- Richard Roundtree Jr. and Cornelius Ingram of Hawthorne were named Rural Player and Coach of the Year, leading their team to the 2025 Rural state title with an 11-1 record.
- Roundtree completed 174-of-266 passes for 2,581 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions, scoring 135 points in the voting, beating Amari Thomas.
- Cornelius Ingram has a 104-22 coaching record at Hawthorne with three state championships and three runner-up finishes in 10 years.
- The finalists for the 2025 Mr. Football awards include top players and coaches from various Florida high school classes, with overall winners to be announced soon.
The finalists for the 2025 Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Football and Football Coach of the Year have been announced following balloting by a statewide panel of high school football coaches and prep media representatives.
Hawthorne quarterback Richard Roundtree Jr. and his head coach, Cornelius Ingram, have been named the Rural Player and Coach of the Year, respectively.
Roundtree helped lead the Hornets (11-1) to the FHSAA Rural state title by completing 174-of-266 passes for 2,581 yards with 30 TDs and 7 interceptions. He tallied 135 points to finish ahead of Florida State University signee Amari Thomas of state runner-up Blountstown (104).
Ingram, who won his 100th career game with Hawthorne in the regular season finale, had 179 points and finished ahead of Blountstown coach Brad Waggoner with 133.
In 10 years at the school, Ingram has compiled a 104-22 record with three state championships and three state runner-up finishes.
Jon Adams of Chiefland, a University of Louisville signee, finished third in the voting for Rural Player of the Year, and Cliff Harrell finished third for Coach of the Year after leading the Indians to an 11-2 record before a 36-6 loss at Hawthorne in the state semifinals.
For the second consecutive year, Buchholz’s Justin Williams finished second in the voting for the Class 6A Player of the Year.
Last year, the University of Florida signee finished second in the voting to Osceola (Kissimmee) running back Taevion Swint, who helped his team to a 12-3 record and a Class 6A state runner-up finish by rushing for 1,915 yards on 198 carries (9.7 avg.) with 26 TDs.
This year, the preseason Super 11 selection was No. 2 behind senior running back Javian Mallory of 6A state champion West Boca Raton. The University of Miami signee led his team to a 13-2 record and rushed for 1,135 yards on 127 carries (8.9 avg.) with 15 TDs. He also caught four touchdown passes.
Williams, who had over 100 yards rushing and receiving, plus a 23-yard touchdown pass, in a 24-17 loss to West Broward (Pembroke Pines) in the Class 6A state semifinals, had 106 points compared to 115 for Mallory.
The Gainesville Quarterback Club’s Offensive Player of the Year finished with 67 catches for 1,117 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also rushed 91 times for 547 yards (6.0 avg.) with nine scores.
Buchholz coach Mark Whittemore finished third in the voting for the 6A Coach of the Year after leading the Bobcats (12-2) to their fifth straight state semifinal appearance.
Aaron Akins of Oak Hall, the Gainesville Quarterback Club’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year, finished fourth in the voting for the Independent Class Player of the Year after throwing for over 1,000 yards with 23 total touchdowns.
R.J. Fuhr was fifth in the voting for Coach of the Year after leading the Eagles to the Sunshine State Athletic Association (SSAA) 3A championship with a 27-10 win over Cambridge Christian (Tampa) on Nov. 22 at The Villages Charter School.
Every finalist was the leading vote-getter in his classification, making each one the Player of the Year or Coach of the Year in his class. The two overall winners will be announced in a little over a week, following a final round of balloting by coaches and media next week.
2025 Mr. Football Finalists:
Noah Grubbs, Senior, Quarterback, Lake Mary, Class 7A Player of the Year
Led his team to a 12-3 record and the Class 7A state title by completing 233-of-401 passes for 3,235 yards with 40 TDs and 12 interceptions. Also, had 7 rushing TDs. Signed with Notre Dame.
Javian Mallory, Senior, Running Back, West Boca Raton, Class 6A Player of the Year
Led his team to a 13-2 record and the Class 6A state title, rushing for 1,135 yards on 127 carries (8.9 avg.) with 15 TDs. Also caught four touchdown passes. Signed with the University of Miami.
Mason Mallory, Senior, Quarterback, St. Thomas Aquinas, Class 5A Player of the Year
Led his team to a 14-1 record and the Class 5A state title by completing 163-of-244 passes for 2,057 yards with 23 TDs and 6 interceptions. Also rushed for 654 yards on 75 carries (8.7 avg.) and 9 TDs.
