20 offensive national player of the year candidates for the 2023 high school football season

These 20 athletes were dominant forces on offense this fall

The 2023 high school football season is officially in the books.

To put a bow on an exciting few months of action, SBLive Sports is highlighting some of the top players from the best teams across the country.

Here are 20 standouts who deserve consideration for 2023 offensive national player of the year. 

Gage Baker, sr., Paradise Honors (Arizona)

Baker matched a national record by firing 91 touchdowns as a senior, tying Lone Oak’s Corey Robinson (Kentucky) and Folsom’s Jake Browning (California). His 6,045 passing yards are the third-highest single-season total in national history, and in an early-season game he threw nine TD passes in one half.

Jason Brown Jr., sr., O’Dea (Washington)

Brown Jr. will graduate as O’Dea’s all-time leading rusher with 6,425 yards and 92 touchdowns. The four-star Arizona State commit accounted for more than 2,300 total yards and 37 touchdowns as a senior. 

Jadyn Davis, sr., Providence Day (North Carolina) 

Davis, a two-time North Carolina Mr. Football honoree, completed 204 of 288 attempts this fall for 3,370 yards and 43 touchdowns. The four-star Michigan commit led Providence Day to its third straight state title. 

Bryson Donelson, sr., Central Valley Christian-Visalia (California)

Donelson led California in rushing yards (3,297) and total touchdowns (58) as a senior, averaging 10.9 yards per carry. The Fresno State commit ran for 202 yards and three touchdowns while catching six passes for 91 yards and another score in the state finals. Central Valley Christian-Visalia finished 15-1 overall en route to the CIF State 2-A title.

Darrion Dupree, sr., Mt. Carmel (Illinois) 

Dupree, a four-star Wisconsin commit, carried Mt. Carmel to the program’s 15th state championship. He accumulated 1,900 yards of total offense and scored 24 touchdowns. 

Alex Erby, sr., Steelton-Highspire (Pennsylvania)

The all-time leading passer in Pennsylvania history, Erby closed his career with 13,567 passing yards and 175 touchdowns. The Navy commit won back-to-back Class 1A state championships for Steelton-Highspire.

Kallen Gutridge, sr., Wilsonville (Oregon)

Gutridge blew up as a senior, throwing for 3,773 yards and 57 touchdowns while running for 670 more yards and six scores. He fired four touchdowns in the Class 5A state title game and recently committed to Oregon State. The left-hander is also a star basketball player for the three-time defending hardwood champion Wilsonville. 

Jeremy Hecklinski, sr., Walton (Georgia) 

Hecklinski threw for 3,835 yards and 50 touchdowns for Class 7A runner-up Walton. The gunslinger is committed to Wake Forest. 

Ju’Juan Johnson, sr., Lafayette Christian Academy (Louisiana) 

Johnson was the textbook definition of a dual-threat quarterback for state runner-up Lafayette Christian Academy, passing for 3,628 yards and 41 touchdowns as a senior while running for 1,502 yards and 25 scores. The four-star LSU commit ended his career with 10,743 passing yards, 3,713 rushing yards and 171 total touchdowns (117 passing, 54 rushing).

DJ Lagway, sr., Willis (Texas)

Lagway put up video game numbers in carrying Class 6A Willis to the regional semifinals this fall. The five-star Florida commit completed 290 of 402 passes for 4,604 yards and 58 touchdowns. He was also dangerous on the ground, carrying it 99 times for 957 yards and 16 TDs. 

Drake Lindsey, sr., Fayetteville (Arkansas) 

Lindsey threw for 3,916 yards and 52 touchdowns this year as Fayetteville finished 13-0 and secured the Class 7A state title. He will play college football for Minnesota. 

Jordan Marshall, sr., Archbishop Moeller (Ohio)

The winner of Ohio Mr. Football in 2023, Marshall ended his career with 4,787 rushing yards. The four-star Michigan commit accounted for 1,944 yards of total offense and 21 touchdowns as a senior and broke the 22-year-old school record for career rushing yards. 

Preston Ries, sr., Monticello (Iowa) 

Ries is Iowa’s all-time leader in combined passing and rushing yards with 12,984. He passed for 2,559 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior while running for 1,926 yards and 33 scores. The Iowa commit was also the team’s leading tackler on defense. 

Josh Ringer, sr., East Central (Indiana) 

Ringer ran for 251 yards and three touchdowns in the Class 4A state championship game, a 42-14 win over NorthWood. The Miami (Ohio) commit piled up 2,880 rushing yards and 55 touchdowns this fall while also catching 13 passes for 278 yards and five scores. 

Jeremiah Smith, sr., Chaminade-Madonna (Florida)

Playing for a loaded Chaminade-Madonna team, Smith had 88 receptions for 1,376 yards and 19 touchdowns during his senior season. The five-star Ohio State commit caught 11 passes for 170 yards and a TD in the Lions’ Class 1M state championship game victory. 

Bryce Underwood, jr., Belleville (Michigan)

The national No. 1 overall recruit for the class of 2025, Underwood led three-time defending state champion Belleville back to the Division I title game this fall. He passed for 3,165 yards and 40 touchdowns while running for seven more scores. 

Aneyas Williams, sr., Hannibal (Missouri)

Williams did it all for Hannibal as a senior, compiling 2,230 yards of total offense and 43 touchdowns. He also returned two punts for TDs and had a pick-six. The four-star Notre Dame commit’s 152 career TDs rank second all-time in Missouri. 

Ryan Williams, jr., Saraland (Alabama)

Williams accounted for 30 total touchdowns this fall for Saraland, including four in the team’s Class 6A state championship game loss to Clay-Chalkville. He had 72 receptions for 1,324 yards and 19 TDs as a receiver. A five-star prospect, Williams recently announced that he intends to reclassify to the class of 2024 and will sign a letter of intent in February with Alabama. 

Isaac Wilson, sr., Corner Canyon (Utah)

The younger brother of New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson, Isaac Wilson threw for 4,595 yards and 49 touchdowns this fall while running for 1,304 yards and 13 TDs. The four-star Utah commit’s 5,899 yards of total offense broke the previous state record held by current Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart (5,886). Corner Canyon finished 13-1 overall and captured the Class 6A state title. 

Maxwell Woods, sr., Chanhassen (Minnesota)

Woods ran for 215 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Class 5A state championship game, a 34-31 overtime win over St. Thomas Academy. The North Dakota State commit accumulated 2,099 yards of total offense and 24 touchdowns while also forcing four fumbles on defense with 10 pass breakups. 

(Alex Erby photo by Paul Burdick)

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-- Bob Lundeberg | @sblivesports