Who will be named Mr. Football, NC’s top high school player in 2024? Meet the finalists
The Charlotte Observer and News & Observer of Raleigh are naming the finalists for the state’s biggest high school football award: Mr. Football.
The Observer has named N.C. Mr. and Ms. Basketball since the 1984-85 school year and began to offer Mr. Football in 2020, when it was originally called the High School Heisman.
Five previous players have won the football award.
Ten finalists have been named today and that number will be trimmed to three next month. The winner will be announced during the week of the N.C. High School Athletic Association state championships, which will be held Dec. 20-21 in Raleigh and Chapel Hill.
The winner will be featured in an article that will appear on both media companies’ websites and print products. He will also receive a banner that will hang in his school’s gym.
Meet this year’s finalists
Bryce Baker, East Forsyth: A 6-foot-2 1/2, 195-pound senior quarterback, Baker is a top 150 national recruit committed to North Carolina. 247 Sports ranks him among the nation’s top 15 at his position among seniors. Baker has led East Forsyth to a 12-0 record heading into Friday’s third-round home playoff game with Mooresville. He has completed 197 of 254 passes, for nearly a 78 percent completion rate. He’s thrown for 3,099 yards and 36 touchdowns against four interceptions. Baker has also rushed 60 times for 343 yards and six scores.
Trey Blakeney, Hough: A 6-2, 215-pound senior quarterback, Blakeney has led the Huskies (11-1) on an 11-game win streak, heading into Friday’s third-round 4A playoff game with rival Mallard Creek. This season, Blakeney has thrown for 2,195 yards and 34 touchdowns, completing 117 of 183 attempts. He has just three interceptions. He’s rushed 50 times for 261 yards and six touchdowns. Committed to Austin Peay, Blakeney has led the most prolific offense in school history. Hough is averaging 48.3 points per game. The 2021 Huskies averaged 40 points per game, but no other Hough team had averaged more than 36 until this year.
Faizon Brandon, Grimsley: A 6-4, 200-pound junior quarterback, Brandon is ranked No. 1 nationally overall in his class by 247 Sports. He has committed to Tennessee. A lawsuit brought by his family helped the state’s high school athletes gain access to their NIL rights earlier this fall. For the season, Brandon has completed 125 of 166 passes (75 percent completion rate) for 2,159 yards and 26 touchdowns against one interception. He’s rushed 50 times for 498 yards and six scores for Grimsley (12-0), which hosts Charlotte Catholic in a third-round playoff Friday.
Bryce Davis, Grimsley: A 6-3, 245-pound senior defensive lineman, Davis is a top 150 national recruit and a top 20 target at his position. He has committed to Duke. This season, Davis has helped lead the Whirlies to a 12-0 record and a berth in the third-round of the NCHSAA 4A playoffs Friday at home against Charlotte Catholic. For the season, Davis has 78 tackles, including 24 tackles for loss, 30 QB hurries and 17 sacks.
Aiden Harris, Weddington: A 6-4, 260-pound junior defensive lineman, Harris is a top 50 recruit in the junior class. He’s helped the Warriors, reigning NCHSAA 4A champions, to an 11-0 record heading into a third-round playoff game Friday and the top ranking in The Observer’s Sweet 16 regional poll and the 4A statewide poll. Harris has 62 tackles, eight sacks, plus 22 tackles for a loss. He also has 34 QB pressures, two blocked kicks and five passes defended. He has more than 20 Division I offers.
Jayden Jones, Independence: A 5-11, 185-pound junior running back, Jones ran 157 times for 2,214 yards and 27 touchdowns for a 10-2 Patriots team that reached the second round of the 4A playoffs. He caught 12 passes for 211 yards and had two special teams touchdowns. A Division I college recruit, Jones averaged more than 10 yards per carry this season. His 4,044 career yards rank 11th in Mecklenburg County history.
Brody Norman, Mooresville: A 6-1, 180-pound junior, Norman has led the Blue Devils to an 11-1 record and Friday’s third-round playoff game at East Forsyth. He’s completed 145 of 223 attempts for 2,356 yards and 24 touchdowns, with 10 interceptions. Norman has rushed 87 times for 579 yards and 13 scores. Norman has also been invited to the US Army Bowl national combine for some of the nation’s top underclassmen next month in Texas. As a sophomore, Norman threw for 1,928 yards and 21 touchdowns and was named Greater Metro 4A offensive player of the year.
David Sanders, Providence Day: A 6-6, 290-pound senior offensive and defensive lineman, Sanders has committed to Tennessee. He’s been ranked as high as No. 1 nationally in his class during his career and is currently top 10 by most recruiting services and the nation’s No. 1 left tackle. Sanders was named N.C. Gatorade player of the year as a junior. This season, he graded 93% and didn’t allow a sack on offense. He will play in the Navy All-American Bowl, the nation’s top high school all-star game, which will be played in January and televised nationally on NBC.
Brady Stober, Hickory: A 6-foot, 173-pound senior quarterback committed to Samford, Stober has completed 145 of 174 passes for 2,760 yards and 32 touchdowns. He’s rushed 51 times for 312 yards and three touchdowns for the Red Tornadoes (12-0), who play Crest in a third-round NCHSAA 3A playoff Friday. Last season, Stober threw for 3,933 yards and 47 touchdowns for a 16-0 Hickory team that won its first state championship since 1996.
Jordan Young, Monroe: A 6-foot-1, 180-pound defensive back,Young is a four-star national recruit committed to Clemson. He will play in the nation’s top high school all-star game, the Navy All-American Bowl in January. This season, he has 30 tackles and a team-best six interceptions. He has scored on a fumble return, a blocked punt and via an interception. Young has helped lead the Redhawks to a 12-0 record and a berth in the third round of the NCHSAA 2A playoffs Friday against West Stokes.
Previous winners
2023: Jaydn Davis, Providence Day
2022: Jadyn Davis, Providence Day
Fall 2021: Omarion Hampton, Cleveland
Spring 2021: Daylan Smothers, Chambers
2020: Henry Rutledge, Charlotte Christian
Note: Public schools didn’t play in the fall of the 2020-21 school year due to COVID. A shortened season was held in the spring of 2021.
This story was originally published November 28, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
