Three Jacksonville-area players earned selections to USA TODAY High School Sports' ALL-USA preseason Southeast Region team for high school football entering the 2026 season.
Mandarin wide receiver Brysen Wright made the first team on offense, Bolles defensive end Asher Ghioto qualified for the first team on defense and Bolles running back Xander Edwards was chosen to the second team for offense. All three are juniors.
Wright, standing 6-3 1/2 and 215 pounds, is rated as the No. 1 class of 2028 prospect nationwide by USA TODAY. He recorded 46 catches for 983 yards and 10 touchdowns last year, added five touchdowns on returns and was named the NFL Flag player of the year for boys.
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Ghioto, a 6-5, 240-pound pass rusher, finished his sophomore season with 84 tackles (35 for loss) and 23 sacks. He has 56 tackles for loss in his first two varsity seasons, and is No. 3 nationwide in the USA TODAY rankings for 2028.
Edwards, at 6-1, 210, led Florida in rushing last season with 2,629 yards and 44 touchdowns. His season included a 522-yard, eight-touchdown performance against Baldwin, surpassing the area's 502-yard single-game record set by Derrick Henry of Yulee on Sept. 21, 2012.
All three received first-team selections in January to the Times-Union's annual All-First Coast team for high school football.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Three Jacksonville players make ALL-USA preseason Southeast team