Vote: Who was Massachusetts’ top freshman football player of 2023?

We give you six candidates to choose from

The 2023 high school football season is complete and we are going around the East Coast, reflecting on the last few months.

One of the big questions is what newcomers on the scene made the biggest impact to a football program or state even? That’s where freshman that saw extensive playing time come into the mix.

That’s why we ask the question: Who was the top freshman football player of 2023?

We will go state-by-state along the East Coast and once that voting is done, do a final poll including all the freshmen that won going head-to-head.

We’ve selected six worthy candidates and ask you the fan to vote for who you think topped them all.

Voting will end on January 13th, 2024.

Editor’s note: Our corresponding poll is intended to be fun, and we do not set limits on how many times a fan can vote during the competition. This poll is specifically for fans to vote on the players that have been nominated and in no way discredits any other player that may not be mentioned in our poll.

Here are the nominees: 

Jayden Campbell, QB, Brockton: The freshman quarterback saw the most time of any in his class. Campbell completed 47-of-104 passes for 783 yards and seven touchdowns. Also rushed for 120 yards and scored six times. 

Maxwell Parent, RB/LB, St. Mary’s: Parent saw extensive time at running back and linebacker this past season. Parent rushed for 473 yards, six touchdowns on offense and on defense made 62 tackles, two for loss and an interception. 

Aedan Borges, RB/LB, Case: Another freshman that played both sides of the ball was Borges for Case. At running back, the freshman rushed for 128 yards on 21 carries and then on defense made 65 tackles, three for a loss and two sacks. Also went 9-for-9 on extra point kicks and 4-for-4 on field goals. 

Karson Cournoyer, FS, Blackstone-Millville: The free safety, who is now playing basketball, is coming off a strong season playing in the secondary. Cournoyer made 57 tackles, four for a loss, broke up four passes and picked off three. 

Wyatt Whitman, LB, Franklin County Tech: Whitman had a solid freshman season in the front seven for Franklin County Tech. The linebacker racked up 56 tackles, two for a loss, broke up four passes and recovered three fumbles. 

Rocco Roy, WR/DB, Gardner: Playing at both wide receiver and defensive back for the Wildcats, Roy was able to be a contributor. The freshman compiled 281 all-purpose yards, two touchdowns on offense and on defense made 10 tackles and an interception.