High school football: David Gabriel Georges, C.J. Cypher headline MaxPreps National Player of the Year watch list

Playoff football is beckoning for much of the country so it is time to zone in on some of the top candidates for the MaxPreps National Player of the Year. Derrick Henry, Kyler Murray, Bryce Young and Caleb Downs are some of the notable past winners of the award. 

David Gabriel Georges of Baylor (Chattanooga, Tenn.), C.J. Cypher of Carrollton (Ga.) and A'mir Sears of Columbus (Miami, Fla.) are among the 10 players highlighted on the watch list. The race is still wide open and players not featured on this list are not excluded from consideration for the nation's highest honor, which will be announced in January. 

Gabriel Georges became the fourth non-senior to be named MaxPreps National Player of the Year last season and is having another dominant season for the No. 10 team in the country. He has 96 carries for 962 yards and 17 touchdowns to go with nine receptions for 203 yards and two more scores. 

Cypher is trying to do something no one has ever done and that is be named the MaxPreps National Player of the Year as a sophomore. Cypher has completed 142 of 194 passes (73.2 percent) for 2,085 yards and 30 touchdowns. He still hasn't thrown an interception and is the leader for the No. 11 team in the MaxPreps Top 25. 

Sears is the best two-way player in the country and it was on full display earlier this season in a 33-28 win over then-No. 1 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.). The five-star athlete caught five passes for 67 yards and two touchdowns to go with three interceptions on defense. 

The list includes eight seniors, one junior and one sophomore. Wyatt Smith of No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) was the lone defensive player selected. The four-star defensive end has 65 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in seven games. 

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 72-1 overall record and nine of them play for teams in our expanded top 100 rankings.

Height: 6-0 | Weight: 195

Status: Committed to Wisconsin | Class: Senior (2027)

Last year's MaxPreps Wisconsin Player of the Year leads the nation in rushing yards (2,288) and rushing touchdowns (43) for one of the top programs in the state. 

Height: 6-3 | Weight: 195

Status: Committed to Miami | Class: Sophomore (2029)

Cypher is coming off an impressive freshman campaign and has taken it to a whole new level as a sophomore. He has led the Trojans to a 7-0 record and the offense is averaging 55.6 points per game playing against a rugged schedule in Georgia. 

Height: 6-0 | Weight: 210

Status: Committed to Tennessee | Class: Senior (2027)

The five-star running back has played his best against elite competition. In a 35-27 win over No. 25 Trinity (Louisville, Ky.), he posted 24 carries for 305 yards and accounted for all five touchdowns. 

Height: 6-3 | Weight: 205

Status: Uncommitted | Class: Senior (2027)

The nation's leading passer has his squad ranked No. 1 in Utah. He has thrown for 3,161 yards and 41 touchdowns while leading the Sentinels to a 9-0 record as they close out the regular season Thursday at Westlake (Saratoga Springs). 

Height: 6-1 | Weight: 200

Status: Committed to Alabama | Class: Senior (2027)

Seaborn has led the Warriors to three Class 7A state titles with the first coming as an eighth grader. He is playing his best football as a senior. The future Crimson Tide quarterback has completed 78 percent of his pass attempts for 2,014 yards and 24 touchdowns. He still hasn't thrown an interception and has Thompson (7-0) ranked No. 12 in the latest MaxPreps Top 25. 

Height: 6-1 | Weight: 180

Status: Committed to Miami | Class: Senior (2027)

The top-rated athlete in the country has led Columbus from outside the top 100 in the preseason to No. 6 in the country heading into a showdown Friday against No. 22 Central (Miami).

Height: 6-6 | Weight: 245

Status: Committed to Ohio State | Class: Senior (2027)

Smith combined for 38 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and four sacks in wins over DeSoto (Texas), No. 6 Columbus and No. 20 Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.). 

Height: 6-3 | Weight: 205

Status: Committed to Nebraska | Class: Senior (2027)

The five-star quarterback has played lights out in his first season at Millard South. He has completed 139 of 222 passes (62.6 percent) for 2,071 yards and has 25 touchdowns against three interceptions. He has added 97 carries for 628 yards and 13 more scores for the top-ranked team in Nebraska. 

Height: 6-4 | Weight: 190

Status: Committed to Georgia | Class: Junior (2028)

Wade is the leader as a junior for the No. 2 team in the MaxPreps Top 25. He has completed 80 of 109 passes (73.4 percent) for 1,490 yards and has 21 touchdowns against one interception. He has added 34 carries for 241 yards and three more scores. 

Height: 5-8 | Weight: 190

Status: Committed to Texas | Class: Senior (2027)

Williams-Callis will go down as one of the best running backs in Texas high school football history. Last year's MaxPreps Texas Player of the Year has 122 carries for 1,374 yards and 20 touchdowns in six games. He needs 2,461 yards to break the state career rushing record and with a long playoff run it is within reach for the future Longhorn.