The Starkville and Horn Lake football program have plenty to cheer about in Super Bowl 57. Both schools have two players each playing on football’s biggest stage.
Starkville, which finished No. 184 in the High School Football America 300 national rankings, powered by NFL Play Football, last year, has wide receiver A.J. Brown on the Philadelphia Eagles and linebacker Willie Gay, Jr. on the Kansas City Chiefs.
Brown owns a high school championship. He led the Yellow Jackets to a 6A title during his senior season when he had 83 catches for 1,371 yards and 13 touchdowns. Brown is also a very good baseball player, having been drafted by the San Diego Padres coming out of high school.
Gay also played on Starkville’s 2015 title team.
Horn Lake fans will be keeping their eyes on Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean and Chiefs linebacker Darius Harris.
Dean, a 5-star recruit, won the Butkus Award, which is given to the nation’s top high school linebacker. He won a 5A title as a senior in 2018. He also won a national title at the University of Georgia.
