 2 yards, 1 rushing touchdown

Columbus 2027 RB Cecil Smith

Height, weight: 5-8, 170 pounds

Ranking: 3-star recruit, No. 120 running back, No. 169 in Florida

Verbal commitment: Northern Illinois

Stats: 78 carries, 413 yards, 8 touchdowns, 17 catches, 161 yards, 2 touchdowns

St. Thomas Aquinas 2027 EDGE Wyatt Smith

Height, weight: 6-6, 235 pounds

Ranking: No. 10 Florida Top 100, 4-star recruit, No. 10 edge rusher, No. 9 in Florida

Verbal commitment: Ohio State

Stats: 71 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, 30 quarterback hurries, 5 passes defended

Chaminade-Madonna 2028 WR Armani Strong

Height, weight: 6-1, 180 pounds

Ranking: 3-star recruit, No. 63 wide receiver, No. 56 in Florida

Verbal commitment: Florida

Stats: 27 catches, 451 yards, 7 touchdowns

West Boca DL Jamar Thompson

Height, weight: 6-3, 305 pounds

Ranking: No. 25 Florida Top 100, 4-star recruit, No. 23 defensive lineman, No. 21 in Florida

Verbal commitment: Georgia Tech

Stats: 25 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 3 sacks

Columbus 2029 LB Sekou Toure

Height, weight: 6-4, 215 pounds

Ranking: 4-star recruit, No. 1 linebacker, No. 3 in Florida

Offers include: Alabama, Florida, Miami, Ohio State, Texas A&M

Stats: 15 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 1 fumble recovery

Raines 2028 ATH TJ Williamson

Height, weight: 5-9, 175 pounds

Ranking: 3-star recruit, No. 39 athlete, No. 110 in Florida (on3)

Offers include: Florida State, South Carolina, Syracuse, UCF, Memphis

Stats: 106 carries, 809 yards, 12 touchdowns, 19 catches, 352 yards, 2 touchdowns

Lakeland 2027 CB Jordan Young

Height, weight: 6-2, 180 pounds

Ranking: No. 57 Florida Top 100, 3-star recruit, No. 91 cornerback, No. 89 in Florida

Verbal commitment: Pitt

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: FHSAA football Open Division: Who are top recruits to watch?