Hampton Roads is represented on eight teams in AP Top 25 poll
Many more players from region are on Division I rosters
The first full slate of college football games is this week, and many Hampton Roads athletes will be participating for highly regarded Power Five conference schools this season.
The area has 14 players on eight teams ranked among the Associated Press Top 25.
Georgia, the top-ranked team, has sophomore defensive back Daylen Everette. He played for Norview, but finished his high school career at IMG Academy in Florida. He played in 14 games last season, including the national title game. He became the fifth player from South Hampton Roads to win a college football national title since 2000, joining Jordan Williams (Cox/ Clemson), Jalyn Holmes (Lake Taylor/Ohio State), Phillip Sims (Oscar Smith/Alabama) and Percy Harvin (Landstown/Florida). Everette finished with 13 tackles, including a season-high four tackles in a win over Georgia Tech. He is slated to start this season for the Bulldogs.
Michigan, ranked No. 2, has freshman Brandyn Hillman. The Churchland grad originally committed to Notre Dame, but reopened his recruitment after being granted a release from his national letter of intent. He was a two-time All-Tidewater selection, a two-time Class 4 Region A Offensive Player of the Year and was second-team all-region at defensive back and punter. Hillman, who finished his high school career with more than 6,000 all-purpose yards, is listed as a defensive back for the Wolverines.
Alabama, ranked No. 4, has freshman defensive back Dezz Ricks. The Norfolk native played his high school career at IMG Academy in Florida. A five-star recruit, he was ranked the No. 17 player in the country by ESPN. He was rated the No. 42 player by 247Sports. He was selected to the Under Armour All-America Game.
Penn State, ranked No. 7, has senior wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith and sophomore running back Kaytron Allen.
Lambert-Smith, a Maury grad, has 1,048 career receiving yards, becoming the 37th PSU player to reach the 1,000-yard plateau. His 88-yard touchdown catch in the Rose Bowl was the fourth-longest pass play in Penn State history. He also is the only wide receiver in program history to throw and catch a touchdown in the same game — in the win over Michigan State.
Allen, who appeared in 13 games and started three, rushed for 867 yards and 10 touchdowns. His yards are the fourthmost by a Penn State freshman in a single season. Against Indiana, he became the first Penn State freshman with three rushing touchdowns in a game since 2003. He earned All-Big Ten honorable mention and was named a College Football News Freshman All-American. He won Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors twice.
Clemson, ranked No. 9, has cornerback Sheridan Jones — a graduate student — and sophomore safety Sherrod Covil Jr. Jones, a Maury grad, has 83 tackles, nine pass breakups, two interceptions and a fumble recovery in his career. Covil, an Oscar Smith grad, had 16 tackles last season, including three in the Orange Bowl against Tennessee.
Wisconsin, ranked No. 19, has junior defensive end Darian Varner, a redshirt transfer from Temple. Varner, a Maury grad, earned first-team All-American Athletic Conference honors last season after he recorded 35 tackles — 12½ for loss — and 7½ sacks, which tied for 17th nationally. He entered the transfer portal and initially committed to Virginia Tech before changing to Wisconsin.
North Carolina, ranked No. 21, has five players from Hampton Roads in redshirt freshman defensive back Tayon Holloway (Green Run), redshirt freshman wide receiver Tychaun Chapman(Princess Anne), sophomore running back George Pettaway (Nansemond-Suffolk), freshman wide receiver Paul Billups II (Western Branch) and grad student Armani Chatman (Catholic) ,a Virginia Tech transfer. Pettaway saw action in 11 games at running back and on special teams and returned seven kickoffs for 221 yards for a 31.6 yards-per-return average.
Texas A&M, ranked No. 23, has North Carolina transfer Tony Grimes. The Princess Anne High grad played in 37 games for UNC and recorded 97 tackles, 20 pass breakups and one interception. He was named honorable mention All-ACC in 2021 after he finished tied for fifth in the league with nine pass breakups and 47 tackles.
Some other notable Hampton Roads players at Power Five conference schools:
■ Boston College — Caleb Jones (Oscar Smith/North Carolina A&T).
■ Duke — Peyton Jones (Maury), David Anderson (Kecoughtan), Quran Boyd (Kempsville), Leon Griffin III (Bayside).
■ Florida — Teradja Mitchell (Catholic/Ohio State).
■ Kentucky — Tayvion Robinson (Cox/ Virginia Tech).
■ Louisville — Cam’Ron Kelly (Oscar Smith/Auburn/North Carolina/Virginia). Kelly, the 2017 Abe Goldblatt All-Tidewater Player of the Year, played four seasons for UNC, where he was an All-ACC safety and earned a psychology degree. He originally entered the transfer portal and transferred to Virginia in January, and played in the Cavaliers’ spring game. But he later re-entered the portal and transferred to Louisville.
■ Maryland — Amelio Morán (Princess Anne).
■ Memphis — Adarious Jones (Catholic/TCU).
■ N.C. State — Derrick Eason (Norview), Nate Evans (Cox).
■ Pittsburgh — Jordan Bass (Phoebus), Rodney Hammond (Booker T. Washington).
■ Virginia — Anthony Britton (Lake Taylor), Ben Smiley (Indian River).
■ Virginia Tech — Lemar Law (Green Run), George Ballance (Cox), Luke Bussel (Greenbrier Christian), Griffin Duggan (Nansemond-Suffolk), Da’Quan Felton (Churchland/Norfolk State), Pheldarius Payne (Nansemond River/Nebraska), Antwaun Powell-Ryland (Indian River/Florida).
■ West Virginia — Tory Johnson (Oscar Smith).