Nearly three-dozen former local high school football stars begin their collegiate gridiron seasons in the coming weeks.
Thirty-five former standouts occupy roster slots on teams in all three NCAA divisions.
Fort Hill leads the way with 12 active college players, part of 25 hailing from Allegany County’s three Class 1A public schools. Mountain Ridge has seven at the next level, and Allegany is right behind at six.
East Hardy and Keyser have four college football standouts, and Northern and Moorefield have one each.
One, Mountain Ridge alum Peyton Miller, is playing at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level, and six more are on Division 1 rosters.
Sixteen are playing Division 2, 11 in Division 3 and another is playing Canadian college football.
Danny King, Southern Utah
The 2020 Fort Hill graduate has been named the starting kicker by Southern Utah coach DeLane Fitzgerald ahead of the team’s opener against Idaho State Saturday at 8:30 p.m.
“Special teams are a huge part of winning football games, and I really like the group we have this year,” Fitzgerald said. “Danny King has worked hard and earned the opportunity to step into that top kicking role, and we feel confident in the depth and competition behind him.”
King missed time with an injury last season, making 2 of 6 field goals with a long of 38 yards in eight games. The redshirt senior booted a game-winner in a 27-24 upset of FBS University of Texas at El Paso early in the season.
King was named United Athletic Conference specialist of the week after sending the school to its first FBS win in 11 years.
At Fort Hill, King was a three-time All-Area kicker and kicked a Homecoming record 50-yard field goal.
King transferred to Southern Utah in 2024 after three seasons at West Virginia.
Peyton Miller, UMass
The Westernport native and Mountain Ridge graduate is listed as No. 2 at center on the depth chart released by the University of Massachusetts ahead of its opener with Temple on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Miller, a 6-foot-3, 310-pound redshirt sophomore, is still looking for his first collegiate start, but he’s one of just two underclassmen listed on the two-deep along the offensive line.
Miller was the 2022 Area Lineman of the Year at Mountain Ridge, helping the Miners to state championship game appearances in 2021 and ‘22.
Mikey Allen, Southern Utah
After working his way into the Southern Utah starting cornerback rotation last season, Allen is poised for an even bigger role in his redshirt-sophomore campaign.
Allen, the 2022 Area Offensive Player of the Year at Fort Hill, played in nine games last season and made 11 tackles, mostly on special teams. He had two pass breakups in the secondary late in the season.
The Cumberland native racked up more than 1,700 yards and 19 touchdowns in his lone season in South Cumberland in helping Fort Hill to the 2022 Class 1A state title.
Allen also won Area boys basketball Player of the Year for the 2022-23 season, making a school-record 96 3-point field goals.
Carter Hess, Fordham
Hess appeared in nine games and made 13 tackles as a true freshman defensive lineman at Fordham last year.
The 6-foot-2, 294-pound Fort Hill graduate made 2.5 tackles for loss and sacked the opposing quarterback once against Lehigh. Hess tallied a season-high four solo stops against Monmouth.
Hess was the 2023 Area Player of the Year, becoming the first lineman to win the award since 1999 and just the second in its 50-yard history.
Hess also captured the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year and 2021 Lineman of the Year honors.
The sophomore helped Fort Hill to three Class 1A state championships and a 38-1 record between 2021-23.
Hess also won a heavyweight wrestling state championship and captured the state discus title during his time in South Cumberland.
Fordham is at Boston College on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Jackson Biser, West Virginia
Biser transferred to West Virginia after spending four years between Frostburg State and Shepherd, missing two full seasons due to an injury.
The Keyser graduate retains two years of eligibility thanks to a medical redshirt.
Biser, a 6-foot-2, 236-pound defensive lineman, is a two-time All-Mountain East Conference All-Academic performer and was All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference All-Academic at Shepherd.
Biser was the 2019 Area Defensive Player of the Year.
His brother, Caden Biser, has become a special teams standout at WVU, making 38 tackles across 36 career games. The redshirt senior is a graduate of Morgantown High School.
Both are the son of former Keyser player and coach Sean Biser, who played at West Virginia and is now the head coach at Morgantown.
West Virginia opens at home versus Robert Morris on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Gabe Ryan, West Virginia
After a year off from football, Ryan made the West Virginia roster via the school’s walk-on tryouts last week.
The 6-foot-2, 254-pound defensive lineman graduated from Keyser in 2023 and signed with Frostburg State out of high school. Ryan was one of three players added to the WVU roster after the tryout.
Ryan was an All-Area first-team defensive lineman at Keyser and won a Class AA shot put state title in Class AA.
Treston Davis, Morgan State
Davis, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound tight end, is entering his fourth season at Morgan State.
A redshirt junior, Davis was named to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference All-Academic team in 2024.
Davis, a 2020 graduate of Fort Hill and native of Oldtown, played a postgraduate year at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia after losing his senior season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Morgan State is at South Alabama on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Jabril Daniels, Shepherd
One of Fort Hill’s most-prolific running backs in school history begins his college football career at Shepherd this weekend.
Daniels, a 6-foot, 190-pound back, won the Area Player of the Year last year after rushing for a school record 2,276 yards, topping the mark set by Josh Page in 1996.
Daniels sets a new area record with 80 career touchdowns, besting Page’s 71, and his 4,694 career rushing yards trail only Page (4,987) and Frankfort’s Travis Lynch (4,849).
Shepherd opens the season in Daniels’ home Allegany County, as the Rams are at Frostburg State on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Tony Palmisano, Frostburg State
The 6-foot, 180-pound cornerback hailing from Cumberland begins his redshirt sophomore campaign at Frostburg State.
Palmisano was an All-Area first-team defensive back at Fort Hill (‘22), helping the Sentinels to Class 1A state titles in 2021 and ‘22.
Frostburg State hosts Shepherd on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Tristan Ross, Frostburg State
The former Fort Hill speedster arrives at Frostburg State following back-to-back Class 1A state title runs with the Sentinels.
At 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, the freshman Ross is listed as a wide receiver.
Ross had a crucial kick return for a touchdown in Fort Hill’s 24-21 state semifinal victory over Perryville last year.
Tavin Willis, PennWest California
Another member of Fort Hill’s lockdown secondary in 2022, Willis transferred to PennWest California, formerly California University of Pennsylvania, this fall.
Willis, listed as a freshman, played a year of prep ball at Lawrenceville in New Jersey before committing to the University of Pennsylvania and Saint Francis.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound defensive back was an All-Area first-teamer.
PennWest hosts No. 14 Charleston (West Virginia) on Thursday, Sept. 4, at 6 p.m.
Nick Willison, Edinboro
Willison, the 2024 Area Defensive Player of the Year at Fort Hill, is entering his freshman campaign at Edinboro.
The school is a member of the PSAC in the NCAA’s Division 2.
At Fort Hill, the 5-foot-11, 205-pound linebacker had 40 tackles for loss and led the state with eight forced fumbles as a senior.
Edinboro is at East Stroudsburg on Thursday at 7:05 p.m.
Lucas Bahrenburg, Frostburg State
Bahrenburg, Allegany’s left tackle last season, begins his freshman season at Frostburg State.
The 6-foot-7, 335-pound offensive lineman was named to the All-Area first team in 2024.
William Barbe, Frostburg State
A former All-Potomac Valley Conference choice along the offensive line at Keyser, Barbe is a redshirt junior at Frostburg State this fall.
Nicknamed “Bub,” the 6-foot-6, 295-pound lineman is a native of Burlington, West Virginia.
Tyler Cook, Frostburg State
Mountain Ridge’s special teams ace begins his career at Frostburg State in 2025.
Cook chose the Bobcats over four Division 1 offers. The freshman was 11 for 15 on field goals over his final two years at Mountain Ridge with a long of 43 yards.
Cayden Bratton, Frostburg State
An All-Area running back at Allegany, Bratton switched to linebacker at Frostburg State, where he’s coming up on his redshirt sophomore season.
The 5-foot-11, 215-pound Bratton appeared in one game last year.
Zach Michael, Frostburg State
The 6-foot-4, 245-pound tight end played in two games as a freshman last year with Frostburg State.
A redshirt freshman, Michael starred at Allegany as a two-way player, making the All-Area first team as a sophomore in 2021 and the first team as a tight end after leading the area with 10 receiving touchdowns as a senior.
Brett Patterson, Frostburg State
Patterson, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound running back, is entering his redshirt freshman campaign at Frostburg State.
Patterson was an All-Area first-team defensive linemen at Allegany in 2023.
Jackson Resh, Frostburg State
After rushing for more than 1,300 yards during his senior campaign at Allegany, Resh will suit up at linebacker at Frostburg State.
The freshman native of Cumberland is listed at 5-foot-8, 195 pounds.
Eli Sibley, Fairmont State
Hailing from Frostburg, Sibley brings his impressive 6-foot-3, 205-pound receiving frame to Fairmont State.
The freshman pass-catcher caught nine touchdowns and had nearly 600 yards at Mountain Ridge during his All-Area first-team season in 2024.
Fairmont State is at Seton Hill on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Jack Stanislawczyk, Fairmont State
The explosive all-purpose standout at Keyser has taken to long snapping at Fairmont State.
The do-it-all 5-foot-10, 170-pound sophomore racked up more than 1,300 total yards, earning All-Area first-team honors in the process, in 2023.
