Napoleon Sykes played at the Gilman School at a time when there was still some skepticism about the quality of high school football in Maryland.
Sykes earned a scholarship to Wake Forest of the Atlantic Coast Conference and is among many Division I recruits that helped prove there are good football players in this state.
In 12 years as a high school and college coach, Sykes has seen a dramatic rise in the level of respect for football prospects from Maryland. Now all the top programs in the Football Bowl Subdivision are recruiting the state.