Dereon Coleman, Senior, Quarterback, Jones, Class 4A Player of the Year
Led his team to a 12-3 record and a Class 4A state runner-up finish by completing 207-of-273 passes for 2,912 yards with 30 TDs and 3 interceptions. Rushed for 780 yards on 116 carries (6.7 avg.) and 4 TDs. Signed with the University of Miami.
TJ Cole, Senior, Quarterback, Raines, Class 3A Player of the Year
Led his team to a 14-0 record and the Class 3A state championship by completing 138-of-215 passes for 2,609 yards with 39 TDs and 3 interceptions. Rushed for 407 yards on 82 carries with 3 TDs. Committed to Florida A&M University.
Xander Edwards, Sophomore, Running Back, Bolles, Class 2A Player of the Year
Led his team to a 13-2 record and a Class 2A state runner-up finish, rushing for 2,629 yards on 265 carries (9.9 avg,) with 44 TDs. Also caught 17 passes for 211 yards.
Jyron Hughley, Senior, Quarterback, Cardinal Newman, Class 1A Player of the Year
Led his team to a 12-3 record and a Class 1A state title by completing 115-of-171 passes for 2,018 yards with 17 TDs and 7 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,528 yards (11.7 avg.) and 19 TDs. Signed with West Virginia University.
Richard Roundtree, Junior, Quarterback, Hawthorne, Rural Class Player of the Year
Led his team to an 11-1 record and the Rural Class state title, completing 174-of-266 passes for 2,581 yards with 30 TDs and 7 interceptions.
Marcus Stracke, Sophomore, Quarterback, American Heritage-Delray, Independent Player of the Year
Led his team to a 10-3 record and the Sunshine State Athletic Association (SSAA) state championship by completing 191-of-284 passes for 3,026 yards with 39 TDs and 4 interceptions.
2025 Football Coach of the Year Finalists:
Scott Perry, Lake Mary, Class 7A Coach of the Year
Led his squad to a 12-3 record and the Class 7A state title, the school’s first state championship after finishing as the state runner-up for the first time in school history last season. In 20 years at his alma mater, Perry has posted a 153-72 record.
Dylan Potts, West Boca Raton, Class 6A Coach of the Year
In his fourth year as head coach, Potts led his squad to a 13-2 record and a second straight Class 6A state title. He has posted a 42-9 record in his four years at West Boca Raton.
Roger Harriott, St. Thomas Aquinas, Class 5A Coach of the Year
Led his team to a 14-1 record and the Class 5A state title, his seventh consecutive championship. In 11 years at Aquinas, Harriott has posted a 138-15 record with nine state titles and two state runner-up finishes.
Elijah Williams, Jones, Class 4A Coach of the Year
Led his team to a 12-3 record and a second straight state runner-up finish. In 10 years at Jones, Williams has posted a 110-22 record with three state final appearances (2019-24-25).
Donovan Masline, Raines, Class 3A Coach of the Year
In his sixth year as head coach, Masline led Raines to a 14-0 record and the Class 3A state title with a 23-22 state-final victory over Miami Northwestern, which beat Raines 41-0 in the 2024 state championship game. In six years, Masline has posted a 59-16 record, including a 37-3 record the past three seasons.
Jared Clark, Cardinal Mooney, Class 2A Coach of the Year
In his sixth year as head coach, Clark led his team to a 14-1 record and his second state title in the past three years. Clark has posted a six-year mark of 52-22, including a 38-4 record during the last three seasons.
Jack Daniels, Cardinal Newman, Class 1A Coach of the Year
In his fifth year at Cardinal Newman, Daniels led his team to a 12-3 record and the school’s first state championship. In five years at the school, he has posted a 51-12 record. During 23 years as the head coach at Dwyer, his teams made three state title-game appearances, winning titles in 2009 and 2013.
Cornelius Ingram, Hawthorne, Rural Class Coach of the Year
Led his team to an 11-1 record and the Rural Class state title. In 10 years at the school, Ingram has compiled a 104-22 record with three state championships (2020-21-25) and three state runner-up finishes.
Jonathan King, American Heritage-Delray, Co-Independent Coach of the Year
In his second season at the school, King led his team to a 10-3 record and the Sunshine State Athletic Association title.
Gunnar Cox, West Nassau, Co-Independent Coach of the Year
In his third year at the school, Cox led his team to a 12-2 record and a runner-up finish in the Sunshine State Athletic Association. He has posted a 24-11 record in three years, including a 21-4 record the past two seasons.
Final voting numbers by class (top five):
Area players in bold
Class 7A
Player School Points
Noah Grubbs Lake Mary 196
Efrem White Vero Beach 120
Marceles Carey DeLand 56
Asharri Charles Venice 41
Ayden Pouncey Winter Park 39
Coach School Points
Scott Perry Lake Mary 211
Lenny Jankowski Vero Beach 122
Rick Darlington DeLand 77
Mike Manasco Miami Palmetto 37
Andy Johnson Boone 15
Class 6A
Player School Points
Javian Mallory West Boca Raton 115
Justin Williams Buchholz 106
Brandin Mincy West Broward 88
LiDarious Pryor Evans 32
Grant Wise Pace 32
Coach School Points
Dylan Potts West Boca Raton 166
Brian McCartney West Broward 117
Mark Whittemore Buchholz 77
Evan Davis Armwood 50
Brad Lord South Lake 30
Class 5A
Player School Points
Mason Mallory St. Thomas Aquinas 149
Zephaniah Rogers Lakeland 55
Cole Rosendahl Ponte Vedra 52
JJ Edwards Edgewater 46
Lovensky Blanchard Riverdale 41
Coach School Points
Roger Harriott St. Thomas Aquinas 124
Marvin Frazier Lakeland 100
Steve Price Ponte Vedra 88
Kendall Gibson Riverdale 61
Patrick Browning Edgewater 32
Class 4A
Player School Points
Dereon Coleman Jones 123
Will Griffin Jesuit 115
Jamar Denson Am. Heritage (Plantation) 57
Logan Flaherty Port Charlotte 50
Jaylen White Clearwater 34
Coach School Points
Elijah Williams Jones 126
Mike Smith Amer. Heritage 112
Frank Beasley Choctawhatchee 86
Jordan Ingram Port Charlotte 41
Matt Thompson Jesuit 27
Class 3A
Player School Points
TJ Cole Raines 154
Amar’e Johnson Bishop Moore 61
Xavier Lherisse Eau Gallie 53
Calvin Russell Northwestern 44
Blake McCullough Bishop Moore 44
Coach School Points
Donovan Masline Raines 207
Jaquatin Victrum Northwestern 102
Matt Hedrick Bishop Moore 101
Carlos Woods Booker 20
Tim Krause Bishop Kenny 15
Class 2A
Player School Points
Xander Edwards Bolles 135
Connail Jackson Cardinal Mooney 115
Elijah Golden Cardinal Mooney 70
Jayden Torres Cardinal Gibbons 59
Julius Miles Freeport 19
Coach School Points
Jared Clark Cardinal Mooney 179
Matt Toblin Bolles 106
Helder Valle Immaculata 26
Richard Pettus The Villages 22
Ryan Schneider Cocoa 20
Class 1A
Player School Points
Jyron Hughley Cardinal Newman 161
Derrek Cooper Chaminade Madonna 86
Chase Burrill St. Pete Catholic 67
Jayden Petit St. John Neumann 44
Javian Tanelus Comm. School of Naples 31
Coach School Points
Jack Daniels Cardinal Newman 207
Marshall McDuffie Carrollwood Day 96
Dameon Jones Chaminade-Madonna 80
Verlon Dorminey Trinity Christian 42
Chris Harvey Clearwater Central Catholic 35
Rural Class
Player School Points
Richard Roundtree Hawthorne 135
Amari Thomas Blountstown 104
Jon Adams Chiefland 75
Justice Baldwin Baker 45
Ladarrious Crumity Madison County 44
Coach School Points
Cornelius Ingram Hawthorne 179
Brad Waggoner Blountstown 133
Cliff Harrell Chiefland 93
Matt Brunson Baker 17
Jesse Braswell Taylor County 15
Independent Class
Player School Points
Marcus Stracke Am. Heritage (Delray) 143
Elijah Mosby Windermere 73
K.J. Palmer Paxon 70
Aaron Akins Oak Hall 44
Bryce Norflee Umatilla 37
Coach School Points
Jonathan King Am. Heritage (Delray) 146
Gunnar Cox West Nassau 146
Eric Samuels Umatilla 68
Riki Smith Windermere 42
RJ Fuhr Oak Hall 30