Birmingham Groves running back Jeremiah Whitley and Detroit Country Day tight end Anthony Cartwright III landed on MLive's list of 25 Michigan high school football offensive playmakers to watch in 2026, published Tuesday, Aug. 18, giving the area two names on the statewide preseason watchlist as fall camp ramps up.
Both are seniors. Both have the stats and recruiting profiles to back it up.
Whitley: From JV to all-state in one season
Whitley, 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds, spent his sophomore year on JV because the Groves backfield already had three-star Toledo signee Noah Sanders and Mario Campoy-LoVasco, who drew Division I offers from Air Force, Army, Brown and Cornell. When his turn came in 2025, Whitley didn't ease in. He posted 115 yards in his first varsity start against Detroit Jesuit, then erupted in the playoffs: a school-record 322 rushing yards and a record-tying six touchdowns in a 49-14 first-round win over Warren Mott, followed by 228 yards and three scores in a 36-22 second-round win over Warren Cousino.
The two-game playoff total: 570 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns. He earned second-team all-state honors and a spot on the MHSFCA Division 2 Region 4 all-region team.
"He's a stud — he's a dude now. He's always run hard, but now he's running angry," Groves head coach Brendan Flaherty said after the Cousino win in November 2025, per Hometown Life.
Whitley holds four scholarship offers heading into his senior year. Groves' 2025 run ended with a 41-6 loss to Dexter in the Division 2 state semifinal on Nov. 22, and the Falcons will look to Whitley to power another deep push. Flaherty, in his 25th season leading the program, opened fall camp on Aug. 9.
Cartwright: Oregon-bound mismatch
Cartwright, who plays at Detroit Country Day in Franklin, stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 235 pounds. He committed to Oregon on June 28 after an official visit to Eugene, choosing the Ducks over a final five that included Michigan State, Michigan, LSU and Miami. His father, Tony, attended Michigan State.
The recruiting numbers tell the story: 43 scholarship offers, five official visits, a four-star rating from Rivals (No. 16 tight end nationally, No. 8 prospect in Michigan) and a 247Sports Composite ranking of No. 20 among tight ends in the 2027 class. MLive's list calls him the top tight end in Michigan per 247Sports.
Cartwright earned a spot on The Detroit News All-North second team as a junior and is a tri-sport athlete at Country Day, also competing in basketball and baseball. He joins Harper Woods five-star receiver Dakota Guerrant as the second Metro Detroit player committed to Oregon's 2027 class, according to The Detroit News.
The Michigan high school football season kicks off in late August, with Groves already in camp and both players set to anchor their offenses from Week 1.
