25 North Texas high school football player of the year candidates in 2024

As the regular season approaches the finish line, High School on SI is identifying the top players in the region this season

Quinten Gibson lines in North Crowley's win over Rockwall in Week 4. / Photo by Michael Horbovetz, SBLive

The 2024 Texas high school football regular season is approaching the finish and many players across the state have separated themselves from the pack.

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High School on SI is going region by region to identify the most productive players this fall, starting with North Texas. Who has risen above the rest in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and beyond?

There is more football to be played — an entire postseason. Who will prevail as state player of the year when it's all said and done? Here are the top 25 players to watch in North Texas in 2024:

NORTH TEXAS PLAYER OF YEAR CANDIDATES

Travis Agee, jr., Plano East 

Measurables: 5-11, 180 | Pos: RB

The feature running back of the Panthers eclipsed had nearly 600 yards in three games and through seven, he’s at 1,137 yards. He’s run for 100 or more in six games and has six touchdowns. 

Sawyer Anderson, sr., Dallas Parish Episcopal 

Measurables: 6-0, 186 | Pos: QB

A four-year starter, Anderson has put up video-game-like numbers for the Panthers. Though 47 career games, he’s thrown for 12,439 yards and 136 touchdowns. This fall, the Purdue pledge thrown for 2,899 yards and 27 touchdowns in 8 games — an average of 362 yards per game, nearly 100 yards more per game than last year. 

Legend Bey, jr., North Forney

Measurables: 6-0, 190 | Pos: QB

The well-traveled Bey is making big noise in his first year at North Forney. He’s ran for 1,233 yards and scored 20 times — averaging 12.4 yards per carry. Passing the ball, he’s tossed 7 touchdowns with 759 yards. Bey, on his third football team in three years, holds more than 20 offers to play at the next level. 

Grant Bizjack, sr., Trophy Club Byron Nelson 

Measurables: 6-0, 170 | Pos: QB

Following in the footsteps of his older brother, Finley, who now plays basketball at Butler, the younger Bizjack has made a name for himself. A first-year starter, Bizjack has completed 75% of his passes for 1,926 yards and 21 touchdowns for the Bobcats. 

Brock Boyd, jr., Southlake Carroll

Measurables: 6-2, 175 | Pos: WR

He already surpassed last year’s 825 yards and is nine catches shy of passing his mark for receptions. The TCU pledge has a line of 46/908/12 this year for Dragons in eight games. 

Carterrious Brown, sr., Arlington Juan Seguin 

Measurables: 6-3, 170 | Pos: WR

The Cougars got off to a 5-0 start and were one of the surprise teams early in the DFW area. The SMU recruit is a big reason why with 43 catches for 10 touchdowns and 686 yards. He’s a go-to target for Chevy Andrews when the Cougars need a big play.

Luke Carney, sr., Dallas Christian 

Measurables: 6-2, 205 | Pos: QB

He’s one touchdown pass away from 100 in his career. The Syracuse recruit is a four-year starter for the Chargers and has won three straight TAPPS titles — the last two in Division III. Carney has thrown for 1,705 yards and 8 touchdowns in 7 games for Dallas Christian, which is a more balanced offense this year with a 1,000-yard back in Titus Muse.

Edward Chumley, sr., Anna

Measurables: 5-10, 172 | Pos: ATH

He was part of a state championship last year and is still making big plays this year. He’s ran for 795 yards and 18 touchdowns, while also catching 14 passes for 233 yards and 2 scores. He finished with 1,364 yards of total offense last year in 15 games and is on pace to surpass that if Anna can make a run after bumping up to 5A. 

Marcus Flowers, jr., Princeton 

Measurables: 6-2, 165 | Pos: QB

After seeing some time as a sophomore, he’s thrown for 1,988 yards and 20 touchdowns in 7 games. The Panthers are taking lumps moving up from 5A to 6A, but he’s thrown for 300 yards three times.

Graylyn Fry, jr., Frisco Panther Creek 

Measurables: 5-10, 170 | Pos: QB

The Denton Braswell transfer has thrown for 2,178 yards with 22 touchdowns and 3 touchdowns for the Panthers. He’s completed 71% of his passes for the 7-1 Panthers. 

Quentin Gibson, sr., Fort Worth North Crowley

Measurables: 5-8, 165 | Pos: WR

There might not be a bigger rising star than Gibson. Last year, he had 217 yards receiving and two touchdowns. That is now like a decent first half for the 3-star recruit. He’s hauled in 41 catches for 953 yards and 19 touchdowns — with a 7/180/4 line against state champion DeSoto. 

