The 2025 high school football season is entering the postseason phase, meaning it is time to look at standout performers in the mix for MaxPreps National Player of the Year.
Derrick Henry,
Kyler Murray,
Bryce Young,
Jaxson Dart and
Caleb Downs are some of the notable past winners of the award.
Atkinson has been a huge contributor for the No. 2 team in the MaxPreps Top 25 and after missing the first two games of the season. He leads the defending AAAAAA state champs in tackles (55), tackles for loss (18) and sacks (7) as they enter the playoffs 10-0.
Curtis was named the 2024 MaxPreps Tennessee Player of the Year and is putting together another remarkable season for the Eagles. He has thrown for 1,587 yards and 26 touchdowns to go with 44 carries for 392 yards and seven more scores while leading Nashville Christian to a 10-0 record.
Williams just broke St. John Bosco's school record hauling in his 27th career touchdown reception and has been a playmaker for the No. 4 team in the MaxPreps Top 25. He has had at least one receiving score in every game this season.
Team success and individual production are the primary factors in determining MaxPreps National Player of the Year. The 10 candidates featured below play for programs with a 94-3 overall record and nine of them play for teams in our expanded top 100 rankings.
Tyler Atkinson, LB, Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)Height: 6-3 | Weight: 215
Status: Committed to Texas | Class: Senior (2026)
The five-star linebacker was named the 2024 MaxPreps National Junior of the Year and has racked up over 500 tackles during his career. He is trying to lead Grayson to a second consecutive state title in Georgia's largest classification, something that hasn't been done in a decade.
Height: 6-4 | Weight: 225
Status: Committed to Georgia | Class: Senior (2026)
Led the Eagles to their first state title since 2015 last season and has them in a good spot as they enter the Division II-A state playoffs a perfect 10-0.
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 210
Status: Committed to Alabama | Class: Senior (2026)
The five-star safety is the leader for one of the best defenses in the country and No. 1 team in MaxPreps Top 25. The Panthers are allowing 8.4 points per game with one game left on the schedule against No. 3
IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.).
Height: 6-1 | Weight: 185
Status: Committed to Ohio State | Class: Senior (2026)
Fahey closed out the regular season throwing for 569 yards and accounting for six total touchdowns in a 76-49 win over
Los Alamitos. The future Buckeye enters the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs with 3,108 yards through the air and 25 touchdowns. He has added 330 yards and six more scores on the ground.
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 205
Status: Uncommitted | Class: Junior (2027)
Dominating on the big stage goes a long way in determining POY honors and Gabriel-Georges did just that in a 38-35 win over rival
McCallie (Chattanooga) in early October, finishing with a career-high 282 yards rushing and three scores.
Height: 5-10 | Weight: 190
Status: Uncommitted | Class: Senior (2026)
McLaughlin is closing in on the single-season national rushing record as he enters the third round of the Class 3A playoffs. He is 692 yards away from surpassing
Dominick Bragalone of Pennsylvania and his total of 4,704 yards in 2014. He became the fifth player all-time to hit the 11,000-yard mark last week. He has rushed for 4,013 yards and 61 touchdowns while leading the Redskins to an 11-0 record.
Height: 5-11 | Weight: 165
Status: Uncommitted | Class: Sophomore (2028)
The sophomore sensation has 62 receptions for 1,400 yards and 25 touchdowns. Oliver already broke the school record for most receiving yards in a season and career in a 28-12 win over
Basha (Chandler). He finished with seven receptions for 210 yards and two touchdowns in that contest. He is 754 yards away from breaking the state record for most receiving yards in a season and five receiving scores away from breaking the touchdown mark.
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 180
Status: Committed to Pittsburgh | Class: Senior (2026)
Renda has led the way for one of the most prolific offenses in the country. He has thrown for 2,936 yards and 29 touchdowns while completing 76.5 percent of his passes. He has added 236 yards on the ground and seven more scores for the No. 11 team in the MaxPreps Top 25.
Height: 5-8 | Weight: 190
Status: Uncommitted | Class: Junior (2027)
The five-star running back eclipsed the 6,000-yard mark on the ground last week for his career. He is putting together another big year with 165 carries for 1,985 yards and 33 touchdowns as he looks to lead the Lions to a second consecutive state title.
Height: 6-1 | Weight: 185
Status: Committed to Texas A&M | Class: Senior (2026)
Has been a huge playmaker for one of the top programs in the country. As always, the Braves play a challenging schedule and the future Aggie has been crucial to their success. He is approaching the 1,000-yard mark as Bosco gets ready for the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.
Past MaxPreps National Players of the Year
2006 — Riley Dodge, QB, Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas)
2007 — Terrelle Pryor, QB, Jeannette (Pa.)
2008 — Garrett Gilbert, QB, Lake Travis (Austin, Texas)
2009 — Dillon Baxter, ATH, Mission Bay (San Diego)
2010 — Dano Graves, QB, Folsom (Calif.)
2011 — Johnathan Gray, RB, Aledo (Texas)
2012 — Derrick Henry, RB, Yulee (Fla.)
2013 — Kyler Murray, QB, Allen (Texas)
2014 — Kyler Murray, QB, Allen
2015 — Derrick Brown, DL, Lanier (Sugar Hill, Ga.)
2016 — Tate Martell, QB, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
2017 — J.T. Daniels, QB, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
2018 — Bru McCoy, WR, Mater Dei
2019 — D.J. Uiagalelei, QB, St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) / Bryce Young, QB, Mater Dei
2020 — Jaxson Dart, QB, Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah)
2021 — Cade Klubnik, QB, Westlake (Austin, Texas)
2022 — Caleb Downs, S, Mill Creek (Hoschton, Ga.)
2023 — D.J. Lagway, QB, Willis (Texas)
2024 — Quentin Gibson, WR, North Crowley (Fort Worth, Texas)
