Prior to celebrating a second consecutive state title, Platte County celebrated six senior football standouts who signed to play at the collegiate level on Dec. 3 at Platte County High School.
The national letters of intent were officially signed prior to the ceremony inside Wilson Auditorium on the campus of Platte County High School, concluding what is often a chaotic journey of recruitment.
“The one thing I guarantee they’ve all developed is patience,” Platte County head coach Bill Utz said. “It’s just simply trusting the process, understanding what it is, being able to read through some falsehoods sometimes; it’s made them grow up and made them develop some patience. Hopefully, that comes well to them in their future.”
The class includes quarterback Rocco Marriott (University of Central Florida), wide receiver Braiden Stevens (University of Minnesota), tight ends Jack Utz (University of Kansas) and Brooks Hall (University of Central Florida), defensive end Cale Buntz (South Dakota State University) and running back Adam Gisler (Northwest Missouri State University).
Five signees will play at the NCAA Division I level, while Gisler heads to a Division II power in Northwest Missouri State. Together, the group powered Platte County to back-to-back undefeated state championship seasons.
Marriott headlines the class as a four-star recruit after completing one of the most decorated quarterback careers in Missouri high school history. Originally committed to James Madison University, Marriott continued to receive major offers from West Virginia, Missouri, and Central Florida.
“The one thing that I think makes Rocco stand out is that there’s just a special aura when he’s in the room,” Utz said. “It’s a unique situation where some kids don’t want the pressure or weight on their shoulders and Rocco kind of invites it.”
Rocco Marriott signs for UCF during a ceremony at Platte County High School on Dec. 3.
He flipped his commitment to Central Florida last month, opting to play Big 12 football in Orlando under head coach Scott Frost. Marriott, who plans to study business, was nominated for the Simone Award each of his final two seasons, totaling more than 4,500 all-purpose yards with 3,707 in the air and 54 passing touchdowns.
Three-star tight ends Hall and Jack Utz will also join Marriott in enrolling early, following highly productive senior campaigns.
Hall initially committed to South Dakota before receiving offers from several others including Western Illinois, Missouri State, Coastal Carolina and eventually flipping to join his high school quarterback at Central Florida.
The 6-foot-5 tight end was also a member of the 2025 state champion baseball team before catching seven touchdowns with more than 400 yards this fall. He plans to study construction management.
Jack Utz has been a Kansas commit since January with other offers from programs such as Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, Ole Miss, Wisconsin, Central Florida, and others. He tallied seven touchdowns his senior year for 370 yards as he now prepares to join another team he grew up rooting for. He will also be a Big 12 student-athlete with plans to study business. Utz is set to host Hall and Marriott next fall when UCF comes to Lawrence for a conference matchup against Kansas.
Stevens’ future is playing Big 10 football at Minnesota under head coach PJ Fleck. The 5-foot-8 receiver had previously committed to South Dakota State and welcomed various offers from Nebraska, West Virginia, James Madison, Army and others before signing for Minnesota.
The three-star receiver has produced a career season with 65 receptions for 1,200 yards and 18 touchdowns. He plans to study sports broadcasting in Minneapolis.
Gisler, the lone Division II signee, will take his talents to Maryville next year with plans to study physical education. Gisler ran for 20 touchdowns his senior season as a Pirate after committing to Northwest Missouri State in July. The Bearcats have won seven national championships and reached four additional title games between 1998 and 2016.
Buntz, a 6-foot-5 defensive end, signed with South Dakota State with plans to study mechanical engineering. He tallied double-digit sacks as a senior with Platte County, earning the silent assassin label by his coach before joining a tradition-rich Jackrabbits program that competes in the Missouri Valley Conference.
This senior class ended their high school careers on a 28-game winning streak with back-to-back state championships.
“They are 100% going to be hard to replace,” Utz said. “Not just because of their talent, but because of their presence they have with our team on a daily basis. They’ve been a huge part for such a long time that it is going to be hard to be without these guys.”