Mekhi Haddock, sr., Wichita Falls Memorial 

Measurables: 6-1, 150 | Pos: DB

He’s been a ballhawk for the Mavericks with 6 interceptions — tied for second in the state according to MaxPreps statewide stats — while also having 27 tackles and 2 pass breakups.

Jackson Hand, sr., Frisco Centennial 

Measurables: 6-5, 210 | Pos: DE

Hand has been a monster on the line for the Titans this fall. He has 10 sacks in 7 games with 19 quarterback hurries. He’s also forced for fumbles and had 58 tackles — 15 for a loss. 

Presley Harper, sr., Richardson JJ Pearce

Measurables: 6-0, 185 | Pos: QB

In his third year at the helm, Harper is on pace to have his best season yet. He’s at 2,264 yards through seven games while throwing 26 touchdowns compared to only 2 interceptions. He’s completing 66% of his passes and tied a career-high with 6 TD passes in Week 1.

Measurables: 5-11, 175 | Pos: QB

The North Texas pledge is still one of the top-dual threat QB in the state. He’s thrown for 1,944 yards with a 32-2 TD/INT rate for the undefeated Panthers. He accounted for more than 4,000 yards last year during North Crowley’s 6A semifinal run. 

Drew Kates, sr., North Richland Hills Richland

Measurables: 6-0, 195 | Pos: QB

After leading the Royals to a 12-1 mark last year, Kates has been posting similar numbers already. In 8 games, he’s thrown for 2,108 yards with 22 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He’s thrown for 60 more yards per game and his completion percentage raised from 63% to 71% this fall. 

Izayah Lee, jr., Lancaster

Measurables: 5-11, 190 | Pos: RB

The last two offers Lee has picked up have been from Oregon and Ole Miss. He’s been a workhouse for the Tigers with 134 carries and 17 touchdowns. He’s averaging more than 100 yards per game through 7 weeks.

Josiah Lucas, jr., South Grand Prairie 

Measurables: 5-8, 170 | Pos: RB

He is averaging 7.3 yards per carry and has scored 15 touchdowns on 135 carries. He is just under 1,000 yards — 994 — through six games for the Warriors. He’s picked up four D-I offers since the season started.

Measurables: 5-11, 182 | Pos: WR

He’s perhaps the most electric player in the Lone Star State. He’s the No. 1 WR in the country, the No. 1 recruit in Texas and has a composite score of 99. He has 40 catches for 684 yards and 9 touchdowns but with the star shining the brights against DeSoto, he hauled in 9 catches for 241 yards and 4 touchdowns. 

Taylor Ogden, sr., Dallas Shelton 

Measurables: 6-2, 190 | Pos: RB

Moving Ogden from wide receiver to the backfield has been a big boost for the Chargers. He’s averaging 207 yards per game and 10 yards per carry through seven games. He’s rushed for 1,345 yards and 22 touchdowns and has 200 yards or more in five games. 

Jaylen Pile, jr., Dallas Parish Episcopal 

Measurables: 6-1, 180 | Pos: WR

Pile, a four-star recruit, recently committed to Michigan. He’s one of the top targets for Sawyer Anderson with 39 catches for 901 yards and 14 touchdowns. His dad, Willie, played in the NFL with the Chiefs and Cowboys. 

Angelo Renda, jr., Southlake Carroll

Measurables: 6-0, 180 | Pos: QB

He got some snaps last year as an understudy to Georgia Tech’s Graham Knowles. Now, Renda has taken over at QB1 and thrown 23 touchdowns and 1,824 yards in 8 games for the Dragons. 

Measurables: 6-3, 175 | Pos: QB

The No. 3-ranked QB in the nation has been doing what he’s often done with DVille — throw touchdowns and guiding the Panthers to wins. He’s thrown 30 touchdowns with only two picks with 2,116 yards passing through seven games. He’s completed more than 73% of his passes both seasons starting.

Jarmon Trotter Jr., jr., Dallas Lincoln 

Measurables: 6-0, 205 | Pos: LB

He’s a two-way starter for the Tigers that has run for 5 touchdowns, but his biggest impact has come on the defensive side of the ball. Through 7 games, he’s got 141 tackles with 12 TFL, 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery and an interception.

Harrison Vicic, sr., Wylie

Measurables: 6-2, 220 | Pos: LB

A three-year starter for the Pirates, he’s having his best season yet. He’s racked up 92 tackles in 7 games, with 13 TFL, 4 sacks and one interception. He has a season-best 20 tackles in Week 2. 

Damon Vinson, , sr., Wylie East 

Measurables: 5-10, 170 | Pos: DB

He’s tied with Haddock for second in the state with six interceptions. Half of his interceptions came against Sachse and had at least one interception each of the first four weeks of the season. 

-- Cody Thorn | @sblivetx