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

We’ve picked out 11 freshmen football players in Kentucky that stood out from the 2023 season

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 eight worthy candidates and ask you the fan to vote for who you think topped them all.

Voting will end on February 1st, 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’s the nominees: 

Miles Reding, QB, Todd County Central: Reding was one of the top freshman passers this season, completing 93-of-216 passes for 1,176 yards and 16 touchdowns. The signal caller also rushed for 631 yards and 10 touchdowns. 

Quinton Grace, RB, Todd County Central: Grace lines up next to Reding to display a 1-2 freshmen tandem in the backfield for Todd County. The running back has rushed for 725 yards on 135 carries and scored six touchdowns. 

Gunner Holbrook, QB, Letcher County Central: The Cougars’ quarterback was solid under center, as Holbrook has completed 35-of-63 passes for 512 yards and six touchdowns. 

Dre’Mail Carothers, QB, Owensboro Christian: Carothers saw plenty of playing time on offense as a freshman. At quarterback, Carothers threw for 529 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions. 

Ulysses Porter, RB, Holy Cross: Porter was one of the state’s top freshman runner at running back, with the tailback rushing for 954 yards on 116 attempts and scoring 14 touchdowns. Also caught nine passes for 137 yards, two touchdowns. 

Tyler Fryman, WR, Beechwood: Fryman exploded onto the scene for the Tigers as the wide receiver in 2023. The wideout tallied 41 catches for 916 yards and 10 touchdowns. 

Amontae Lowe, WR, Newport: The Wildcats wide receiver was stellar this past season, with Lowe catching 37 receptions for 541 yards and six touchdowns.

Sean Hurry, DE, Newport: The defensive end has put together an impressive freshman campaign on the line, tallying 86 tackles, 18 for a loss and 8.5 sacks. 

Littello Johnson, DL, Holy Cross: The 6-foot-2, 304-pound freshman defensive tackle was a run stuffer for Holy Cross and very difficult to block. Johnson has totaled 41 tackles, eight for loss and two sacks. 

Hunter Pingleton, LB, Rockcastle County: Pingleton has been a tackling machine all season long for the Rockets as the linebacker has racked up an impressive 134 tackles, 18 for a loss and five sacks. 

Eli Caudill, RB/DB, Belfry: The running back/defensive back has been one of the top freshman 2-way players. Caudill totaled 47 tackles and three interceptions on defense. Offensively, the freshman totaled 212 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. 

-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveky