Jake Smith named Gatorade National Player of the Year

jake smithArizona Cardinals QB Josh Rosen surprised Notre Dame Prep's Jake Smith with the news he's the 2018 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year
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Arizona Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen surprised Notre Dame Prep’s (Arizona) Jake Smith with the news that he’s Gatorade’s 2018 National Football Player of the Year. Rosen was on-hand Tuesday to announce that Smith, who helped lead his team to a runner-up finish in Arizona’s 5A classification, had edged out two other finalists announced last week — senior defensive back/wide receiver Derek Stingley Jr. of Dunham School (Louisiana), who has verbally committed to LSU, and junior quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei St. John Bosco (California).

Smith, who is expected to sign with the Texas Longhorns during the early signing period next week, led the state with 39 touchdowns. Smith, who will focus on playing wide receiver in college, played multiple positions in high school, finishing with 5,446 total yards and 72 touchdowns.

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About the Author

Jeff Fisher
Jeff is an award-winning journalist and expert in the field of high school sports, underscored with his appearance on CNBC in 2010 to talk about the big business of high school football in America.Jeff turned to his passion for high school football into an entrepreneurial venture called High School Football America, a digital media company focused on producing original high school sports content for radio, television and the internet.Jeff is co-founder and editor-in-chief of High School Football America, a partner with NFL Play Football.