The Five: Mr. Football Candidates – Class 5A

The Five: Mr. Football Candidates &#8211; Class 5A

Photo: Prep Redzone

Chris Smith August 17, 2021 @ 11:06 AM

Class 5A presents an interesting challenge when it comes to looking at Mr. Football contenders because you have a large list of possible candidates and not one guy that immediately stands out as the eventual winner. Here we look at the guys we think have the best shot at winning top honors by season's end. 1. (RB) [player_tooltip player_id="101990" first="Kendall" last="Jackson"] (6'0 205) - Oak Ridge - Jackson is back for his final campaign with the Wildcats and looks poised for a big senior year. He will be the focal point of every defense the Wildcats face this season, so Jackson needs to be ready for the spotlight and embrace it. He needs to use the attention for his own cause by torching opposing defenses and showing why he is considered a D1 caliber recruit. Jackson is a big guy that is hard to handle or bring down, so I expect this East Tennessee product to have a huge 2021 season. 2. (QB) [player_tooltip player_id="102302" first="Jordyn" last="Potts"] (6'1 185) - Powell - After cracking the finalists list last year as a sophomore, Potts is back for his junior season stronger and more polished and ready to lead his team on a deep playoff run while pushing himself back into contention for Mr. Football. Potts is a gunslinger with tons of weapons around him, so the expectations headed into this year is that this junior signal caller will put up a lot of numbers and a lot of victories. He is also one of the better pure passers we have in the state, not just the 2023 class, so a big season is on the horizon for this star quarterback and his Panthers team. 3. (RB) [player_tooltip player_id="102176" first="DeSean" last="Bishop"] (5'11 185) - Karns - All signs leading into the season point towards Bishop being one of the breakout stars of this year and becoming a household name headed into the next offseason. Bishop is an athletic, big play threat at running back that will be leaned upon heavily this year. The Beavers have nice pieces around Bishop to help supplement his abilities, so winning Mr. Football this year is certainly in the cards. Barring injury, this East Tennessee running back is pointed towards a big year and establishing himself as one of the top recruits from his 2023 class. 4. (QB) [player_tooltip player_id="102210" first="Ryan" last="Damron"] (6'0 192) - Henry Co. - The Patriots have had their eyes on the 2021 season for a while now as they have a strong and talented junior class that is ready for the spotlight and the guy running that show is Damron. The 6'0 smart and savvy passer is one of the better leaders behind center that you will find in this state, so his teammates will definitely play for Damron and give the junior quarterback everything they have. Damron has strong pieces around him and the team is poised for a big year, so winning Mr. Football is certainly in the cards for this Middle Tennessee cerebral passer. 5. (RB) [player_tooltip player_id="102122" first="Auvic" last="White"] (6'0 195) - Munford - White is the underdog and sleeper Mr. Football candidate on this list as he comes from a team that doesn't get a lot of hype but the 6'0 senior back has already put up big numbers and there is no reason to think he won't do so again this year. The Cougars are looking at the 2021 season as a breakthrough year for the program and White will be a big reason and factor why this year could be successful. He is a powerful, well balanced back with deceptive speed that will be given the ball a lot, so people better watch out for White and his Cougars team. Just Missed: (WR) [player_tooltip player_id="102238" first="Ayden" last="Greene"] - Powell, (QB) [player_tooltip player_id="102084" first="Collin" last="Shannon"] - Sevier Co., (Ath) [player_tooltip player_id="102000" first="Quincy" last="Briggs"] - Memp. Central Others Considered: (RB) [player_tooltip player_id="102265" first="Zamaryion" last="Kendall"] - Henry Co. ‘23, (QB) [player_tooltip player_id="102254" first="Cassen" last="Huffaker"] - Karns ‘23, (QB) [player_tooltip player_id="102289" first="Jayden" last="Miller"] - McMinn Co. ‘23, (QB) [player_tooltip player_id="102160" first="Stephen" last="Swoner"] - Mt. Juliet, (QB) [player_tooltip player_id="102328" first="Peyton" last="Sharpe"] - Oak Ridge ‘23, (WR) [player_tooltip player_id="102310" first="Elijah" last="Rogers"] - Oak Ridge ‘23, (QB) [player_tooltip player_id="150807" first="Jake" last="McNamara"] - Page