Maxwell Football Club Announces High School Player of the Year Finalists, All-American Team

Elite quarterbacks, record-setting running backs and national recruits highlight the Maxwell Football Club’s high school Player of the Year finalists and All-American Team

Nashville (Tennessee) Christian's Jared Curtis is among the finalists for the Maxwell Football Club National Player of the Year award after passing for 36 touchdowns this season. / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Maxwell Football Club, founded in 1935, continued its tradition of recognizing elite football talent on Monday by announcing its National High School Player of the Year finalists, followed by the release of its High School All-American Team.

Best known for awarding college and professional honors such as the Maxwell Award and the Butkus Award, the organization has also built a strong reputation at the prep level, spotlighting the nation’s top high school players who often go on to become college stars, such as 2024 winner Keelon Russell (Duncanville, Texas), who is now at Alabama, Ohio State's Caleb Downs (2024; Mill Creek; Hoschton, Georgia) and Jeremiah Smith (2022; Chaminade-Madonna; Hollywood, Florida), as well as Clemson's Sammy Brown (2022; Jefferson; Jefferson, Georgia).

The national award has also honored its share of future NFL standouts, such as Derrick Henry (2012; Yulee; Yulee, Florida), Trevor Lawrence (2017; Cartersville; Cartersville, Georgia), Nolan Smith (2018; IMG Academy; Bradenton, Florida), Bryce Young (2019, Mater Dei; Santa Ana, California) and Bryan Bresee (2019; Damascus; Damascus, Maryland).

Baltimore Ravens All-Pro running back Derrick Henry was named Maxwell Football Club National High School Player of the Year in 2012 out of Yulee High in Yulee, Florida. / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

This year’s list of finalists reflects that same standard, featuring dominant quarterbacks, prolific running backs and versatile two way standouts from across the country who delivered historic seasons while leading their teams deep into the postseason.

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Maxwell Football Club National High School Player of the Year finalists

QB — Jared Curtis, 6-4, 225, sr., Nashville Christian (Nashville, Tennessee)

Guided his Eagles to a 13-0 record and the TSSAA Division II Class A state championship with a dominant 59-7 win against University School of Jackson. The right hander completed 141 of 214 passes for 2,073 yards, 36 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. The five-star recruit signed to play quarterback at Vanderbilt on Dec. 3.

QB — Jett Thomalla, 6-5, 220, sr., Millard South (Omaha, Nebraska)

Millard South quarterback Jett Thomalla (center) tossed 58 touchdowns this season. / Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

A four-star Alabama signee, Thomalla completed a whopping 72.6 percent of his passes (193 of 266) for 3,484 yards and a staggering 58 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. Nebraska’s Gatorade Player of the Year, he tied a state single-game record with 7 touchdown passes in the state semifinals, then tossed 7 more the next week while winning the Class A state championship and capping the season with an 11-1 record.

QB — Keisean Henderson, 6-3, 185, sr., Spring Legacy School of Sport Sciences (Spring, Texas)

Spring (Texas) Legacy School of Sport Sciences quarterback Keisean Henderson accounted for 7 touchdowns during a game on Sept. 5. The Nation's No. 1 quarterback recruit, the five-star Houston signee is a finalist for the 2025 Maxwell Football Club High School Football National Player of the Year Award. / Legacy Titans Football

The nation’s No. 1 high school quarterback recruit, Henderson — a five-star prospect whom 247Sports compares to Jordan Love and is signed with Houston — was the MVP of the 2025 Navy All-American Bowl and then guided Spring Legacy to a 6-4 record while passing for 3,880 yards on 228 completions (306 attempts) with 45 touchdowns and 6 interceptions while adding 522 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 74 carries.

RB — Ezavier Crowell, 5-11, 215, sr., Jackson (Jackson, Alabama)

Jackson (Alabama) five-star running back Ezavier Crowell (13), an Alabama signee, rushed for 2,632 yards and 35 touchdowns despite reclassifying to skip his junior season and missing the first game of the regular season. / Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Joining a growing trend of blue chip high school athletes reclassifying to get to college a year sooner, Crowell reclassified from the 2027 class to 2026 and then missed the first game of the season. He hit the ground running once he was cleared to play, literally, as the five-star Alabama signee and No. 2 running back in the nation led the state in rushing with 2,632 yards and 35 touchdowns on 209 carries. He won Alabama’s Gatorade Player of the Year and his second consecutive 4A state championship after leading Jackson to a 13-2 record and its second straight 4A title.

RB — Myles McLaughlin, 5-10, 190, sr., Knox Community (Knox, Indiana)

Knox running back Myles McLaughlin (2) rushed for 4,846 yards and 71 touchdowns on 486 carries in 14 games this season. / Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A three-star Murray State signee, McLaughlin might have hit the end zone more times than he hit the ground this season. In one of the most dominant high school football seasons you will see, he helped guide Knox Community to the Indiana 3A state semifinals while rushing for 4,846 yards and whopping 71 touchdowns on 486 carries in 14 games. He averaged 346.1 yards per game and 10 yards per carry. He also completed 10 of 27 passing attempts for 307 yards and 3 TDs.

