After future Congressman Jim Ryun became the first high school student to break the four-minute mile, only six have been able to match the feat—until the last couple of months when two did it in a few days. The most recent runner to do it, Michigan high school student Grant Fisher, has run his way into the top-25 list of Michigan student-athletes to watch.
We ran the Value Add Sports calculations on all returning athletes in Michigan and emailed sports writers and other experts in the state to help rank the 25 state players to watch on a list we will update here.
Fisher, a two-time Gatorade Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year comes in at No. 3, as he has one more season before heading west to run for Stanford. Perhaps the most accomplished preps athlete on this list, he joins names like Michigan State signal-caller Connor Cook and Central Michigan swingman John Simons as athletes that could grab headlines.
- Connor Cook, Michigan State, Football, QB
- Shilique Calhoun, Michigan State, Football, DE
- Grant Fisher, Michigan HS (Stanford bound), Track, 1 mile
- John Simons, Central Michigan, Basketball, PF
- Jake Hildebrand, Michigan State, Hockey, G
- Denzel Valentine, Michigan State, Basketball, SF
- Daelin Hayes, Skyline (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Football, LB
- Derek Sievers, Michigan, Track/Field, Shotput
- Cassius Winston, University of Detroit Jesuit High (Detroit, Mich.), Basketball, G
- Taylor Timko, Michigan, Soccer, Forward
- Ani Sarkisian, Michigan, Soccer, Midfielder
- Jamie Cheslik, Michigan State, Soccer, Forward
- Jack Allen, Michigan State, Football, OL
- Caris LeVert, Michigan, Basketball, SF
- Megan Hinz, Michigan, Women’s Soccer, G
- Tim Ehrhardt, Michigan State, Track/Field, Long Jump
- Jack Conklin, Michigan State, Football, OL
- Kahlil Felder, Oakland, Basketball, PG
- Donnie Corley, Martin Luther King (Detroit, Mich.), Football, WR
- Jade Walsh, Adrian College, Women’s Hockey, G
Others receiving votes:
Keith Williams, Eastern Michigan, Track/Field, Shot Put
Grant Cartwright, Michigan, Track/Field, Shot Put
Caleb Swanigan, Michigan State, Basketball, C
Chris Fowler, Central Michigan, Basketball, PG