Durham high school football is used to impressive groups of talent.

While the city’s football scene is often overshadowed by its basketball prowess, it has been the home of many blue-chip football recruits over the years.

This year’s senior class, who just wrapped up their final season in their high school jerseys, was one of the city’s best, including one of the highest-ranked recruits Durham has seen in years.

And, just like basketball, these are some big boys — the top three recruits in the state out of Durham are all linemen.

The class is full of talented recruits who are taking their talents to the next level in the fall of 2026, but these three ranked players stand out above the rest — if you see them in person, quite literally.

 

Ekene Ogboko — OT, South Garner 

Ogboko led his class of Bull City ballers as the #4 ranked player in all of North Carolina, one of the city’s highest-ranked state recruits in years. He is listed as the #33 prospect nationally and the #5 offensive tackle prospect, per 247Sports.

While Ogboko played high school football in Garner, NC, the 6-6, 280lb 4-star lineman’s hometown is Durham. Ogboko racked up a defensive statline that would also warrant heavy recruiting, but his stardom stems from his offensive playing, laying down blocks as a left tackle.

In his senior season alone, Ogboko recorded 44 pancake blocks, according to MaxPreps, which denotes a block that took the defender completely out of the play, knocking them to the ground. The national average for this stat is 6 per season.

These far-from-average performances drew attention from the University of Georgia last summer. Just days after his official visit with the Bulldogs, Ogboko committed to Georgia as the next home of his talents.

A fairly easy decision to make when your brother, fellow Durham native defensive lineman Nnamdi Ogboko, already plays there. Next season, the Bulldogs will have an Ogboko on each side of the ball.

One of Ogboko’s most impressive games of the season came in a dominating playoff win against the South Central Falcons out of Winterville, N.C. In the 62-14 victory, Ogboko recorded 5 pancake blocks, leading the way for senior running back Alijah Clarke to rush for over 300 yards and 5 touchdowns.

 

Noah Clark — DL, C.E. Jordan High School

The next lineman on this list, Clark, a 4-star recruit and #10 in N.C., kept his talents closer to his hometown, playing at Jordan High School. The 6-4, 345lb defensive tackle also played offensive guard, using his large frame to push around bodies on both sides of the ball.

His best statistical season came during his junior year in 2024, where he put up 75 total tackles, including 18.5 tackles for loss. This racked him up a slew of college offers all over the country, but Clark did not venture far from Durham for college, ultimately choosing to commit to the South Carolina Gamecocks just a month after his official visit.

With his college commitment already taken care of, Clark led the Jordan Falcons to an 11-1 overall record in his senior season this past fall. While his numbers on the stat sheet may have decreased, his impact was evident on both sides of the ball — most of the Falcons’ wins on the way to their undefeated regular season were blow outs, only allowing more than seven points from the opponent twice.

Clark still put up 13 tackles for loss, despite missing the Falcons’ playoff games. Following his senior season, he was invited to play in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas, the N.C. vs. S.C. high school football all-star game.

Though he is a star on both the offensive and defensive line, Clark will play at the defensive tackle position with the Gamecocks, with whom he signed earlier this month. He is expected to enroll at the university in January of 2026, getting his time at the next level off to an early start.

 

Ja’Vaughn Hargett — OT, Southern High School

Last but not least, we’re back on the offensive side of the ball. Hargett, a 6-5, 260 lb tackle from Southern, also played tight end with the Spartans.

The 3-star recruit, with his own personal stack of 27 pancake blocks his senior season, led Southern to a dominating, 61-15 playoff victory over Lumberton. His three pancake blocks in this game gave his junior quarterback Jonathan Dillon time to throw for over 300 yards and three TDs.

Despite receiving offers from the likes of Tennessee and Virginia Tech, Hargett chose to keep his football career in house, as he signed to the East Carolina Pirates earlier this month.