Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

As radio disc jockeys used to say, ‘And the hits just keep on a comin’.”
It seems the awards just keep a comin’ for Ironton Fighting Tigers’ senior Reid Carrico.
After an award-filled season last year and several preseason honors this year, Carrico has been named to the final 99 players who will be selected on the Sports Illustrated high school All-America first team.
The 6-foot-3, 225-pound linebacker who pulls double duty as a running back has given a verbal commitment to Ohio State.
He was the Southeast Ohio Division 5 District Defensive Player of the year last season and the Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year in the state’s All-Ohio team selections.
Carrico led Ironton in rushing, scoring and tackles last season when the Fighting Tigers finished the season 13-2 and Division 5 state runners-up.
Here is the list of Sports Illustrated preseason All-American candidates:

NEW YORK — Sports Illustrated Monday unveiled its Preseason SI99 — the 99 high school football seniors from across the nation that it ranks as the frontrunners for its coveted 2020 SI All-American first team.
This Preseason SI99 stems from SI’s watch list of 1,000 players that was unveiled last month — following what is believed to be the widest, most in-depth analysis and breakdown of tape of any recruiting class ever — and a subsequent ranking of top 10 players in each of 14 different position groups.
“Our ranking of the top 99 reflects where the game of football is going,” said SI All-American recruiting director John Garcia Jr.
“We’ve refined position groups. We’ve eliminated the outside linebacker position, because those guys in today’s game are more edge rushers, and added the nickel position. We’ve broken receivers and tight ends into two groups each — slot and wide receivers, and traditional (Y) and hybrid (H) tight ends.
“But one part of the game that hasn’t changed is the focus on protecting and destroying the quarterback. Our top five players illustrate the point — two are defensive ends and one an offensive tackle.”
Among the Preseason SI99 highlights:
The list includes a pair of brothers — twins Tommy and James Brockermeyer of Fort Worth, Texas — who are verbally committed to Alabama
24 of the 99 have yet to verbally commit to a college (with 8 of the top 20 undecided).
Of the 75 who have verbally committed, Ohio State has secured the most, with 10. The Buckeyes are followed by Alabama (8), Clemson (6), Georgia (5), and Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Tennessee (4 each).
The states most represented in the SI99 are Florida (16), Texas (14), California and Georgia (9 each), and North Carolina, and Pennsylvania and Washington (6 each). The DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia) also has 6.
SI ranks Caleb Williams, a quarterback out of Gonzaga College High (Washington, D.C.) as the No. 1 player in the nation. Ranked second — and No. 1 on defense — is defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau of Eastside Catholic High in the Seattle suburb of Sammamish, Wash. Williams is verbally committed to Oklahoma and Tuimoloau looks to be down to a finalists list of Oregon, Ohio State, USC, Washington, Alabama and Stanford.
The evaluation process will continue “until the list of 1,000 contenders coalesces around just 25 young men who can say proudly they are the best of the best — they are Sports Illustrated All-Americans,” says Garcia.
