Welcome back to another season of high school football in Western Pennsylvania.
LISTEN: Quest for the Best Thursday at 6 p.m./Game of the Week: coverage starts at 6 p.m., every Friday
The 2025 season begins this weekend with Week 0 games across the region.
But before the games begin, we take a look at the KDKA Radio Preseason Players to Watch in each classification.
This season, KDKA Radio will again nominate players each week to join the KDKA Radio Super 7 Awards watch list. Every Monday, a new crop of players will be unveiled based on their efforts that previous Friday night. At the end of the year, KDKA Radio will announce the winners of the award for each WPIAL classification, as well as the Pittsburgh City League.
Here are the top players to watch in 2025:
Class 6A
Jimmy Kalis, Central Catholic - Massive 4-star junior offensive lineman with offers from nearly every top program in country.
Lincoln Hoke, North Allegheny - 3-star senior defensive lineman committed to Pitt. Son of former Steeler Chris Hoke.
Ashton Blatt, Central Catholic - Dynamic edge rusher committed to North Carolina.
Colsen Gatten, Central Catholic - 3-star linebacker committed to Duke.
Adam Gehm, TE, Seneca Valley - Big bodied tight end with 3-star rating and committed to Vanderbilt.
Brock Heisler, Hempfield - Senior defensive tackle who is committed to Harvard.
TJ Sabatucci, Canon-McMillan - Playmaking tight end committed to Buffalo.
Class 5A
Jay Timmons, Pine-Richland - Son for former Steelers Lawrence Timmons. 4-star cornerback recruit committed to Florida State.
Reston Lehman, Peters Township - Thumping 4-star linebacker committed to Pitt.
Khalil Taylor, Pine-Richland - 4-star wide receiver recruit ranked 53rd overall and committed to Penn State.
Lucas Shanafelt, Peters Township - 3-star edge rusher committed to Stanford.
Scoop Smith, Woodland Hills - Lightning fast wide receiver committed to Miami (OH).
Nolan DiLucia, Peters Township - Accurate quarterback committed to Villanova.
John Curran, Pine-Richland - Mauling 3-star interior offensive lineman committed to Pitt.
Class 4A
Kemon Spell, McKeesport - Top ten ranked junior recruit in country, committed to Penn State to play running back.
Javien Robinson, McKeesport - Top 100 junior recruit at wide receiver with offers from Pitt, Syracuse and Rutgers.
Armand Hill, West Mifflin - Productive 4-star running back committed to West Virginia.
Jonah Williamson, Trinity - Multi-sport standout committed to Harvard to play quarterback.
Tyler Eber, Thomas Jefferson - Bruising running back who racked up 2,677 all-purpose yards in 2024.
Caden Halajcio, Montour - Strong two-way player with two Division I offers.
Marques Council, Aliquippa - Field general quarterback committed to Yale.
Class 3A
Gabe Jenkins, Imani Christian - Explosive cornerback ranked 60th in junior class and committed to Penn State.
David Davis, Imani Christian - 4-star athlete recruit committed to Penn State.
Brendan Alexander, Central Valley - Athletic 3-star interior offensive lineman recruit with numerous Power 4 offers.
Joey Felitsky, North Catholic - Passed for nearly 3,000 yards last year and holds several college offers.
Luca Neal, Avonworth - One of WPIAL’s better two-way forces at tailback and linebacker.
Peter Bonnet, Avonworth - Massive offensive tackle committed to Navy.
James Armstrong, Hopewell - Quick rising quarterback with four Division I offers, including Pitt.
Class 2A
Da’Ron Barksdale, Steel Valley - Exceptional two-way player committed to Pitt to play cornerback.
Tristan Reed, Washington - Big bodied wide receiver committed to Miami (OH).
Drew Cook, South Allegheny - One of WPIAL’s best football/basketball dual threats with four Division I football offers.
Dan Monaco, Mohawk - Powerful offensive lineman who earned all-conference honors in 2024.
Ameer Nelson, Washington - Shifty playmaker at receiver and defensive back with Division I interest as sophomore.
Aaron Loritts, Seton LaSalle - Strong edge rusher committed to Monmouth.
Will Martin, Seton LaSalle - Intimidating force at outside linebacker and tight end, committed to Duquesne.
Class 1A
Matt Sieg, Fort Cherry - One of WPIAL’s most productive dual threat quarterbacks ever. Committed to Penn State to play safety.
Minikon Johnson, Bishop Canevin - 3-star linebacker recruit committed to West Virginia.
Samir Crosby, Greensburg Central Catholic - Crisp route runner with ten Division I offers.
Damar Olds, Bishop Canevin - One of area’s best playmakers at receiver with offers from Kent State and Akron.
Brandon Murphy Jr., Clairton - Standout sophomore with three Power 4 offers already, including Pitt.
AC Corfield, South Side - Highly productive multi-sport athlete who ran for over 1,000 yards in 2024.
Kymone Brown, Jeannette - Plays numerous positions, including quarterback and has an offer from Navy.
City League
Lukas Stead, Allderdice - Powerful tight end with offer from Akron. One of City League’s top basketball players, too.
Dameon Hill, Westinghouse - Explosive back who will take on bigger role for City League champs.
Zion Hauser, University Prep - Pulled in 863 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 2024. Has offer from Northern Arizona.
Jahleel Anthony, Brashear - Talented wide receiver with offers from Kent State and Miami (OH).
Jordan Reid, Westinghouse - 1st team all-City League cornerback with two Division I offers.
Josiah Collins, Westinghouse - Disruptive defensive lineman with several Division I offers.
Nasir Scott, Allderdice - Bruising running back at 5-10, 200 pounds who had multiple 200-yard rushing games in 2024.
The second annual KDKA Kickoff Classic LIVE at the Wolvarena, presented by Allegent Community Federal Credit Union, is this Friday, August 22 and Saturday, August 23.
A collection of five incredible high school football games will take place at one of the most historic venues in our region - the iconic Wolvarena in Turtle Creek - widely lauded as one of the greatest places to watch a high school football game in America.
All games will air live and exclusively on KDKA Radio, the flagship station of the WPIAL.
The two-day event will showcase primarily local teams, with other prolific programs from Pennsylvania traveling to the region to round out a diverse, and highly competitive lineup of must-see games for area football fans.