ATH — Matt Sieg, 6-1, 180, sr., Fort Cherry (McDonald, Pennsylvania)

Fort Cherry (Pennsylvania) four-star athlete Matt Sieg picked off four passes while added 2,259 all-purpose yards this season. / Sally Maxson / USA TODAY NETWORK

A hard-nosed four-star two-way talent, Sieg, a West Virginia signee, is proof that small schools can produce big talent. He helped lead the Class 1A Rangers to a 12-1 record this season while amassing 2,259 all-purpose yards and 30 touchdowns while intercepting four passes on defense.

DL — Luke Wafle, 6-6, 245, sr., The Hun School (Princeton, New Jersey)

Luke Wafle (center) took a picture with former Penn State coach James Franklin along with the Wafle family, including defensive tackle Owen Wafle (34), Luke's brother, following the Blue-White game at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, April 26, 2025, in State College. Wafle set a record at The Hun School with 23 sacks this season. / Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

USC must be excited about adding the four-star edge when he signed with the Trojans on Dec. 3. He put up Madden numbers this season, piling up 99 tackles (44 solo), with 37 tackles for loss and 23 sacks. His Raiders defense held opponents to 201 points in 12 games, as Hun went 8-4. Wafle has plenty of lineage in his blood, as his brother, Owen Wafle, originally signed with Michigan in 2024 but is now at Penn State. His father, David Wafle, played defensive line at Duke.

The list of finalists joins an impressive lineage of past Maxwell National High School Player of the Year winners, many of whom went on to collegiate and professional stardom.

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Maxwell Football Club High School All-American Team

Following the release of its Player of the Year finalists, the Maxwell Football Club also unveiled its High School All-American Team, recognizing the top performers at each position nationwide. The roster reflects a blend of established seniors, emerging underclassmen and elite prospects who dominated at the highest levels of high school football this season.

OFFENSE

QB — Elijah Haven, 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, jr., Dunham (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

QB — Jett Thomalla, 6-5, 220, sr., Millard South (Omaha, Nebraska)

RB — Ezavier Crowell, 5-11, 215, sr., Jackson (Jackson, Alabama)

RB — David Gabriel-Georges, 5-11, 190, jr., Baylor School (Chattanooga, Tennessee)

RB — Landen Williams-Callis, 5-8, 196, jr., Richmond Randle (Richmond, Texas)

WR — Trent Mosley, 5-foot-10, 170, sr., Santa Margarita Catholic (Rancho Santa Margarita, California)

WR — Roye Oliver III, 5-11, 165, soph., Hamilton (Chandler, Arizona)

WR — Jermaine Bishop Jr., 6-0, 160, sr., Willis (Willis, Texas)

WR — CJ Sadler, 5-10, 185 Cass Technical (Detroit, Michigan)

TE — Kaiden Prothro, 6-6, 205, sr., Bowdon (Bowdon, Georgia)

OL — Felix Ojo, 6-7, 283, sr., Mansfield Lake Ridge (Mansfield, Texas)

OL — Jackson Cantwell, 6-8, 320, sr., Nixa (Nixa, Missouri)

OL — Malakai Lee, 6-7, 310, sr., Kamehameha Kapalama (Honolulu, Hawaii)

OL — Cooper Hackett, 6-7, 270, jr., Fort Gibson (Fort Gibson, Oklahoma)

OL — Kodi Greene, 6-6, 310, sr., Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California)


DEFENSE


DL — Lamar Brown, 6-5, 280, sr., University Lab (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)

DL — Zion Elee, 6-5, 220, sr., St. Francis Academy (Baltimore, Maryland)

DL — Jayden “JD” Hill, 6-3, 271, sr., Mission Viejo (California)

DL — Luke Wafle, 6-6, 245, sr., The Hun School (Princeton, New Jersey)

DL — Richard Wesley, 6-5, 255, sr., Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, California)

LB — Ja’Kobe Clapper, 6-2, 215, St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio)

LB — Tyler Atkinson, 6-3, 200, sr., Grayson (Loganville, Georgia)

LB — TJ White, 6-2, 235, sr., Jackson Academy (Jackson, Mississippi)

LB — Nick Abrams II, 6-3, 220, sr., McDonogh (Owings Mills, Maryland)

DB — Danny Odem III, 6-2, 175, sr., The First Academy (Orlando, Florida)

DB — Jett Washington, 6-5, 200, sr., Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nevada)

DB — Jorden Edmonds, 6-3, 175, sr., Sprayberry (Marietta, Georgia)

DB — John Meredith III, 6-2, 175, jr., Euless Trinity (Euless, Texas)

DB — Joshua Dobson, 6-1, 175, jr., Catawba Ridge (Fort Mill, South Carolina)

ATH — Joey O’Brien, 6-3, 185, sr., La Salle College (Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania)

ATH — Matt Sieg, 6-1, 180, sr., Fort Cherry (McDonald, Pennsylvania)

LS — Will Terry, 6-6, 230, sr., Manvel (Manvel, Texas)

K — Will Love, 6-1, 200, sr., Spartanburg (Spartanburg, South Carolina)

P — Wade Register, 6-3, 220, sr., Trinity Christian (Dublin, Georgia)

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