Top 2017 Recruits to Watch in High School Football Playoffs

High school football playoffs are underway across America, presenting an opportunity for senior athletes to establish lasting legacies with their programs. For top recruits, this is the final stretch of outstanding prep careers.

College football awaits these prospects next year, but focus still remains fixated on state titles at this stage. Losses could be the final high school contests for these players, who will be counted on to come through in crunch time.

Here's a look at prized college recruits who appear primed to lead high school squads deep into postseason competition.

4-Star QB Tua Tagovailoa

Credit: Student Sports

High School: St. Louis (Honolulu, Hawaii)

Scout.com Ranking: No. 4 quarterback; No. 36 overall

Recruitment Status: Committed to Alabama

Already cemented as one of Hawaii's most accomplished prep football players of all time, Tua Tagovailoa can cap things off with a state championship next weekend. St. Louis High School meets Kahuku High School on Nov. 19 in a battle between the top two seeds in the state's open division, per MaxPreps.

Tagovailoa kept those title dreams alive last weekend with four total touchdowns in a 42-7 semifinal win over Wai'anae High School, according to Hank South of 247Sports. His performance featured 162 yards and three scores through the air on 13-of-15 passing, complemented by 67 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Selected as the Elite 11 MVP this summer, a sensational senior campaign puts Tagovailoa in position to depart for Tuscaloosa as the state's all-time passing leader. He is now only 86 yards away from matching former St. Louis star Timmy Chang (8,001), according to Hawaii Prep World, and he could claim the record along with a state championship on Saturday.

5-Star RB Cam Akers

Credit: Student Sports

High School: Clinton (Clinton, Mississippi)

Scout.com Ranking: No. 2 running back; No. 4 overall

Recruitment Status: Uncommitted; offers include Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Ole Miss and Ohio State

Cam Akers continues to showcase an elite overall skill set while taking snaps at quarterback for Clinton High School, where he's asserted himself as a National Player of the Year candidate this fall. His efforts helped Clinton dismantle Hernando High School 63-35 in a first-round playoff matchup. 

Akers completed eight passes for 164 yards and three touchdowns, per MaxPreps, adding 207 yards and three additional scores on the ground. He accounted for five touchdowns the week before in a 35-28 victory over Starkville High School that clinched Clinton's first division championship since 2002, according to Will Sammon of the Clarion-Ledger.

Through 12 matchups this season, Akers has collected 2,507 passing yards, 1,519 rushing yards and 42 total touchdowns. The former Alabama Crimson Tide commit is among this cycle's most coveted recruits less than three months shy of national signing day.

4-Star QB Dylan McCaffrey

Credit: Student Sports

High School: Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch, Colorado)

Scout.com Ranking: No. 8 quarterback; No. 108 overall

Recruitment Status: Committed to Michigan

Elite 11 finalist Dylan McCaffrey cruised into the second round of state playoff action with an impressive performance Friday against Cherokee Trail High School. He completed 12 of 15 pass attempts, per MaxPreps, spearheading a 42-0 victory with 276 total yards and five scores. 

McCaffrey, now completing 68 percent of his passes as a senior, showed off his athleticism with 55 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He now has eight rushing scores this season to go along with 26 passing touchdowns. 

The son of former Denver Broncos receiver Ed McCaffrey and younger brother of 2015 Heisman Trophy finalist Christian McCaffrey, he provided Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh with another young pupil at the position by pledging to Michigan in February.

4-Star WR Donovan Peoples-Jones

Credit: Student Sports

High School: Cass Tech (Detroit, Michigan)

Scout.com Ranking: No. 4 receiver; No. 34 overall

Recruitment Status: Uncommitted; offers include Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State

Detroit powerhouse Cass Tech High School is again in contention for a state title, and accomplishing this goal will require at least a few more pivotal plays from Donovan Peoples-Jones. He came up big last week in a 43-42 quarterfinal victory over Saline High School, according to David Goricki of the Detroit News, snagging a go-ahead two-point conversion pass with less than eight minutes remaining in the game.

It proved to be the difference, pushing top-seeded Cass Tech into a semifinal showdown this Saturday. Peoples-Jones, the 2015 Nike Football Ratings national champion, averaged 29 yards per reception through the first 10 games this year, according to MLive.com.

His impact also extends beyond receiver, evidenced throughout an Oct. 14 win in which he returned two punts for touchdowns, threw for a score and recorded an interception.

