Three of the nation’s top high school quarterbacks, including a sophomore, are finalists for the 39th annual Gatorade National Football Player of the Year award.
Below are snippets on the three finalists from Gatorade news releases:
Julian “JuJu” Lewis – Carrollton High School (Georgia)
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound sophomore quarterback passed for 3,094 yards and 48 touchdowns this past season. The USC-recruit led the Trojans to an 11-2 record and the Class 7A state quarterfinals. The Trojans finished No. 64 in the High School Football America 300 national rankings, powered by NFL Play Football.
Related: Final ’23 HSFA 300
Lewis completed 66.4 percent of his throws (186-of-280) and averaged 11.1 yards per attempt, while tossing just two interceptions.
DJ Lagway – Willis High School (Texas)
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound senior quarterback passed for 4,604 yards and a 6A state record 58 touchdowns this past season, leading the Wildkats to a 12-1 record, their first district title since 2002 and a trip to the 6A-Division II regional final.
Lagway completed 72.1 percent of his passes and averaged 354.2 yards per game. He also led the team in rushing yards (957) and touchdowns (16) and was named District 13-6A Player of the Year, having led Willis to the first 10-win season in program history.
Julian Sayin – Carlsbad High School (California)
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound senior quarterback passed for 2,369 yards and 24 touchdowns this past season, leading the Lancers (10-1) to the San Diego Section Open Division tournament semifinals.
Carlsbad finished No. 100 in the HSFA 300.
Ranked as the nation’s No. 3 recruit in the Class of 2024 by ESPN.com, Sayin was the MVP of the Elite 11 Finals quarterback competition last summer and is a three-time Avocado League Offensive MVP.
