Jaxson Dart Named 2020-21 Gatorade® National Football Player Of The Year

DRAPER, Utah, May 26, 2021

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence virtually surprised Dart with the news, while his family, coaches and teammates showed up with the trophy at school. Check out a video of the announcement here.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Dart as the nation's best high school football player. A national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select Dart from more than one million high school football players nationwide.

Competition for the national award was fierce. Dart topped the list of state winners in football who collectively boast an incredible list of accomplishments, including 36 with signed National Letters of Intent to play football at Division I colleges/universities, 20 First Team All-State selections (including two 2019 selections due to coronavirus pandemic season cancellations) and 13 with a GPA of 4.0 and above.

"I can't really recall a quarterback improving from junior to senior year to the degree of Jaxson Dart, who took his game to an elite level this past fall," said Steven Wiltfong, director of recruiting for 247Sports. "A four-year starter, he made the game look like everyone else was moving in slow motion as he racked up nearly 6,000 yards of total offense and 79 total touchdowns, 67 of them coming through the air. Accurate to all levels of the field, he's a strong-armed passer with a high football IQ. He added a running element to his game this past season, breaking teams down when he pulled the ball down as well. I think Dart is a national championship-caliber quarterback at the next level, and I'm excited to see what he does at USC."

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound senior quarterback passed for 4,691 yards and 67 touchdowns this past season, leading the Chargers to a 14-0 record and the Class 6A state championship. Dart completed 240 of 345 passes, throwing just four interceptions, while also rushing for 1,195 yards and 12 TDs on 128 carries. The MaxPreps National Player of the Year, he was also selected Mr. Football by the Deseret News. Dart was ranked as the nation's No. 19 recruit in the Class of 2021 by ESPN.         

Dart has assisted elderly members of his community and has volunteered locally on behalf of a food bank and clothing donation drives.