J.R. Ware

Notes: Ware racked up 17 sacks as a junior last season, earning first-team all-state honors for his performance. Ware is a dual-sport athlete, as he plays basketball as well as football.

Coach David Tibbs: “The big thing with J.R. was that he proved it on the field. He was a first-team all-state player. They’re not just looking on him on size and stat…he proved it. We had a successful season [in 2004] although we didn’t get to where we wanted to get. We were a 7-3 team, but he was first-team all-state and he had 17 sacks, which was probably a school record but I don’t know. He’s also a good tight end. He’s a receiver with good hands. He’s an athlete. He has about a 30-inch vertical leap. He’s 6-5, 220 pounds, and once they get him to lift weights a little bit he’ll be 240 in no time.”