Hebron Headlines Maryland/DC Area

The Scout.com class of 2006 state rankings are here, and today's list includes appearances from Maryland/DC, Illinois, Hawaii, and Kentucky.

State Rankings

Hawaii 20

Illinois 20

Kentucky 20

Maryland/DC 25

Tomorrow: Louisiana, West Virginia, Utah, Idaho

The state of Maryland finds itself with a wealth of talent this year including eight players rated four stars or higher, headline by two five star players. Safety Akeem Hebron and offensive lineman Antonio Logan-El are both committed, which is turning out to be a common occurance this year in the area.

Benjamin Tate

"It really started with Antonio making his commitment right after earning an offer last summer at Maryland," says East recruiting analyst Miller Safrit. "Then you have Hebron heading to Georgia, a great running back in Benny Tate committing to Auburn, and Pha' Terrell Washington also committing to Maryland in the top ten. Half of the players in the top twenty-five in the area are already committed heading into fall practice this year, which is just unheard of."

Illinois finds itself in the commitment connundrum with three of the top five players committed, including the state's top player Isiah Williams staying at home with the Illini. whom Midwest recruiting analyst Chris Pool feels is a solid player for the next level.

Isiah Williams

"The Land of Lincoln isn’t as deep as it was a year ago when a half dozen Illinoisans were U.S. Army All-American’s. Chicago (Vocational) quarterback Isiah Williams and Chicago (Morgan Park) offensive lineman Ramone Johnson are 1a and 1b in my opinion," says Pool. "Williams is an incredibly poised quarterback with perhaps the strongest arm in the country. Johnson is take no prisoners type lineman that has the potential to be a star at the next level.

"Marques Wilkins and Chris James are a couple of sensational wide receiver prospects. Wilkins is flashy, athletic and very good in the open field and James has perhaps the best pair of hands in the Midwest. Chris is a terrific leaper and he’s fearless. Both Wilkins and James have committed to Illinois."

While not known as being a state that produces a big number of Division 1 prospects, Kentucky is once again solid at the very top.

Micah Johnson

"Micah Johnson is the Scout.com #1 rated defensive tackle in the country, and he is the #1 prospect in the state of Kentucky," says South recruiting editor Scott Kennedy. "Johnson has amazing agility for his size. He has enough quickness to play middle linebacker on the high school level, and some schools are telling him that's where he could play on the college level."

While some are not aware of its talent, Hawaii brings many tremendous big men to the game, and this year is no exception.

Micah Kia

"Micah Kia, the top player in the islands, will have 20 D1 offers by the time he picks a college, and OL/DL Whitley Fehoko (who is already committed to Utah) might just be the strongest player in prep football today," says West recruiting analyst Chris Fetters. "Ramsey Feagai, Vuni Funaki and Ryan Pohl will all be playing D1 ball in 2006. If you're looking for aggressive rush end-types, Hawaii has a bunch of those too; BJ Beatty, Kapono Rawlins-Crivello, Sione Liufau and Russ Wantowski all can fit the bill."