Cass Tech reclaims MHSAA Division 1 state title, parties with trophy
Detroit Cass Tech reclaimed MHSAA Division 1 state championship trophy with 42-20 victory over Hudsonville, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024 at Ford Field.
Detroit Cass Tech football’s consistent talent was on display once again during the 2025 NFL Draft.
The reigning Division 1 state champions were one of 10 high schools nationwide with at least two alumni selected in the NFL draft. The Buffalo Bills drafted defensive tackle Deone Walker in the fourth round and the Minnesota Vikings drafted linebacker Kobe King in the sixth round.
King graduated from Cass Tech as a four-star recruit in 2021, played four seasons at Penn State, and finished his collegiate career with 200 career tackles. Walker graduated from Cass Tech as a four-star recruit in 2022 and went on to play at Kentucky. Walker was a three-year starter and two-time captain for the Wildcats, finishing his college career with 132 tackles and 10 sacks.
“I knew they would be drafted based on their talents, based on things we saw from them in high school — their drive and commitment to this game and to better themselves,” Cass Tech coach Marvin Rushing said. “Honestly, for the gentleman in our program, it’s the expectation that everyone aspires to play on Sundays. Then watching their growth during their college careers, and all the investment off and on the field, I think it was really a payoff to the hard work and talent they have.”
Rushing, who took over as Cass Tech’s head coach in 2021 after serving as an assistant since 2012, knew that Walker and King were NFL talents the moment they joined the program as freshmen. King played all four years on varsity as a linebacker and running back, finishing with 194 tackles and 10 touchdowns and a spot on the 2020 Free Press Dream Team.
“Kobe came into high school built similar to what he is right now (6 feet, 236 pounds at the NFL combine),” Rushing said. “He was a man-child based on his body and his work ethic. His work ethic is second to none.”
Walker, a 2021 Free Press Dream Team member, developed into a coveted prospect while playing offensive tackle and defensive tackle for Cass Tech. His size (6 feet 7, 331 pounds at the combine) combined with his athleticism turned Walker into a force in the Detroit Public School League and then the SEC.
“You won’t see too many men walking this Earth that can move the way (Walker) moves,” Rushing said. “And honestly, with him, a first-round draft talent. I think you are going to see that production out of him over his NFL career.”
The only high school with more 2025 draft picks than Cass Tech was Florida’s IMG Academy, a prospect factory for most sports, with three. The other eight schools with two alumni drafted were Carroll Southlake (Texas), Klein (Texas), Manor (Texas), Pleasant Grove (Texas), Miami Palmetto (Florida), North Gwinnett (Georgia), Pickerington (Ohio) and Servite (California).
Walker and King will join defensive back Kalen King (Kobe’s twin brother), safety Jalen Graham, linebacker Del’Shawn Phillips, tackle Michael Onwenu, cornerback Jourdan Lewis, linebacker Dyontae Johnson and wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones as active NFL players who graduated from Cass Tech.
“Iron sharpens iron and when you’ve got great kids competing, and that includes the classroom, you get the product that we get,” Rushing said. “Guys in the NFL, business leaders, entrepreneurs, politicians. To be a pro is an expectation of our program. It’s just a matter of what industry you are going to be a pro at.”
Cass Tech led the way for Michigan, which had a total of nine players taken in the NFL draft. Michigan tied for seventh-most players in the draft, behind Texas (37), Florida (26), Georgia (22), California (16), Louisiana (10) and Virginia (10).
“We are extremely proud of the metro Detroit area,” Rushing said. “We are among the leaders in producing NFL talent. And I think that goes unsaid across the country to realize that there’s so much talent here.”
Players from Michigan selected in 2025 NFL draftDL Derrick Harmon, Detroit Loyola (1st round, Pittsburgh Steelers).DB Maxwell Hairston, West Bloomfield (1st round, Buffalo Bills).DB Will Johnson, Grosse Pointe South (2nd round, Arizona Cardinals).WR Isaac TeSlaa, Hudsonville Unity Christian (3rd round, Detroit Lions).DL Deone Walker, Detroit Cass Tech (4th round, Buffalo Bills).DB Jaylen Reed, Detroit King (6th round, Houston Texans).OL Luke Newman, Birmingham Brother Rice (6th round, Chicago Bears).LB Kobe King, Detroit Cass Tech (6th round, Minnesota Vikings).OL Garrett Dellinger, Clarkston (7th round, Baltimore Ravens).
Jared Ramsey covers high school sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jramsey@freepress.com; Follow Jared on X or Bluesky.