Greetings, PA High School Football Fans! There have been many outstanding team and individual performances thus far across the state. Now it is time to start nominating the best football players in the Keystone State! SportsRecruiters.com has announced they will sponsor the seventeenth annual Mr. PA Football Awards Program after the immense success of previous years. Nominations for the 2026 Mr. PA Football Awards will open on November 2, 2026. A student-athlete must have participated in the 2026 football season in order to be eligible for a 2026 Mr. PA Football nomination. In addition, in order to be eligible for these awards, high schools must be members of Mr. PA Football. The nominations deadline is set for December 7, 2026, but is subject to change.
The Mr. PA Football Awards are tentatively scheduled to be presented on January 30, 2027, to the best high school football players in Pennsylvania. There will be two awards presented; one for the Small School Mr. Football, which will consist of Class 1A, 2A, and 3A players, and one for the Big School Mr. Football, which will consist of Class 4A, 5A, and 6A players. The Mr. PA Football Selection Committee will select the players nominated for Mr. PA Football. The Mr. PA Football Selection Committee is comprised of media members as well as coaches. There will be fifty players nominated each round. There will be a total of two-hundred nominees selected for the Small School Mr. Football and two-hundred nominees selected for the Big School Mr. Football by the selection committee on the December 7th nomination deadline.
After the nominations process is completed, the players will be chosen by football fans, sportswriters/ sportscasters, and coaches from around the state. Fans will be able to vote for their favorite players, and the media panel from major media markets as well as coaches from across the state will be voting for the outstanding players. Wayde Marsico, Director of the Mr. PA Football Selection Committee, will oversee the selection process. The fans, the media, and the coaches each represent 1/3 of the vote.
Once more, new classifications have been established by the PIAA in 2016 and as a result Mr. PA Football will continue to classify the Small School Award as 1A-3A, and the Big School Award as 4A-6A. Also, in addition to the Mr. PA Football Award this year, there will again be a separate category of nominations for the Mr. PA Football Lineman Awards. The nomination list for the Lineman Awards will be acquired from the nominations for Mr. PA Football. The Lineman Awards will use the same classifications as Mr. PA Football. The voting for each round and the winners will be chosen by a selection committee. Again, the Mr. PA Football Selection Committee is comprised of media members as well as coaches. The Mr. PA Football Lineman Award winners will be announced on January 16, 2027.
Past Mr. PA Football winners are:
4A-6A
2010 Rushel Shell – Hopewell High School & West Virginia University
2011* Rushel Shell – Hopewell High School & West Virginia University
2011* Noah Spence – Bishop McDevitt High School & Ohio State University/Eastern Kentucky University
2012 Robert Foster – Central Valley High School & University of Alabama
2013 Andrew Ford – Cedar Cliff High School & Virginia Tech University/University of Massachusetts
2014 Saquon Barkley – Whitehall High School & Penn State University
2015 Miles Sanders – Woodland Hills High School & Penn State University
2016 D’Andre Swift – St. Joseph’s Prep & University of Georgia
2017 Philip Jurkovec – Pine-Richland High School & University of Notre Dame/University of Pittsburgh
2018 Daequan Hardy – Penn Hills High School & Penn State University
2019 Evan Simon – Maheim Central High School & Rutgers University/Temple University
2020 Kyle McCord – St. Joseph’s Prep & Ohio State University/Syracuse University
2021 Nicholas Singleton – Governor Mifflin High School & Penn State University
2022 Stone Saunders – Bishop McDevitt High School & University of Kentucky
2023* Rico Scott – Bishop McDevitt High School & University of Alabama
2023* Tiqwai Hayes – Aliquippa High School & Penn State University
2024 Ty Salazer – State College Area High School & University of Delaware
2025 Kemon Spell – McKeesport Area High School & University of Georgia
1A-3A
2010 Desimon Green – Clairton High School & Texas Tech University/ California (Pa.) University
2011 Tyler Boyd – Clairton High School & University of Pittsburgh
2012 Tyler Boyd – Clairton High School & University of Pittsburgh
2013 DeAndre Scott – Imhotep Charter High School & University of Maine
2014 Dominick Bragalone – South Williamsport High School & Lehigh University
2015 Michael Shuster – Camp Hill High School & Penn State University
2016 Lamont Wade – Clairton High School & Penn State University
2017 Robert Kennedy – Jeannette High School & North Carolina State University
2018 Julian Fleming – Southern Columbia High School & Ohio State University/Penn State University
2019 Julian Fleming – Southern Columbia High School & Ohio State University/Penn State University
2020 Josh Hough – Beaver Falls High School & Syracuse University
2021 Gavin Garcia – Southern Columbia High School & Kent State University
2022 Jeff Hoenstine – Central Martinsburg High School & St. Francis University
2023 Alex Erby – Steelton-Highspire High School & Naval Academy
2024 Eli Zimmerman – Northwestern Lehigh High School & Bloomsburg University
2025 Luca Neal – Avonworth High School & West Liberty University
The nomination process is open to all high school football players in Pennsylvania. Players will be selected by fans, media, and coaches via website voting once the voting process begins. The votes will be tabulated and the results will be posted on the web site after each timeline listed. The eligibility regulations and the timeline for the Mr. PA Football Awards voting are listed below. The following will be the selection process timeline:
Mr. PA Football
All positions are eligible for nominations.
Nov. 02 Nominations Open; Nov. 13 Nominations Round One
Nov. 20 Nominations Round Two; Nov. 27 Nominations Round Three
Dec. 07 Nominations Close
Dec. 08 Fabulous Fifty Open; Dec. 18 Fabulous Fifty Close
Dec. 19 Tremendous Twenty-Five Open; Dec. 28 Tremendous Twenty-Five Close
Dec. 29 Terrific Ten Open; Jan. 07 Terrific Ten Close
Jan. 08 Finalists Open; Jan. 15 Finalists Close
Jan. 16 Winners Open; Jan. 25 Winners Close
*Note: Voting for the next round will start after the results are published from the previous round.
*Note: The nominations deadline and selection process time line for voting are subject to change.
Mr. PA Football Lineman
The eligibility regulations and the timeline for the Mr. PA Football Lineman Awards voting are listed below. The following will be the selection process timeline:
Any interior lineman who plays Offensive Center, Guard or Tackle; Defensive Nose Guard, Tackle or End are eligible for nomination.
Nov. 02 Nominations Open; Nov. 13 Nominations Round One
Nov. 20 Nominations Round Two; Nov. 27 Nominations Round Three
Dec. 07 Nominations Close
Dec. 19 Terrific Ten Open; Dec. 28 Terrific Ten Close
Dec. 29 Finalists Open; Jan. 07 Finalists Close
Jan. 08 Winners Open; Jan. 15 Winners Close
Jan. 16 Winners Announced
*Note: Voting for the next round will start after the results are published from the previous round.
*Note: The nominations deadline and selection process time line for voting are subject to change.
Fans can start voting for their favorite players on December 8, 2026!