The candidates will be narrowed to 250 finalists and then a Postseason SI99 from which the 25-member first-team SI All-Americans will be selected.
The Preseason SI99 (with each name hotlinked to the player’s bio, SI analysis and video highlights) is as follows, with college verbal commitment noted:
QB Caleb Williams / Washington, D.C. (Gonzaga) — Oklahoma
DE J.T. Tuimoloau / Sammamish, Wash. (Eastside Catholic) — undecided
DE Jack Sawyer / Pickerigton, Ohio (Pickerington North) — Ohio State
IDL Korey Foreman / Corona, Calif. (Centennial) — undecided
OT Tommy Brockermeyer / Fort Worth, Texas (All Saints Episcopal) — Alabama
LB Smael Mondon / Dallas, Ga. (Paulding County) — undecided
DE Demeioun Robinson / Gaithersburg, Md. (Quince Orchard) — Maryland
RB TreVeyon Henderson / Hopewell, Va. — Ohio State
RB Camar Wheaton / Garland, Texas (Lakeview Centennial) — undecided
WR Emeka Egbuka / Steilacoom, Wash. — undecided
OT J.C. Latham / Bradenton, Fla. (IMG Academy) — Alabama
IDL Damon Payne / Belleville, Mich. — Alabama
OT Amarius Mims / Cochran, Ga. (Bleckley County) — undecided
CB Jason Marshall / Miami, Fla. (Palmetto) — Florida
QB Brock Vandagriff / Bogart, Ga. (Prince Avenue Christian) — Georgia
IDL Tywone Malone / Oradell, N.J. (Bergen Catholic) — undecided
LB Xavian Sorey / Graceville, Fla. — undecided
DE Dylan Brooks / Roanoke, Ala. (Handley) — Tennessee
S James Williams / Plantation, Fla. (Heritage) — Miami
IDL Leonard Taylor / Miami, Fla. (Palmetto) — Miami
WR Beaux Collins / Bellflower, Calif. (St. John Bosco) — Clemson
DE Keeshawn Silver / Rocky Mount, N.C. — North Carolina
SLOT Mario Williams Jr. / Plant City, Fla. — Oklahoma
QB J.J. McCarthy / was La Grange Park, Ill./Nazareth Academy; now IMG in Bradenton, Fla. — Michigan
IDL Payton Page / Greensboro, N.C. (Dudley) — Clemson
LB Raesjon Davis / Santa Ana, Calif. (Mater Dei) — LSU
LB Terence Lewis / Miami, Fla. (Northwestern) — Tennessee
RB Will Shipley / Matthews, N.C. (Weddington) — Clemson
QB Ty Thompson / Gilbert, Ariz. (Mesquite) — Oregon
IOL Bruce Foster / Katy, Texas (Taylor) — undecided
IOL Donovan Jackson / Bellaire, Texas (Episcopal) — Ohio State
WR Dont’e Thornton / Baltimore, Md. (Mount St. Joseph) — undecided
QB Drake Maye / Charlotte, N.C. (Myers Park) — North Carolina
LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. / Philadelphia, Pa. (St. Joseph’s Prep) — Clemson
S David Daniel / Woodstock, Ga. — Georgia
IDL Maason Smith / Houma, La. (Terrebonne) — undecided
CB Ishmael Ibraheem Dallas, Texas (Justin F. Kimball) — Texas
QB Sam Huard / Burien, Wash. (Kennedy Catholic) — Washington
WR Marvin Harrison Jr. Philadelphia, Pa. (St. Joseph’s Prep) — Ohio State
LB Barrett Carter Suwanee, Ga. (North Gwinnett) — Clemson
S Terrion Arnold / Tallahassee, Fla. (St. John Paul II) — undecided
SLOT Christian Leary / Orlando, Fla. (Edgewater) — Alabama
CB Nathaniel Wiggins / Atlanta, Ga. (Westlake) — undecided
TE-Y Cane Berrong / Hartwell, Ga. (Hart County) — Notre Dame
TE-H Thomas Fidone Jr. / Council Bluffs, Iowa (Lewis Central) — undecided
WR Jacorey Brooks / Miami, Fla. (Booker T. Washington) — Alabama
OT Kingsley Suamataia / Orem, Utah — undecided
DE Elijah Jeudy / Philadelphia, Pa. (Northeast) — Georgia
CB Ga’Quincy McKinstry / Pinson, Ala. (Pinson Valley) — undecided
LB Julien Simon / Tacoma, Wash. (Lincoln) — USC
TE-H Brock Bowers / Napa, Calif. — Georgia
RB Evan Pryor / Cornelius, N.C. (William Amos Hough) — Ohio State
NICKEL Jordan Hancock / Suwanee, Ga. (North Gwinnett) — Ohio State
DE Jeremiah Williams / Birmingham, Ala. (Ramsay) — undecided
QB Tyler Buchner / La Mesa, Calif. (Helix) — Notre Dame
