South Jersey football pipeline on the field in weekend clash

While states like Florida, Texas, and California get a ton of hype about their high school football talent, New Jersey gets overlooked as a state that consistent produced football talent.

There are 123 football players from New Jersey who have been selected in the NFL Draft over the last 80 years. Researchers have found that High School Athletes from The Garden State have higher odds of becoming Professional Athletes than 66 percent of the United States.

More than 20 Football Players from South Jesey High Schools were on the field this past weekend for a major matchup that will impact the 2025 College Football season.

Major Football Championship Level Matchup Features South Jersey Athletes

On Saturday, Kessler Stadium hosted a showdown between the Number 18-ranked Monmouth Hawks and the No. 12 Ranked Villanova Wildcats. The sold-out crowd in West Long Branch got to see the home team sprint to a 51-33 victory.

Pennsauken High School Alumni Elijah Jennings had 48 Total Yards and scored a Touchdown for Monmouth University. Mainland Regional Graduate Hunter Watson had one of the defense's three sacks on Saturday.

Watson spoke to 973 ESPN after the Monmouth win about his team's performance on Saturday.

"As a team, we played an all-around great game. Offense was electric and made some super big plays, and I feel like the defense held it down for the most part. Need to get back in the film room this week and reflect on some areas to improve on both sides of the ball but overall thought we played an impressive game that should give us some momentum moving forward."

The 6'5" Monmouth Defensive Lineman was a member of the undefeated Mainland Regional Football team that won the NJSIAA Group 4 state football championship. Watson has stayed in touch with some of his former teammates like Villanova's Ja'briel Mace:

"I did get to see a few guys from the area after the game. It was good to catch up with them, and it’s awesome to see a lot of the work we put in during the off-season together come to fruition out on the field. I texted Jamie and Jabriel after and showed them some love as well. At the end of the day, regardless of the final score, I grew up with some of those guys, and it’s all love with them."

Another South Jersey High School Football Alumni on the Monmouth University defense is Trey McLeer. The Saint Augustine Prep Alumni is a Redshirt Junior who plays Defensive Back, spoke to 973 ESPN about the team and his own individual performance in Saturday's win:

"We played complementary football throughout the game. Defensively, we came up with stops and turnovers when we really needed them most. We played very physical, and I think it wore them down as the game went on.

I know I should have made a play on the goal line later in the second half, I wasn’t patient enough....Lots of room for improvement and time to work on things, especially this upcoming week being a bye for us."

Like his Monmouth teammate Watson, McLeer was happy to see so many South Jersey Alumni on the field at Kessler Stadium on Saturday:

"Seeing a lot of South Jersey guys on the field yesterday was dope. I think we all have mutual respect for each other because we know how tough, and hardworking we all are. Some of those guys I’ve played against my whole life going back to youth ball, and some of them I’ve played with and against throughout high school.
Seeing the guys I train with in the offseason was also very cool; We had (multiple guys) out there who train with Klemic Performance Method (in Egg Harbor Township): Ugo (Villanova), Hunter (Monmouth), and myself all have put in hundreds of hours of hard-work to be able to step foot on a high level college football field and (play in this) atmosphere. It’s a blessing to train with great athletes (in South Jersey), and it truly has paid off for all of us....I’m really proud of all of those guys and can’t wait to see where they all go in the near future. Shoutout to Coach Dave Klemic and Josh Holsopple at Klemic Performance Method for changing my life, and many others in South Jersey."

Here is a list of the 20-plus South Jersey Football Alumni at the Villanova vs Monmouth game on Saturday

Monmouth:
*Rob Adamson Jr. (Saint Augustine Prep)
*Blake Birbilis (Kingsway)
*Kevin Dougherty Jr. (Cedar Creek)
*David Dutra (Vineland HS)
*Shane Garrett (Ocean Twp)
*Elijah Jennings (Pennsauken HS)
*Emmanuel Lane (Salem High School)
*Austin Lenart (Cherokee)
*Trey McLeer (Saint Augustine Prep)
*Mandel Pettiford Jr. (Cedar Creek)
*Zachary Ricci (Cedar Creek)
*Justin Silva (Southern Regional)
*Kenny Smith (Glassboro HS)
*Hunter Watson (Mainland Regional)
*Izzy Clark-White (Camden High School)

Villanova:
*D'Hani Cobbs (Camden HS)
*Turner Inge (Williamstown HS)
*Ja'briel Mace (Mainland Regional)
*Ivan Murray (Paulsboro)
*Ugo Nwotite (Saint Augustine Prep)
*Chris Therien (Cherokee)
*Jamie Tyson (Mainland Regional)
*Sean Welde (Camden Catholic)

There is a long list of players from South Jersey who made it to the National Football League, and we have highlighted some of the biggest success stories:

These Greater Atlantic City, NJ Area Athletes Have Played Games In NFL

Many people are not aware of the number of athletes from the Greater Atlantic City Region who have played in the National Football League. Football players who played at high schools in Cape May, Atlantic, Cumberland, and Ocean Counties have a strong representation in the NFL over the last few decades.

One of the most difficult accomplishments in sports is to make a Professional Sports Roster and earn the opportunity to play in a game at the highest level of the sport. Check out some of the great South Jersey Athletes who have played in games in the NFL:

Gallery Credit: Joshua Hennig/Townsquare Media