Alabama athletes highlight MaxPreps high school football All-America team

Six Alabama high school football players — three defensive linemen — were included on the annual MaxPreps high school football All-America team, announced Monday.

Four of those players were recognized to the first team in Elba running back Alvin Henderson, Parker defensive lineman Jourdin Crawford, Thompson defensive back Anquon Fegans and Parker defensive back Na’eem Offord; Offord was recognized as an all-purpose player.

Thompson’s Jared Smith and Enterprise’s Zion Grady were recognized as second-team defensive linemen.

Henderson, who became the AHSAA’s all-time leading rusher this season, ran for 3,620 yards and 61 touchdowns during his senior season at Elba. The Auburn signee is a finalist for Class 1A Back of the Year and has a chance to win the award for the third straight season.

Crawford finished the year with 90 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, six sacks and a safety for Class 6A champion Parker. The Auburn signee was named 6A championship game MVP, was an Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic selection and is a finalist for 6A Lineman of the Year.

Fellow Auburn signee Fegans, another first-team selection, totaled 81 tackles, nine tackles for loss and six interceptions for Class 7A champion Thompson. A finalist for 7A Back of the Year, he was a first-team all-state selection and participated in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic.

Offord, an Oregon signee and 5-star prospect, helped lead Parker to a Class 6A state title and is a finalist for 6A Back of the Year. He finished with 50 tackles, a TFL, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries on defense, ran the ball 73 times for 629 yards and 13 touchdowns and caught the ball seven times for 106 yards.

The first-team all-state selection also had six punt returns for 170 yards and five kickoff returns for 140.

A finalist for 7A Lineman of the Year, Smith totaled 89 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 11 sacks and an interception on the season for Class 7A champion Thompson. He was a first-team all-state selection and was an Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic participant.

Grady, another finalist for 7A Lineman of the Year, was a first-team all-state selection for Enterprise and helped lead the Wildcats to the Class 7A semifinals.

The Ohio State signee was a first-team all-state selection and participant in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic.