Top 10 highest-rated California HS football players of all time
T-8. Jaelan Phillips, Class of 2017 鈥� .9988
Phillips is one of the youngest members of this list and the first defender. The defensive end from Redlands East Valley was the after he totaled 21 sacks and 142 tackles as a senior. Phillips chose UCLA over 20 other scholarship offers but he medically retired in 2018 before enrolling at Los Angeles City College to study music production.
In 2019, Phillips transferred to the University of Miami and returned to the football field in 2020 with the Hurricanes, finishing with 45 tackles, eight sacks and an interception. A finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award (presented annually to the best defensive player in college football), Phillips chose to forgo his remaining college eligibility and enter the 2021 NFL Draft. The Miami Dolphins selected him with the 18th overall pick and Phillips is entering his third NFL season after racking up a combined 15.5 sacks from 2021-22.
