Best St. Thomas Aquinas Football Players of All Time
St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has had one of the best football teams in the country for decades.
Best St. Thomas Aquinas Football Players of All Time
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Few high school football programs in the United States can compare to St. Thomas Aquinas. The private Catholic school in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has been among the best teams in the nation for decades.
Since 1992, St. Thomas Aquinas has won 13 state championships and two national championships. Their storied history also includes a who's who of All-Americans, Pro Bowlers and NFL All-Pro players. And one "playmaker" Pro Football Hall of Famer.
These are the best St. Thomas Aquinas football players of all time.
10. Jake Rudock
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Position: Quarterback
Graduation year: 2011
Colleges: Iowa and Michigan
NFL teams: Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins
Bottom Line: Jake Rudock
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Jake Rudock went 27-1 over his final two years as a starter at St. Thomas Aquinas, capping his career by leading the Raiders to state and national championships as a senior in 2010.
Rudock went on to become a three-year starter in college for two different Big Ten schools — two years for Iowa and his final year for Michigan, where he was named Citrus Bowl MVP in 2016.
Rudock played five seasons in the NFL for the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins.
9. Marcus Gilbert
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Position: Offensive tackle
Graduation year: 2006
College: Florida
NFL teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals
Bottom Line: Marcus Gilbert
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Marcus Gilbert was a three-sport star at St. Thomas Aquinas in football, basketball and track and field, where he threw the shot put and discus.
Gilbert played college football for the University of Florida. He was a three-year starter and won a BCS national championship in 2009. Gilbert was a Swiss Army knife on the offensive line as he started 30 games over his career but played in 52 games.
Gilbert played a decade in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals before he retired in 2021.
8. Lamarcus Joyner
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Position: Safety
Graduation year: 2010
College: Florida State
NFL teams: St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams, Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets
Bottom Line: Lamarcus Joyner
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People probably don't appreciate how unique a football career Lamarcus Joyner has had. There aren't a lot of 5-foot-8, 185-pound NFL safeties.
Joyner played his final season of high school football at St. Thomas Aquinas after three seasons at Southwest Miami High and made the most of his time in Fort Lauderdale, leading his team to the Class 5A state semifinals and being named USA Today National Defensive Player of the Year.
Joyner was a three-time All-ACC pick and All-American at Florida State, where he capped his career with a BCS national championship in 2013. Joyner played his first four NFL seasons with the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams, signed a four-year, $42 million contract with the Oakland Raiders in 2019, and has been with the New York Jets since 2021.
7. Giovani Bernard
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Position: Running back
Graduation year: 2010
College: North Carolina
NFL teams: Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bottom Line: Giovani Bernard
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St. Thomas Aquinas had one of the greatest high school backfields of all time when it paired Giovani Bernard and James White, who both went on to have NFL careers.
Bernard was the more highly thought of between the two running backs in high school as a four-star recruit. He was committed to Notre Dame but switched up and signed with North Carolina. Bernard was the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and an All-American for the Tar Heels in 2013.
Bernard had over 1,000 yards of total offense in each of his first three seasons in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals and has been with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 2021.
6. Nick Bosa
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Position: Defensive end
Graduation year: 2016
College: Ohio State
NFL teams: San Francisco 49ers
Bottom Line: Nick Bosa
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Nick Bosa helped lead St. Thomas Aquinas to back-to-back state championships in 2014 and 2015 before following his older brother, Joey Bosa, to Ohio State, then to the NFL.
Like his older brother, Nick Bosa played three seasons for Ohio State, was an All-American and the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year. Both brothers were also taken in the top three picks in the NFL draft — Joey Bosa was taken No. 2 overall and Nick Bosa was taken No. 3 overall by the San Francisco 49ers in 2019.
Both brothers were also named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, and Nick Bosa led the NFL with 21 tackles for loss in 2021.
5. Geno Atkins
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Position: Defensive tackle
Graduation year: 2006
College: Georgia
NFL teams: Cincinnati Bengals
Bottom Line: Geno Atkins
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Geno Atkins was a two-sport star for St. Thomas Aquinas in football and track and field, where he won a state championship in the shot put as a senior.
On the football field, Atkins led his school to back-to-back state runner-up finishes in his last two years of high school as a junior and a senior. As a senior in 2005, Atkins had 117 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles and was named Class 5A Defensive Player of the Year.
Atkins was a two-time All-SEC selection at the University of Georgia before becoming one of the most dominant defensive linemen in the NFL for a decade, playing his whole career with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Atkins was an eight-time Pro Bowler, three-time NFL All-Pro and was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 2010s.
4. Brian Piccolo
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Position: Running back
Graduation year: 1961
College: Wake Forest
NFL teams: Chicago Bears
Bottom Line: Brian Piccolo
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Brian Piccolo was part of the last class of students to graduate from Central Catholic High before it changed its name to St. Thomas Aquinas. Piccolo was a two-sport star in high school in baseball and football and became a star at Wake Forest, where he led the nation in rushing as a senior in 1964.
Piccolo went undrafted but made the Chicago Bears as a free agent and played for the team until 1969, when he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. Piccolo died in 1970, at 26 years old.
His story was turned into the movie "Brian's Song" starring James Caan in 1971, then remade in 2001.
3. James White
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Position: Running back
Graduation year: 2010
College: Wisconsin
NFL teams: New England Patriots
Bottom Line: James White
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James White split time with another future NFL running back at St. Thomas Aquinas, Giovani Bernard, where the two combined to win a state championship and national championship in 2008.
White was a two-time All-Big Ten pick at Wisconsin and went on to win three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI, capping one of the greatest comebacks in sports history.
White, who was named to the New England Patriots All-2010s Team and All-Dynasty Team, retired before the 2022 season.
2. Joey Bosa
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Position: Defensive end
Graduation year: 2013
College: Ohio State
NFL teams: San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers
Bottom Line: Joey Bosa
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Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa can already take his place among the greatest pass rushers in NFL history with 58 sacks through his first six seasons. He signed a five-year, $135 million contract extension in 2020 that made him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL.
After he starred at St. Thomas Aquinas, Bosa became one of Ohio State's greatest defensive players of all time in just three seasons. He was a two-time All-American, two-time Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and led the Buckeyes to a CFP national championship in 2014.
1. Michael Irvin
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Position: Wide receiver
Graduation year: 1984
College: Miami
NFL teams: Dallas Cowboys
Bottom Line: Michael Irvin
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Michael Irvin was the 15th of 17 children raised in poverty in Fort Lauderdale. He springboarded to fame as a star at St. Thomas Aquinas, then the University of Miami, and became one of the greatest NFL wide receivers of all time.
Irvin won a national championship at Miami before playing 12 seasons in the NFL, where he was a five-time Pro Bowler and won three Super Bowls. Irvin was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007 and gave one of the most memorable induction speeches of all time.
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