Jacksonville Jaguars Quarterback Trevor Lawrence Surprises Winner with Honor

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence virtually surprised Jaxson Dart with the news, while his family, coaches and teammates showed up with the trophy at school.

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

 In its 36th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence virtually surprised Dart with the news, while his family, coaches and teammates showed up with the trophy at school.

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 Dartas the nation’s best high school football player. A national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific experts and sports Dart from more than one million high school football players nationwide.

Competition for the national award was fierce. Darttopped 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.

Dart has maintained a 3.98 GPA in the classroom. He has signed a National Letter of Intent to play football on scholarship at the University of Southern California this fall.

“Time and again, we see Gatorade National Players of the Year go on to great things, such as playing on professional teams, winning National Championships, as well as becoming coaches and role models for future generations of athletes,” Gatorade Senior Vice President and General Manager Brett O’Brien. “Jaxson Dart joins a list of impressive student-athletes who have won the prestigious award and we are confident he is headed for a lifetime of similar accomplishments.”

Each year a selection committee evaluates the nation’s top talent in the District of Columbia and all 50 states, choosing national winners in 12 different sports: football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, boys and girls soccer, and boys and girls track and field.

Gatorade is dedicated to recognizing, supporting and keeping athletes in the game because of the lifelong skills sports instill on and off the field. Since the program’s inception in 1985, Gatorade Player of the Year award recipients have won hundreds of professional and college championships, and many have also turned into pillars in their communities, becoming coaches, business owners and educators. Previous winners include a distinguished list of athletes, such as Peyton Manning, Abby Wambach, Jayson Tatum, Derek Jeter, Elena Delle Donne and many other sports icons.