As we head towards a new football season in the fall of 2024, IdahoSports.com is once again getting fans ready by unveiling the Top 10 players at each position.  These lists feature players from all corners of the state, and from all six classification levels.  Each week, we'll publish a new list of Top 10 players.  Here's the schedule:

July 3 (Offensive Linemen)

July 9 (Defensive Linemen)

July 16 (Special Teams)

July 23 (Running Backs)

July 30 (Linebackers)

August 6 (Wide Receivers/Tight Ends)

August 13 (Defensive Backs)

August 20 (Quarterbacks)

Noah Burnham, 11, Eagle

The 5-foot-9, 160 pound Burnham was thrust into Eagle’s starting lineup as a sophomore and flourished, rushing for 1,448 yards and 18 touchdowns.  His success on the ground was a big reason that Eagle went undefeated until their semifinal loss to Coeur d’Alene.  And then the postseason honors started rolling in: 1st Team All-Conference, 1st Team All-State, etc.  Entering his junior season Burnham is no longer an unknown, but his talent is undeniable.

Sawyer Hewett, 12, Kendrick

The offensive juggernaut that is Kendrick Tigers football took a hit via graduation, as four-year starting quarterback Ty Koepp graduated, as did a couple of his favorite receivers.  But for anyone seeking relief from Kendrick should remember that Hewett is still there, along with an excellent offensive line.  The 6-foot, 170-pound Hewett could play running back, receiver, or safety at the next level, and he’s equally adept at all three.  On offense, he rushed for 754 yards and 13 touchdowns on just 55 carries (13.7 yards per carry!).  He also caught 31 passes for 790 yards and 10 scores (25.4 yards per reception!).

Payton Travis, 12, New Plymouth

Travis boldly announced his presence in New Plymouth’s season opener a year ago, shredding the Payette Pirates for 124 yards and a touchdown on just nine carries.  Pilgrims coach Tony Cade distributed the ball equally between a number of ball-carries a season ago, so on the surface, Travis’ 899 yards and seven touchdowns don’t jump off the page.  But the 7.4 yards per carry certainly does.  Even a small uptick in carries in 2024 could make Travis a 1,000 yard rusher.

Andrew Martin, 11, North Fremont

Martin is another talented back that shared the ball in a crowded backfield a year ago.  For years, North Fremont has run a triple option offense that has been downright dastardly for opposing defenses.  When the Huskies played Melba a season ago (a team they are facing in a rematch this year, by the way), Martin rushed for 103 yards on just 12 carries, nearly a ten-yard-per-carry average.  That was a typical line for Martin most weeks, as he earned 1st Team All-Conference honors at seasons’ end.  Longtime coach Ben Lenz retired this offseason, though, so the big question is: will new coach Keith Director continue the triple option attack?  Or will Martin be showcased in a new offense entirely?

Craig Yost, 11, North Gem

North Gem is another team that loves to run the triple option.  Must be something about having “North” in your school name.  Veteran coach Corry Hatch doesn’t hide the fact that his team wants to run the rock: Most games feature somewhere between zero and four pass attempts.  Yost served as the fullback in the Cowboys’ attack in 2023 as a sophomore, and responded with 1,137 yards and 15 touchdowns.  Coach Hatch recently described Yost as “a bowling ball of knives,” a description that definitely checks out.

Cade Walker, 12, Owyhee

Walker may be more known for his baseball exploits (and to be clear, Walker would be an excellent college baseball player if he chose that path), but he’s really starting to heat up on the football field as well.  In lieu of the traditional numbers like rushing yards and touchdowns, we’d like to present to you a different set of stats: 4.0 GPA, 4.56 40-yard dash time, 305 pound bench press, and 435 pound squat.  In other words, Walker is strong, both in the academic sense and the literal sense.  He’s been invited to some college camps this summer, and coaches would be crazy not to take advantage of a talent like Walker.

Dylan Uhlenkott, 12, Prairie

The Prairie Pirates have been out-of-sight, out-of-mind after missing out on the playoffs the past couple of seasons.  But that’s mostly because of a numbers crunch with available state playoff berths from their district, not necessarily an indictment of their skill level.  After taking a couple of years off, championship-winning coach Ryan Hasselstrom has returned to the Prairie sidelines this year, and enthusiasm in Cottonwood is high.  Coach Hasslestrom loves having a strong ball-carrier, and Uhlenkott fits that role perfectly.  A year ago, he rushed for 1,033 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 9.5 yards per carry.

Amani Morel, 11, Rigby

Morel joined the Skyline varsity team for a cup of coffee at the tail end of his freshman season, then solidified his standing with a starting job last year as a sophomore.  The 6-foot-1 Morel glided his way to 1,452 yards and 20 touchdowns rushing, plus an additional 602 yards and six touchdowns receiving.  Skyline fans were dreaming of what Morel would do for an encore, but instead, it will be Rigby fans enjoying his talents, as Morel announced in June that he had transferred to play for the Trojans.  In our opinion, Morel doesn’t have anything else to prove, regardless of which school he plays for, as Skyline and Rigby are both unrivaled in terms of overall program competiveness.

Taeshaun Reese, 12, Rocky Mountain

Whenever we profile an athlete from Rocky Mountain High School, the analysis has to extend beyond gaudy statistics.  What makes the Grizzlies so good annually is an offensive scheme that features too many tools to count.  Every player buys into the unselfish scheme, knowing that there will be games and moments where they are heavily featured, and other times when they’re not.  Rocky Mountain had four different quarterbacks last year, for crying out loud!  As for Reese, he’s got the goods.  He brings explosiveness along with a sturdy frame (5-foot-10, 200 pounds).  He has been busy on the camp circuit this summer, and is in store for big things in 2024.

Jack Joyce, 12, Teton

Not every team makes their stats public, which we still don’t understand (another topic for another day, though).  As best as we can tell, Joyce was Idaho’s leading rusher in 2023, running for 1,496 yards and 13 touchdowns for a Teton team that went all the way to the 3A state championship game.  Joyce is a shifty back with speed to burn, and should be garnering more college interest than he is currently.  Joyce is a true hidden gem.