Eleven-time NFL Pro-Bowler and former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten surprised Denton Guyer quarterback Jackson Arnold Thursday with the news that he is the 2022 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year.
Arnold was one of three finalists for the award. Arch Manning of Isidore Newman (Louisiana) and Malachi Nelson of Los Alamitos (California) were the other finalists.
Related: Gatorade Player of the Year Finalists
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior quarterback led the Wildcats to a 14-1 record and a berth in the 6A-Division II semifinals, plus a No. 24 ranking in the final High School Football America 300 national rankings, powered by NFL Play Football.
Related: HSFA 300 final rankings for 2022
According to a Gatorade news release, the Oklahoma-recruit completed 231 of 336 pass attempts (69 percent) for 3,476 yards and 33 touchdowns with only three interceptions. Arnold averaged 10.4 yards per passing attempt, and he also rushed for 921 yards and 24 touchdowns, averaging 5.7 yards per carry.
Arnold has served as a classroom aide to a math teacher as a senior, and for the past three and a half years, he has been a member and officer in the Texas Young Men’s Service League, Lantana Chapter, which offers opportunities for mothers and sons to perform community service and philanthropic work; he has served as the group’s Vice President, Slating Chair and as a member of its Life Skills committee.
In the classroom, Arnold has maintained a 4.5 weighted GPA.
The Gatorade Player of the Year award recognizes athletes not just for their excellence on the playing surface, but for their commitment in the classroom and impact in their community. Arnold was selected from more than one million other student athletes who play high school football nationwide.
Former Gatorade National Football Players of the Year have combined for more than six NFL MVPs awards, 31 Pro Bowl appearances, six NFL first round draft picks and two became Hall of Famers.