"He's kind of like a once-in-a-generation type of player," Cass Tech offensive coordinator Dave Malecki told MLive.com.

5-Star QB Tate Martell

Credit: Student Sports

High School: Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)

Scout.com Ranking: No. 2 quarterback; No. 26 overall

Recruitment Status: Committed to Ohio State

Can Tate Martell complete a third straight unbeaten season at Bishop Gorman? Based on the program's hot postseason start, an eighth consecutive state title and increased national championship consideration seem likely.

Since transferring from the San Diego area for his sophomore campaign, Martell is arguably high school football's most accomplished player. He claimed scholarship offers in middle school, earned Elite 11 honors this summer and leads a team that consistently defeats elite competition from across the country. 

Bishop Gorman began its latest state title pursuit with a 59-0 victory over Palo Verde High School. Martell rushed for 220 yards and three touchdowns in the win, per MaxPreps, passing for another score.

The dual-threat quarterback, who previously pledged to Washington and Texas A&M before joining Ohio State's class this summer, is closing in on what essentially equates to a perfect individual campaign. Martell has yet to throw an interception while totaling 1,858 passing yards, 1,082 rushing yards and 47 touchdowns through 12 games.

5-Star RB Najee Harris

High School: Antioch (Antioch, California)

Scout.com Ranking: No. 1 running back; No. 1 overall

Recruitment Status: Committed to Alabama

Najee Harris logged a 39-carry, 390-yard performance in Antioch's playoff loss last season, so don't expect him to end his prolific prep career on a quiet note. He punished opponents in a postseason victory this past Saturday, surging for 304 yards and three touchdowns on 34 rushing attempts, per MaxPreps.

Antioch was also able to count on him at linebacker during its 29-17 win over San Ramon Valley High School.

"He came up to me prior to the game and told me he could play defense tonight," head coach John Lucido told Jesus Cano of the Mercury News. "He’s banged up and tired, but he does it for the team."

Harris, who pledged to the Crimson Tide as a sophomore, has surpassed 200 rushing yards in eight of 11 games this year. Dating back to 2014, he's gained 7,338 yards on the ground with 93 touchdowns.

4-Star QB Jack Sears

Credit: Student Sports

High School: San Clemente (San Clemente, California)

Scout.com Ranking: No. 11 quarterback; No. 133 overall

Recruitment Status: Committed to USC

Jack Sears created headlines Sunday, flipping his verbal commitment from Duke to USC. He will follow former San Clemente standout Sam Darnold to the Trojans' quarterback room, but first, there's work to be done in California's southern section playoffs.

The postseason journey started last weekend when San Clemente eliminated Chino Hills High School with a 36-13 win. Sears threw for 200 yards and two scores in that contest, according to MaxPreps, while rushing for 98 yards along the way.

An Elite 11 finalist, Sears consistently provides a threat in San Clemente's ground game. Through 11 contests, he's secured 690 yards and seven scores as a rusher, pairing those totals with impressive passing production (24 touchdowns and two interceptions).

4-Star RB Kennedy Brooks

Credit: Damon Sayles/Bleacher Report

High School: Mansfield (Mansfield, Texas)

Scout.com Ranking: No. 12 running back; No. 121 overall

Recruitment Status: Committed to Oklahoma

The term "video game numbers" may even be an understatement when it comes to defining this dominant season enjoyed by Kennedy Brooks. He battered defenses early and often through the first two months, racking up 2,113 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns in just eight games, according to Bleacher Report's Damon Sayles.

That stretch included three 300-yard games and a "low" of 174 yards in his season opener. Expectations have been immense for Brooks since reaching varsity, but he's actually managed to exceed them.

"I remember seeing him before high school. He was well above everybody at that point in time," Mansfield head coach Daniel Maberry told Sayles. "It seemed like every time he touched the ball, he scored. He doesn't look as fast for whatever reason, but when you're watching film, you watch in amazement."

Brooks produced more amazement in Mansfield's first playoff game last weekend—a 55-10 victory over Fossil Ridge High School. He rushed for 231 yards and five scores on 22 carries, according to MaxPreps, and now maintains an average of 10.7 yards per attempt.

Tyler Donohue is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Prospect ratings courtesy of Scout.

Follow Tyler via Twitter: @TDsTake.