Brody See, Fairmont State
See (6-2, 285) begins his freshman campaign at Fairmont State as an offensive lineman.
The Moorefield, West Virginia, native was a second-team All-Area offensive lineman last year.
Mason Miller, Shepherd
Miller saw game action last year at Shepherd, making three tackles, and his looking for an expanded role in his redshirt sophomore campaign.
The 5-foot-9, 205-pound linebacker was a multi-time All-Area first-team performer at East Hardy (‘23). The quarterback threw for 47 touchdowns and rushed for 48 more to go along with 279 combined career tackles on defense.
Leuma Pua’auli, Salisbury
After a stop at prep school and a year at Division 1 Bryant University, Pua’auli heads to Division 3 Salisbury where he’s learning to become an option quarterback.
Pua’auli, who is also expected to play baseball, was the 2022 Area Player of the Year after guiding Mountain Ridge to its first unbeaten regular season and a state runner-up finish in 2022.
His 30 passing touchdowns as a senior are an area record, and he was the first quarterback in MPSSAA history to throw for at least 25 touchdowns and rush for at least 20 in the same season.
Pua’auli spent a year at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey before playing defensive back at Bryant last year.
Salisbury opens at Washington and Lee on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 1 p.m.
Deshaun Brown, Albright
Brown begins his second season at Division 3 Albright when it heads to Gallaudet on Saturday, Sept. 5., at 6 p.m.
The 6-foot, 181-pound sophomore quarterbacked Fort Hill to an unbeaten 13-0 state championship season in 2023, throwing no interceptions in the process.
Brown won area boys basketball Player of the year in the winter.
Jaylan Atkinson, Albright
Atkinson, a sophomore, appeared in five games in his first collegiate season and tallied two tackles.
The 2023 Area Defensive Player of the Year at Fort Hill is playing middle linebacker and is listed at 6-foot, 212 pounds.
Isaiah Fields, Waynesburg
The 5-foot-11, 171-pound sophomore wide receiver saw plenty of the field in his freshman campaign, appearing in eight games and making four starts at wideout.
Fields, a 2024 Allegany graduate, made seven receptions for 86 yards and returned 16 kickoffs for 250 yards with a long of 41 yards.
His best performance came against Allegheny when he posted three receptions for 53 yards.
Waynesburg, a member of the NCAA’s Division 3, hosts No. 25 John Carroll on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 1 p.m.
Nick Riley, Waynesburg
Northern’s leading tackler last year is vying for playing time in the secondary at Waynesburg, and he’s earned the starting nod at long snapper.
Riley, at 6-foot, 190 pounds, was All-Area first-team defense in 2024. The Friendsville native helped Northern to its first state championship game appearance last season.
Andrew Ketterman, Salisbury
Ketterman begins his sophomore campaign as a wide receiver Salisbury.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Frostburg native was a jack of all trades at Mountain Ridge. He was the lone three-way All-Area performer in 2023, making first team at wide receiver and second team at linebacker and punter.
Dayton Llewellyn, Salisbury
The Mountain Ridge graduate begins his sophomore season along the Salisbury offensive line.
Llewellyn (6-0, 290), a native of Lonaconing, was a second-team All-Area offensive lineman in 2023.
Will Patterson, Geneva
After a year as a Shepherd defensive back, Patterson transferred to Geneva to return to the quarterback position, where he earned 2023 Area Offensive Player of the Year honors in guiding Mountain Ridge to its third straight state title game appearance.
Patterson (5-11, 200), a sophomore, tallied nearly 3,000 yards of offense and 40 touchdowns in his final campaign at Mountain Ridge.
Geneva, a NCAA D3 program, opens its campaign at Widener on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 1 p.m.
Brandon Jones, Shenandoah
Jones, listed at 5-foot-10, 155 pounds, enters his sophomore season at Shenandoah.
The former East Hardy star was named All-Area first team at defensive back in 2023 after hauling in an area-high seven interceptions.
The Division 3 squad begins the season at home against Methodist on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 1 p.m.
Brayden Gregory, Bethany
The East Hardy graduate opens his freshman quarterback season at Division 3 Bethany at home against Sewanee on Saturday, Sept. 6, at noon.
The Mathias, West Virginia, native is listed at 6-foot, 205 pounds.
Sean O’Callaghan, Bethany
Hailing from Baker, West Virginia, O’Callaghan will play offensive line in his freshman campaign at Bethany.
O’Callaghan stands at 6-foot-3, 290 pounds.
Alijah Metz, Windsor (Canada)
A member of the Fort Hill Class of 2020, Metz heads up north to play at the University of Windsor in Canada.
Metz, a 6-foot-4, 236-pound defensive end and outside linebacker, signed with Division 1 Maine out of high school. He’s since made stops at Saint Francis, Duquesne and Bowie State.