With the season getting underway in nearly half the country last weekend, MaxPreps.com unveils its weekly look at National Player of the Year candidates.
Like voters for college football’s Heisman Trophy, our focus will be on eye-popping statistics from skill-position players competing for prominent, winning programs (sorry offensive linemen).
Candidates will change weekly based on individual performance and team success.
MaxPreps’ last two POYs have come from the quarterback position. Current Ohio State signal caller Terrelle Pryor was honored two years ago after leading Pennsylvania’s Jeannette High School to a state title and accounting for over 3,600 yards and 57 touchdowns.
University of Texas freshman Garrett Gilbert earned top billing in 2008 after leading Austin’s Lake Travis High School to a state title and piling up 5,600 offensive yards and 78 touchdowns.
Give Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.) running back Marcus Lattimore a slight nod as the favorite this fall. Lattimore earned National Junior of the Year from MaxPreps a year ago after rushing for 2,314 yards and 30 touchdowns en route to a 4A-I title for the Rebels.
Player of the Year Watch List
Teddy Bridgewater, Jr., QB/WR, Northwestern (Miami, Fla.)
Last Game: Northwestern opens season Sept. 4 against Carol City.
Anthony Carrothers, Sr., QB, Independence (Charlotte, N.C.)
Last Game: Carrothers led Indepencence (2-0) to a 56-12 win over Hopewell with 289 yards through the air and three touchdowns.
Season: 558 passing yards and 5 TD passes, 2 rushing TDs
Austin Collinsworth, Sr., RB/WR/DB, Highlands (Fort Thomas, Ky.)
Last Game: Collinsworth entered the season known more as a wide receiver/defensive back for Highlands (2-0), but has so far been the team's primary runner. In a 37-14 win over Ryle Friday night, Collinsworth rushed for 124 yards and four touchdowns on 13 carries and caught a pass for 21 yards.
Season: 27 carries, 190 yards, 6 TDs; 2 receptions, 28 yards; 313 all-purpose yards
Mike Dyer, Sr., RB, Little Rock Christian Academy (Little Rock, Ark.)
Last Game: Little Rock Christian Academy opens season Sept. 4 against Oak Grove.
Jake Heaps, Sr., QB, Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.)
Last Game: Skyline opens season Sept. 5 against Jesuit (Portland, Ore.).
Malcolm Jones, Sr., RB/LB, Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.)
Last Game: Oaks Christian opens season Sept. 4 against Alemany.
Ryan Kasdorf, Sr., QB, Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.)
Last Game: Notre Dame opens season Sept. 7 against Klein Oak (Spring, Texas).
Harvey Langi, Jr., RB, Bingham (South Jordan, Utah)
Last Game: Langi, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound back, helped Bingham (2-0) defeat rival Alta by rushing for 189 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. He also had 111 receiving yards, including a 73-yard touchdown reception.
Season: 40 carries, 278 yards, TD; 5 receptions, 134 yards and a TD
Marcus Lattimore, Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.)
Photo by Cecil Copeland
Last Game: Lattimore finished his senior debut with 133 yards and three rushing touchdowns on 26 carries. Byrnes (1-0) smashed Georgia's Central Gwinnett 43-7.
Scott McVey, Sr., LB, St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio)
Last Game: Helped St. Ignatius (1-0) knock off Glenville, 14-13, but left game with shoulder injury late in game.
Mark Miller, Sr., QB, Elder (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Last Game: Led Elder (1-0) to big win over East St. Louis, Ill., by connecting on 18 of 30 attempts for 197 yards and three touchdown passes.
Corey Nelson, Sr., LB, Skyline (Dallas, Texas)
Last Game: Skyline opens the season Sept. 4 against Kimball.
Kevin (K.P.) Parks, Sr., RB, West Rowan (Mt. Ulla, N.C.)
Last Game: West Rowan (2-0) cruised to a 33-6 win over Northwest Cabarrus behind Parks' 274 yards on 22 carries and three touchdowns.
Season: 502 rushing yards, 8 TDs
Lache Seastrunk, Sr., RB, Temple (Texas)
Last Game: Temple opens the season Sept. 4 against Cedar Park.
Traylon Shead, Sr., RB, Cayuga (Texas)
Last Game: Despite 166 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries from University of Texas verbal Shead, Cayuga (0-1), the state's top-ranked 1A team, was stunned by Frankston in its opener 33-26. Shead will be in the headlines all season as he could make a run for the national career rushing mark held by Ken Hall of Sugar Land (11,232). Following his senior opener, Shead has 7,760 career rushing yards - nearly 3,500 away from the mark. But he rushed for 3,502 yards as a junior, so Hall's remarkable career total isn't completely out of the question.
Phillip Sims, Sr., QB, Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, Va.)
Last Game: Sims debuted in an ESPN-televised affair, leading Oscar Smith (1-0) to a 27-13 win over Venice, Fla., by completing 15 of 19 pass attempts for 265 yards and a score.
Robert Woods, Sr., WR, Serra (Gardena, Calif.)
Last Game: Serra opens the season Sept. 4 against Silverado.
Scotty Young, Sr., QB, Ryan (Denton, Texas)
Last Game: New season, same results for Young as he opened his senior campaign by completing 13 of 18 pass attempts for 265 yards and six touchdown passes. Ryan (1-0) piled up 50 points in the first half of a 57-13 drubbing of Poteet.
