Press release
Jaxson Dart Named 2020-21 Gatorade® National Football Player Of The Year
Jacksonville Jaguars Quarterback Trevor Lawrence Surprises Winner with Honor DRAPER, Utah, May 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 36th year of honoring the
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[{"type":"text","content":"Jacksonville Jaguars Quarterback Trevor Lawrence Surprises Winner with Honor\n\n\nDRAPER, Utah, May 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 36th year of honoring the nation's most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Jaxson Dart of Corner Canyon High School in Draper, Utah is the 2020-21 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year. Dart won the prestigious award for his accomplishments on and off the field, joining an impressive group of former Gatorade National Football Player of the Year winners who have combined for six NFL MVPs awards, 31 Pro Bowl appearances, six NFL first round draft picks and two became Hall of Famers.\nJacksonville 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. \nThe 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. \nCompetition 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.\n\"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 qu...