WR Jerand Bradley / DeSoto, Texas — Texas Tech
QB Kyle McCord / Philadelphia, Pa. (St. Joseph’s Prep) — Ohio State
DE Quintin Somerville / Scottsdale, Ariz. (Saguaro) — Michigan
WR Troy Franklin / Atherton, Calif. (Menlo) — Oregon
NICKEL Billy Bowman Jr. / Denton, Texas (Ryan) — Texas
OT Tristan Leigh / Fairfax, Va. (Robinson Secondary) — undecided
LB Reid Carrico / Ironton, Ohio — Ohio State
WR Destyn Pazon / New Orleans, La. (Edna Karr) — undecided
TE-Y Hudson Wolfe / Savannah, Tenn. (Hardin County) — Tennessee
SLOT Jabez Tinae / Burien, Wash. (Kennedy Catholic) — Washington
IDL Gabriel Rubio / Saint Peters, Mo. (Lutheran) — Notre Dame
WR Xavier Worthy / Fresno, Calif. (Central West) — Michigan
OT Blake Fisher / Avon, Ind. — Notre Dame
DE Dallas Turner / Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (St. Thomas Aquinas) — Alabama
RB Amari Daniels / Miami, Fla. (Central) — undecided
DE Zaire Patterson / Winston-Salem, N.C. (W-S Prep Academy) — Clemson
S Ahmari Harvey / Tallahassee, Fla. (Florida State Univ. School) — Auburn
CB Latrell McCutchin /Austin, Texas (Lynden B. Johnson) — Oklahoma
WR Brian Thomas / Walker, La. — undecided
IDL Lee Hunter / Prichard, Ala. (Mattie T. Blount) — Auburn
DE Tyreak Sapp / Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Saint Thomas Aquinas) — Florida
S Corey Collier Jr. / Miami, Fla. (Palmetto) — Florida
IDL Mike Hall / Streetsboro, Ohio — Ohio State
CB Jakailin Johnson / Creve Coeur, Mo. (De Smet Jesuit) — Ohio State
S Derrick Davis Jr. Monroeville, Pa. (Gateway) — undecided
QB Miller Moss / Santa Ana, Calif. (Mater Dei) — USC
RB JoJo Earle / Aledo, Texas — LSU
NICKEL Steven Ortiz / Goodyear, Ariz. (Desert Edge) — Minnesota
LB Jaraye Williams / Burien, Wash. (Kennedy Catholic) — Louisville
CB Isaiah Johnson / Bluefield, W.Va. — Arizona State
QB Preston Stone / Dallas, Texas (Parish Episcopal) — SMU
IDL Monkell Goodwine / Fort Washington, Md. (National Christian Academy) — Alabama
LB Jamon Dumas-Johnson / Baltimore, Md. (St. Frances Academy) — Georgia
DE Landon Jackson / Texarkana, Texas (Pleasant Grove) — LSU
NICKEL Sage Ryan / Lafayette, Calif. (Christian Academy) — undecided
WR Cody Jackson / Richmond, Texas (Foster) — Oklahoma
IDL Elliot Donald / Pittsburgh, Pa. (Central Catholic) — Pitt
QB Eli Stowers / Denton, Texas (John H. Guyer) — Texas A&M
TE-H Miles Campbell / Douglasville, Ga. (South Paulding) — Tennessee
TE-H Michael Trigg / Seffner, Fla. (Seffner Christian) — undecided
NICKEL Avante Dickerson / Omaha, Neb. (Westside) — Minneosta
RB Armoni Goodwin / Trussville, Ala. (Hewitt-Trussville) — Auburn
IOL James Brockermeyer / Fort Worth, Texas (All Saints’ Episcopal) — Alabama
WR Cristian Dixon / Santa Ana, Calif. (Mater Dei) — Michigan
Preseason SI99 break down by state:
ALABAMA
Dylan Brooks, Roanoke
Ga’Quincy McKinstry, Pinson
Jeremiah Williams, Birmingham
Lee Hunter, Prichard
Armoni Goodwin, Trussville
ARIZONA
Ty Thompson, Gilbert
Quintin Somerville, Scottsdale
Steven Ortiz, Goodyear
CALIFORNIA
Beaux Collins, Bellflower
Raesjon Davis, Santa Ana
Brock Bowers, Napa
Tyler Buchner, La Mesa
Troy Franklin, Atherton
Xavier Worthy, Fresno
Miller Moss, Mission Hills
Christian Dixon, Santa Ana
Korey Foreman, Corona
WASHINGTON, DC
Caleb Williams
FLORIDA
Jason Marshall, Miami
JC Latham, Bradenton
Xavian Sorey, Graceville
James Williams, Plantation
Leonard Taylor, Miami
Mario Williams, Plant City
Terrence Lewis, Miami
Terrion Arnold, Tallahassee
Christian Leary, Orlando
Jacorey Brooks, Miami
Dallas Turner, Fort Lauderdale
Amari Daniels, Miami
Amari Harvey, Tallahassee
Tyreak Sapp, Fort Lauderdale
Corey Collier, Miami
Michael Trigg, Seffner
GEORGIA
Smael Mondon, Dallas
David Daniel, Woodstock
Barrett Carter, Suwanee
Nathaniel Wiggins, Atlanta
Cane Berrong, Hartwell
Jordan Hancock, Suwanee
Miles Campbell, Douglasville
Amarius Mims, Cochran
Brock Vandagriff, Bogart
IOWA
Thomas Fidone, Council Bluffs
INDIANA
Blake Fisher, Avon
ILLINOIS
JJ McCarthy, La Grange Park
LOUISIANA
Maason Smith, Houma
Destyn Pazon, New Orleans
Brian Thomas, Walker
Sage Ryan, Lafayette
MARYLAND
Monkell Goodwine, Fort Washington
Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Baltimore
Demeioun Robinson, Gaithersburg
Dont’e Thornton, Baltimore
MICHIGAN
Damon Payne, Belleville
MISSOURI
Gabe Rubio, Saint Peters
Mike Hall, Streetsboro
Jakailin Johnson, Saint Louis
NEBRASKA
Avantae Dickerson, Omaha
NEW JERSEY
Tywone Malone, Oradell
NORTH CAROLINA
Keeshawn Silver, Rocky Mount
Payton Page, Greensboro
Will Shipley, Matthews
Drake Maye, Charlotte
Evan Pryor, Cornelius
Zaire Patterson, Winston-Salem
OHIO
Reid Carrico, Ironton
Jack Sawyer, Pickerington
PENNSYLVANIA
Jeremiah Trotter, Philadelphia
Marvin Harrison, Philadelphia
Elijah Jeudy, Philadelphia
Kyle McCord, Philadelphia
Derrick Davis, Monroeville
Elliot Donald, Reading
TENNESSEE
Hudson Wolfe, Savannah
TEXAS
Tommy Brockermeyer, Fort Worth
Camar Wheaton, Garland
Bryce Foster, Katy
Donovan Jackson, Bellaire
Ishmael Ibraheem, Dallas
Billy Bowman, Denton
Latrell McCutchin, Austin
Jojo Earle, Aledo
Preston Stone, Dallas
Landon Jackson, Texarkana
Cody Jackson, Richmond
Eli Stowers, Denton, TX
James Brockermeyer, Fort Worth
Jerand Bradley, Plano
UTAH
Kingsley Suamataia, East Orem
VIRGINIA
TreVeon Henderson, Hopewell
Tristan Leigh, Fairfax
WASHINGTON
Jaraye Williams, Burien
JT Tuimoloau, Bellevue
Emeka Egbuka, Steilacoom
Sam Huard, Burien
Jabez Tinae, Burien
Julien Simon, Tacoma
WEST VIRGINIA
Isiah Johnson, Bluefield
Preseason SI99 break down by college verbal commitment:
Alabama
IOL James Brockermeyer
OT Tommy Brockermeyer
WR Jacorey Brooks
IDL Monkell Goodwine
Slot Christian Leary
OT JC Latham
IDL Damon Payne
DE Dallas Turner
Arizona State
CB Isaiah Johnson
Auburn
RB Armoni Goodwin
S Ahmari Harvey
IDL Lee Hunter
Clemson
LB Barrett Carter
WR Beaux Collins
IDL Payton Page
DE Zaire Patterson
RB Will Shipley
LB Jeremiah Trotter
Florida
S Corey Collier
CB Jason Marshall
DE Tyreak Sapp
Georgia
TE-H Brock Bowers
S David Daniel
LB Jamon Dumas-Johnson
DE Elijah Jeudy
QB Brock Vandagriff
Louisville
LB Jaraye Williams
LSU
LB Raesjon Davis
RB Jojo Earle
DE Landon Jackson
Maryland
DE Demeioun Robinson
Miami
IDL Leonard Taylor
S James Williams
Michigan
WR Christian Dixon
QB JJ McCarthy
DE Quintin Somerville
Slot Xavier Worthy
Minnesota
Nickel Avantae Dickerson
Nickel Steven Ortiz
North Carolina
QB Drake Maye
DE Keeshawn Silver
Notre Dame
TE-Y Cane Berrong
QB Tyler Buchner
OT Blake Fisher
IDL Gabe Rubio
Ohio State
LB Reid Carrico
IDL Mike Hall
Nickel Jordan Hancock
WR Marvin Harrison
RB TreVeon Henderson
IOL Donovan Jackson
CB JK Johnson
QB Kyle McCord
RB Evan Pryor
DE Jack Sawyer
Oklahoma
WR Cody Jackson
CB Latrell McCutchin
QB Caleb Williams
Slot Mario Williams
Oregon
WR Troy Franklin
QB Ty Thompson
Pittsburgh
IDL Elliot Donald
SMU
QB Preston Stone
Texas
Nickel Billy Bowman
CB Ishmael Ibraheem
Texas A&M
QB Eli Stowers
Texas Tech
WR Jerand Bradley
Tennessee
DE Dylan Brooks
TE-H Miles Campbell
LB Terrence Lewis
TE-Y Hudson Wolfe
USC
QB Miller Moss
LB Julien Simon
Washington
QB Sam Huard
Slot Jabez Tinae